Constructing a brick pizza oven

Vance and Kathryn at Magnolia Grove decided to make use of our oven building skills and had us build them a brick and concrete igloo shaped pizza oven. Granted we had never made one out of brick, but the basics should be the same... RIGHT?



Step 1: Locate where your oven will go. This is important as it will NOT move when it is done.


Step 2: Make a base for your oven's platform. This one will have a cement base even with the grass level, so a square hole was dug (by Kathy) to pour the concrete into.



Step 3: Create the base for your platform. This one consisted of 3 wheelbarrows full of concrete.


Step 4: While the concrete is still wet place your first run of blocks for the platform (get them somewhat level)


Step 5: Make your second run MORE level.


Step 6: The third run should be totally level. Fill the blocks with cement.



Step 7: Prepare your oven platform top. This one has a space in the middle and at one end for the fire bricks.


Step 8: If need be, move your platform to the oven base



Step 9: Make a flat and level sand base for your fire bricks.



Step 10: Place your fire bricks, and any outside decorations such as tile that will end up under the oven.


Step 11: Set your first run of bricks for the oven!!


Step 12: Make the arch door. We used 2 pieces of cardboard fastened together with more cardboard in order to support the arch while we set it up.


Step 13: Add another run of bricks to the oven.



Step 14: Keep adding bricks to the oven while tapering the size of your circle, also tilt the bricks inward by about 20 to 25 degrees starting at your third run. This will allow the dome to close up by the top middle.


Step 15: I forgot to mention, add sand, or bags full of something... to create a dome shaped structure inside your oven to lay the bricks against while the mortar sets.


Step 16: Almost done! Add a pipe at the top for a chimney. This one will be removed afterwards. You might want to line the outside of the pipe with paper, we kept turning this one while the mortar dried so that it didn't harden into the cement.


Step 17: Watch it dry...


Step 18: Give it 2 days to completely set, then pull out the insides.



Your new brick oven all done!!


Just in case you were wondering what you were wondering what it was like to be a pizza :)