Hello from an icy West Yorkshire

[racundra]

Hi everyone

I've been lurking for a few months now with plans to reform a patio in my garden and turn it into an outdoor kitchen area. Quite how successful this will be will depend on how successful my bricklaying skills turn out to be and how deep my pockets end up needing to be!

I'm so impressed with people's work on here, it is quite daunting!

So, I have a few questions...!

1. How much difference is there between building a dome from firebricks and building one from "ordinary" bricks? (Bear in mind that in not entirely sure what I mean by ordinary!)

2. The land rises behind my house and there is a retaining wall/raised flower bed around the patio to be converted. I don't know how solid the ground behind the wall is, but I'm planning on using the wall as the base for the oven/kitchen. I realise this is probably one of those useless "how the hell can you answer that" sort of questions, but how do I tell if the ground is substantial enough? I don't want to dig the whole lot out, but equally well don't want to build an oven that collapses into the patio!

Cheers

Noel

[cobblerdave]

G'day
I wouldn't be worried about lack of skills, the vast majority of these ovens are built by folk with no building or bricklaying skills. You just do it bit by bit learning as you go. I think there have been some of the best innovations have been figured out by the unskilled because because they are not constrained by professional skills. My apologies to any professionals for my bad bricklaying and building, you must cringe at my efforts. But being "Masonry Imparded " didn't stop me from building an oven.
You can build an oven from brick commons {the ones without the holes}. Which ones are more suitable I leave that up to local knowledge, but my two cents, if at all possible try to use firebrick for the hearth.
If that ground is "fill" over existing ground level its wise to be cautious. Id be digging a hole at each corner of your slab back to original ground level. Fill with concrete as you pore the slab will form a pier to stabilise back to existing ground. Yes you'll need steel in the holes and slab to re enforce it.
regards dave

[dunnes2002]

if you need some materials for free, I live in rawdon and have some stuff I need to get rid of before we move house.
Lots of plastering sand, normal sand, fire clay, few bricks, vermiculite, rebar etc and you can have a look at the oven too if you want.

Needs to be gone before next Thursday

[racundra]

Thanks for the replies guys

Dave - I think, from the look of things, that the wall is cut into the slope, so I don't think it's infill... I'll have a dig around and see what it looks like. Thanks for your encouragement! I'm looking forward to learning...

Dunnes- I will speak to SWMBO, as that's a very generous offer. Rawdon by the airport? I will see what plans we have for the weekend...

[dunnes2002]

I have offered it in another thread too as they are in Leeds also. I'll have a look in the Garage tonight and make a list of things and let you know tomorrow. Will be a first come first served I'm afraid.

[racundra]

Don't worry about it! I'm still at the "what the hell am I doing" stage!!

[dunnes2002]

I've created a separate thread for the free stuff Free stuff leeds