It’s always good to have a dream, and if you’re on this website then it’s likely your dream is to build your own pizza oven but what does it take to build your own?
There are are few questions that need to be answered first though, and it’s worth having a really good think and it’s all about the planning:
- Where will you build it?
- What will it look like?
- Do you have the skills to build it?
- How much will it cost?
Below we’ll go through all these questions and it will help you decide whether to build your own brick fired pizza oven or perhaps opt for a cheaper portable oven.
Where will you build it?
A brick pizza oven isn’t small, so not only do you need to consider the actual size of it but also the need to have enough space to maneuver around it when cooking and loading pizza with a long paddle. There can also be a lot of heat put out by the oven entrance so you’ll want to have enough space around that too.
What will it look like?
There are a lot of different designs and build types, with many people choosing to incorporate a work surface adjacent to the pizza oven, but there is a lot of flexibility in the overall design.
If you’re looking for inspiration then check out this pinterest board which has a large selection of pizza oven designs to choose from and it’s great to see ovens that people have actually build themselves.
It’s not just about what the oven looks like but also the size of the oven will also dictate the quantity of pizzas you can cook, but it’s worth noting a larger over will take more materials and also take longer to heat up… but they do look amazing and work really well for pizza parties!
How can I build it?
They’re not hugely technical things to make but your choice of design will affect how you build it. Here are the basic steps.
- Build a base. Oven’s are sturdy things so a base of concrete, bricks, or building blocks will do. This will also allow you to have your oven at the correct height and ensure no pets or children get in there!
- On top of that you need a firebrick base which ensures you have a good surface to cook on which will retain heat and not warp.
- Finally the insulated dome and a chimney. Obviously.
That is the very very basic guide but will give you a rough idea.
How much will it cost?
This is where I can’t help you out. You could make a simple cob oven made from clay and straw and maybe get away with making it virtually for free or you could decide to make it out of firebricks, get a metal flue, and end up spending a fair bit on it depending on your design.
Ultimately you want something that works and that you’re proud of.
What if I don’t like pizza?
You can cook virtually anything in here so think roasts, bread, etc. Who doesn’t like pizza though?