Modern Design - Ambitious new oven build

[guym]

I can remember making my first proper pizza in 1999. I was a student living in Leeds. I woke up one day and decided I was going to make a Pizza from scratch. I didn't really know how, but I did know that I loved good Pizza and that nothing I could easily buy tasted as good as something handmade.

I walked down to the Co-op from Headingley/ Hyde Park area and bought the ingredients. I guessed at it. I didn't have a recipe - so just bought what seemed logical. Some flour, some tomatoes, cheese.

Now, that first pizza was pretty terrible. There were lots of reasons, not least buying terrible flour, but I had a go - and I was hooked.

Fast forward nearly 20 years, and now at the tender age of 40 years - I've finally started building the oven I promised myself all those years ago. I'm pleased to say that I also make a decent Pizza nowadays.

So, about the oven.

I always told myself that I'd build the oven once we had a house/ garden/ location worthwhile putting the time effort into the build. I think we've kind of got that now. Our house was first built in 1966, it's got a large garden overlooking open countryside and only one neighbour. In Summer the garden and terrace gets full sun through the afternoon and into the evening. It's in a small semi-rural village. We've got a decent spot for an oven tucked away under a Rowan Tree - up against the north facing fence next to the neighbour.

When we started searching for design inspiration we did the usual thing. Google. "Pizza oven design". Quickly followed by "Modern Pizza oven". The design that came up first and caught our eye was this one. I'm guessing that many of you will have already seen it.






After researching this image a little more I found out that this oven was built in Wallingford, Seattle, USA. It had been architect designed and purpose built for the client.

We liked the look of it. It was different to all the traditional oven designs we were seeing. Definitely not to everyone's taste, or even suitable in many situations, however our 1960's house with recent additions looked like it might go well.

Now comes the plot twist. I wanted to build an oven pretty similar to the Wallingford design - FOR FREE. Not spending any money. You see we had lots of materials leftover from various building works at the house over the last 5 years. Jumbo bags of ballast, building sand, cement, hardcore, lots of timber, some bricks - you get the general idea. Was it possible to build something as ambitious as this for free.

Spoiler alert - the answer is a resounding NO! We definitely couldn't do it. However, the idea of doing it as close to zero cost (ie: a few hundred pounds) definitely remains the plan and we're on track so far. I'll post photos showing progress so far. To date we've spent almost nothing - less than £20 - and we're about to start the oven.

The elephant in the room at this stage is the design. The eagle eyed amongst you will have spotted the cantilevered concrete worktop. The dimensions of ours is approx 2000mm x 1200mm. Ie: massive. And very heavy. Largely unsupported at many points. Raised 900mm in the air. Why 900mm?? That's the height of a standard kitchen worktop. I wanted to be able to prep at the same height as in a kitchen. Fairly standard stuff. Also this was designed by a professional architect practice, and almost certainly built by professionals. I am most definitely neither of those things.

So, one Saturday afternoon in April 2017 I stepped out into the garden and started preparing the area... pictures to follow

[devontiger]

Welcome to the Pizza oven forum.
We will look closely at your build with interest.

As far as free goes, you will be lucky, virtually impossible.

[guym]

We're really interested to hear from anyone else who has already built, or is in the process of building, something similar. Maybe someone else has taken inspiration from the Wallingford oven and already built it?

Our finished oven floor/ hearth dimensions will be approx 1100mm at the widest point and 700mm front to back (from the doorway arch). This should comfortably accommodate 3 to 4 twelve inch pizzas once built. Whilst this isn't particularly large, we're interested to hear from anyone else who has an oven chamber of a similar size. Are there any considerations we need to be aware of before starting the dome?

[guym]

Thanks Devon. Yes, we quickly figured that out. We hope to come under £500, and of course - we did obviously pay for the leftover materials at some stage - we're just kind of ignoring that! We're kind of taking it as money spent from this stage onwards!

[oblertone]

Looking forward to seeing progress, but just one note of caution; as pizza cooks very quickly in a WFO most folk struggle with two at a time as they need almost constant attention, the idea that you can manage four is somewhat impractical but that realisation means you may be able to reduce or reconfigure your oven dimensions.

