Kingsport Tennessee Oven Build

[ovenexcited]

First let me say thanks for an awesome forum! We recently bought some property with an old house. The house was removed but this left and chimney of old clay red bricks and a chimney foundation that's about four feet tall. I thought " I have a foundation and bricks and 50 acres of raw materials. Let's build a pizza oven!" So I am now learning and resourcing materials. Quick question: can I put bricks around the entire oven later and not build a roof? We really don't want a roof but are using cob. Thanks to all and I can't wait to get started .

[kstronach]

hi welcome to the forum, you don't need a roof over your oven most people don't but you do want to try and make them as waterproof as possible and building a brick skin over the outside is a good way of doing that, whilst also looking bob on, infact theres a few ovens on here that have done just that, cobblerdaves comes to mind if you want to check his build out.

now i'm not very clued up on cobb ovens, but there are other members on here that will chip in soon i'm sure, but i don't see why you couldn't build a brick skin around it once you have fully cured the cobb and any wet insulation you may put over ie vermicrete.

keith

[chas]

I think Keith must be right re the protective brick skin - I have a sort of hybrid build: the dome is brick, but stuck together with potter's clay. So, cobb to the extent that it has clay joints and is vulnerable to penetrating wet.
I made the mistake of rendering over the dome to waterproof it before it was fully dry, and am convinced now that an insulating layer would make a difference to performance as well. So my take on it would be: let it dry fully under a temporary roof, insulate over the cobb, let it dry and then either brick it over or at least get a proofing render over it.


Chas

[cobblerdave]

G'day
You've got a stand and a stack of spare bricks why not a brick oven?
Mines a firebrick oven because the stand was free .
It's since gained a skin of water proof house brick
Budgets are everthing but the efforts the same.
Regards dave

[ovenexcited]

Thanks for the great input and suggestions. I will look into the brick oven idea. Just find myself fascinated with cob and a desire to build something with it.

[rivergirl]

Bricking around your cob sounds like a good idea, especially if you can get extra insulation in there. BUT one of the great things about cob builds is that they can be very individual works of garden art!