Easy Inexpensive Pizza Oven
by Workshop Warrior in Outside > Backyard
5161 Views, 110 Favorites, 0 Comments
Easy Inexpensive Pizza Oven
I wanted to build simple effective pizza oven behind the house. I will only be living here 6 more months or so, decided on this design because I had just enough brick and pavers laying around to make this design. I constructed it around a 15x15 inch pizza stone I already had. I only had find a mortar to seal it and hold it together. I used DAP fire resistant mortar (it comes in caulking tube) for this, once assembled just make sure to follow instructions on curing the mortar. I build fire inside oven and let it burn for around two hours before testing the design out with pizza.
Cost breakdown:
Bricks: $17 -locally are around $0.50 each or less.
Pavers: $15 - locally they are around $5 each of less.
Pizza stone: $7 to $40 - I got mine from TJmax or someplace like that for $7. They're pretty easy to find or look into substitutes you can use.
DAP Mortar: $15 - bought off Amazon.
You can probably find the brick and pavers free if you look. I see a lot of stuff like this being thrown out. You don't actually need the mortar if on a budget, it just makes the over more rigid and efficient. You can use regular mortar or something that's heat resistant.
Cost breakdown:
Bricks: $17 -locally are around $0.50 each or less.
Pavers: $15 - locally they are around $5 each of less.
Pizza stone: $7 to $40 - I got mine from TJmax or someplace like that for $7. They're pretty easy to find or look into substitutes you can use.
DAP Mortar: $15 - bought off Amazon.
You can probably find the brick and pavers free if you look. I see a lot of stuff like this being thrown out. You don't actually need the mortar if on a budget, it just makes the over more rigid and efficient. You can use regular mortar or something that's heat resistant.
Supplies
To build exactly as I did, you will need the following:
(All sizes are in inches and i would suggest buying a few extra bricks just incase.)
Pavers
1 15.5x15 .5
2 18x18
Cinder blocks
4 15.5x7.5x3.5
(You can use anything for this as long as it bigger than the footprint of the oven. I used what was laying around)
Brick
7 4x8x1
26 4x8x1.5
Pizza stone
15x15
Mortar
Dap fire resistant mortar x3
(I used three tubes,, but I put it on thick during assembly. You can also substitutefor actual mortar or some similar fire resistant caulking )
Caulking gun
Something to make level platform, I used sand but take into account erosion when choosing a material.
(All sizes are in inches and i would suggest buying a few extra bricks just incase.)
Pavers
1 15.5x15 .5
2 18x18
Cinder blocks
4 15.5x7.5x3.5
(You can use anything for this as long as it bigger than the footprint of the oven. I used what was laying around)
Brick
7 4x8x1
26 4x8x1.5
Pizza stone
15x15
Mortar
Dap fire resistant mortar x3
(I used three tubes,, but I put it on thick during assembly. You can also substitutefor actual mortar or some similar fire resistant caulking )
Caulking gun
Something to make level platform, I used sand but take into account erosion when choosing a material.
Make or Find a Flat Surface.
Since my pizza oven is pretty temporary I decided to use sand to make a level surface. I used 10 gal of beach sand (that I got off the beach). Pour out sand and make it somewhat level. Then place bricks, pavers, cinder block, ect flat on top of sand. Once I had blocks on the ground I jumped of them to make them somewhat level, just keep in mind erosion, I imagine the sand will was away over time with the amount of rain we get, but after a month, mine is still going strong..
Construct the Oven!
I lost some of the pictures of the actual construction, the chimney is important to allow proper heat and airflow. Look at finished product, you can see where I placed paver that will hold pizza stone. If you have trouble understanding my poor writing ability, drop me a message and I will help out!
I first started by just stacking the bricks before using any mortar. I placed paver the fire will sit on first and built the fire chamber first. I placed two bricks flat behind paver for the base of the actual chimney. I built it two two brick high around that base paver and placed 18x18 inch paver on top on brick then stacked the remaining bricks. I will note that I waited until I had everything together before building the rear wall since my design changed because I damaged a few bricks, I end up stacking the longways up inside. Once your design is done and you fill confident, disassemble it and start gluing it together. I literally just made a line with caulking on any surface of the brick that will butt up against another brick or paver.
WHEN PLACEING BRICK AROUND WHERE PIZZA WILL GO, I PLACED PIZZA STONE IN TO MAKE SURE I HAD ENOUGH ROOM TO REMOVE IT IF NEEDED. I WOULD SUGGEST LEAVING PIZZA STONE FREE SO IT CAN BE REMOVED.
I first started by just stacking the bricks before using any mortar. I placed paver the fire will sit on first and built the fire chamber first. I placed two bricks flat behind paver for the base of the actual chimney. I built it two two brick high around that base paver and placed 18x18 inch paver on top on brick then stacked the remaining bricks. I will note that I waited until I had everything together before building the rear wall since my design changed because I damaged a few bricks, I end up stacking the longways up inside. Once your design is done and you fill confident, disassemble it and start gluing it together. I literally just made a line with caulking on any surface of the brick that will butt up against another brick or paver.
WHEN PLACEING BRICK AROUND WHERE PIZZA WILL GO, I PLACED PIZZA STONE IN TO MAKE SURE I HAD ENOUGH ROOM TO REMOVE IT IF NEEDED. I WOULD SUGGEST LEAVING PIZZA STONE FREE SO IT CAN BE REMOVED.
Finished Product!
I had to change the design of the back wall after I damaged some bricks. Use picture as reference in construction.if you look at the paver in the middle, it will give you a better idea of where to place it to allow for the chimney to function.
Allowing Mortar to Cure
If building with DAP fire resistant mortar, the instructions tell you to build a small fire and allow it to cure. Around 1-2 hours or curing. Mine got pretty hot pretty quick with small fire.
Make Pizza and Enjoy.
Start a fire in chamber, add wood and wait until you have a pretty decent red hot coal base.. I slow added wood over about 10-15 once I had fire started then waited around 30 min after that to place pizza in oven.. you want the pizza stone to be pretty hot to properly cook pizza.. the pizza was done in around 5 min or so, will depend on hot hot the fire is.