Good luck

[guym]

Thanks Oblertone. Yes - it's a good point about building a larger oven chamber - and something we've been thinking about. Clearly the bigger the volume to heat - the more fuel will be required to heat it up, stabilise and maintain. Also conscious of the cooking dynamics in a bigger chamber ie: will it cook slower, or have more hots spots? I guess until it's built I'm not sure how it will work! We spaced the floor out last weekend with logs and some plates positioned as Pizzas. Fire plus 3 pizzas was comfortable - fourth was a squeeze. Fire plus 2 pizzas was very comfortable - possibly optimum. We have a big extended family and friends to feed!

[devontiger]

guym, I normally will cook for 6-8 persons.
So, I will make 9 pizza balls that will then cut into 6 portions.
I cook one first, sit down & eat with my guests, whilst my fire is pulled back over the floor.
Then I'm up & turning out a pizza every 90 secs, whilst wifee cuts them up & serves them.
I can easily cook 2 at a time, & I have in the past done that, but in reality one at a time is good, specially if you cut them up.
I have & also do, cooked 3 small individual ones at a time. (manly for kids)

[truckcab79]

What an exciting build. Can’t wait to see it unfold. Much as I don’t live in one as our house is 1952, I do love a bit of 60’s architecture when well done. If you can pull it off it will look great regardless of budget.

As I’ve recently finished mine and cooked half a dozen times I’d also add the recommendation that two at a time is plenty. Mine cook in 90 seconds and within that time need turning three or four times so keeping that up x4 would be a struggle. Not to say you shouldn’t build it as big as you want and ignoring the fact that it will take more fuel to heat at least if you want to try cooking four you can. Worst thing that can happen is you decide to cook 2 at a time regardless. I recently cooked for 20 and nobody was left sitting around for long waiting. Even with my daughter prepping quick I found that the dough handled best if you could get it onto the peel and back off again as soon as possible. Even using semolina if I left it too long it didn’t want to slide off easily.

Oh, and I also went to Leeds Uni. I left in 1992. I know and lived around Headingley and Woodhouse Moor. No doubt drank in all the same pubs! though a few years before you.

[guym]

Devon/ Truck - Thanks for replying. Good advice.

The '2 pizzas at a time' advice seems to be a common thread, so we'll definitely bear this in mind. We're just keen to get it finished now and see how it works out, Suspect there will be quite a bit of trialing and experimentation before we truly understand the dynamics of our oven.

We really wanted to build something on a semi-commercial scale for a range of reasons. More than anything we didn't want something too small as it's difficult to make bigger once it's built.

Hope to post some pictures tomorrow showing step by step so far. Thanks for the advice.

[guym]

April 2017

The day before digging the footings. In truth this photo is a little misleading. The reason the ground is so patchy and spartan is that a few weeks previously this border was completely overgrown and even had a small pond in it. There was actually quite a bit of work involved in clearing the spot.

[guym]

2nd June 2017

Footings dug. Filled with hardcore. Shuttering in place ready for concrete.
Honestly the effort required to dig the footings was way more than expected. The main reason is that we were unlucky to encounter lots of tree roots from the nearby Rowan Tree - large and small. Plus there must have been lots of other shrubs and stuff there previously.
Total nightmare - but got there in the end.

[guym]

11th June 2017

Footings poured. First course of Blues laid out for position.
In case you're wondering - the long straight course of Blues is for the low level bench seat - similar to the Wallingford design

[guym]

7th July 2017

1. You'll soon realise that this will not be a quick build
2. I do have lots of reasons for being slow - not least a young family and full time job
3. On this day however, the first course of bricks was laid
4. Should be plain sailing from this point forward right? What could go wrong?

[guym]

9th July 2017

Not the best brick laying you're ever going to see, but done by my own fair hands

I doff my cap to any builder or craftsman who can lay bricks properly, set out corners etc - it takes true skill and experience.

I have neither. I do have ambition and a bit of patience though - so anything is achievable

[guym]

29th June 2018

Nearly a year has elapsed since any progress on the brickwork shown above.
The bricks have stood still. Nothing has happened.

Suddenly a flurry of activity and main supporting walls are up to height, and some progress with the bench wall.
The main walls also form the log store.