- Thread starter
- #201
Might as well throw one or two photos into the conversation before this thread gets back to my shop.
Retirement Shop
- Thread starter WarDamnEagle
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I’d been planning to build a domed top pizza oven, a side mounted smoker and grill. 95% I can do on my own …it’s the damn concrete slab that usually stops me dead in my tracks
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- #203
Yes we all have our limitations. I'm a concrete guy when it comes to knowledge on the subject but I certainly won't pour or finish this slab either; too much specialized equipment and frankly, concrete can work you like no other material given the time windows involved. I can manage all the site prep and gravel sub-base though. I might even form this one. FWIW, it's much easier to pour a slab down here given the absence of a frost line. Final design is still in flux but a brick pizza oven has been floating in and out of our design.
If I may ask: what is the biggest objective or obstacle doing a foundation for the pizza oven in your view? Can it be done in 4x4 sections or so? Or set up a frame and just get it poured? Which is not my preference. As nutty as it sounds, I would rather pour small sections on my own that would survive 15 years or so than get a cement company involved even though the job is done in a day.
I know it’s odd
I know it’s odd
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- #205
Although I know a lot about concrete, let me say up front that I am not a structural engineer. So all I can offer are some educated opinions. Also, let's get something else straight; cement is a material that goes into concrete. The cement company makes cement; the concrete company makes concrete; a foundation contractor forms and places concrete.
New Jersey is divided between two frost lines: 30" in the south and 36" in the north. That means your slab footings need to be at least that deep below the ground. Not sure of width. I see some references to 6" minimum and load dependent so for arguments sake let's say you need 36" deep and 12" wide footings. I would typically pour a slab 6" nominally thick but you could probably get by with a bit less. Also, FWIW, I never use anything under 4000 psi concrete.
Here is a good article on brick pizza oven design and construction. They totally gloss over the need for footings under their slab but I used the article to assume you need at least a 71" by 80" slab.
Pizza Oven Foundation | Brick Oven Concrete Slab | Forno Bravo
Creating a sturdy pizza oven foundation is an important step in building a Pompeii oven. Read about building a brick oven concrete slab online right now!
www.fornobravo.com
So doing the math for you and rounding off, that's 3 yards of concrete (3/4 yd in the slab and a bit over 2 1/4 in the footer). You can pour the footer separate from the slab but I wouldn't. Why? Well it's stronger to pour them together and normally a concrete truck minimum is 3 yds. You will need some reinforcement which probably means rebar in the footer and welded wire in the slab (or order fibermesh in the concrete).
Now there is no way under our gracious lord's green earth that I would try to mix and pour this myself. So I can't offer you any advice as to how to do it. Even if you only wanted to just finish the slab yourself, the concrete guy isn't going to place it for you or even smooth it off unless you know one that will (and they are out there). So that might be a way to get it done but you have to find that guy and slip him a Benjamin or two.
Probably not what you wanted to hear but hopefully that gives you some food for thought.
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Eyedaho
SILVER Star
I appreciate the stack of jigsaw puzzles in the unfinished corner.
This was our situation too. My bride scored her dream home (which we have made changes to almost every room now) plus it had an out building that has become my shop. It is not a proper shop like yours, but more like a warehouse (uninsulated so clearly no climate control). Regardless, it has a roof and available to me.
Kudos to you on your homestead. May you and your bride be very happy. Like others, I watch your posts with great interest to see how you tailor your shop to your wants and needs. Thanks for sharing your progress
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- #208
Yes, kind of an odd thing to have laying around. Those were my mom's. We moved her into an assisted living home nearby a year ago and for some reason we decided to hang onto those when we were cleaning out her house. I'm not quite sure how they wound up in the shop and not in storage. They have all been put together at least once. Maybe my wife and I can wile away the hours with those when we run out of other activities. Hopefully that's years and years from today.I appreciate the stack of jigsaw puzzles in the unfinished corner.
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- #209
Very kind of you; thanks. All of these threads are pretty interesting. I wander over to Garage Journal occasionally but I don't get the same vibe there as here. Clearly Land Cruiser nuts are a special breed. We aren't too far off I85 if you ever find yourself in the area and have some time.
This is exactly how I prefer to smoke. I’ve gained many pounds researching brick smokers in Tx, all with offset fire boxes and cured post oak burnt down to coals. I smoked a whole hog on similar set up a few years ago and loved it. IT only makes sense with lifetime supply of pecan, oak and hickory here on the farm although I prefer to smoke with pecan.
Wife has ordered her Amish built greenhouse and chicken house. Today we spent morning orienting everything on the pad where they will sit. Sadly, my outdoor cooking pad will be the last thing built. A combo of cowboy cooking over an open fire pit, offset smoker and then the Yoder pellet grill storage.
I do enjoy watching Andrew Zimmerns “Wild Game Kitchen”. He has nice simple and effective set up.
I too will be watching the progress closely Greg.
Greg I’m on Garage Journal almost as much as Mud. And your right, there is a different vibe there. I have made a few friends there, but it’s nothing like the fellowship here.
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- #212
It's a great reference for sure and I do go there often, but usually just to research something.
Eyedaho
SILVER Star
I visited my folks over the holidays and did a few puzzles with my mom. It tickled my funny bone to think about puzzles as unfinished projects to be completed someday.
Amazing garage and spread you have there!
That is a dandy pit..
I’ll venture there have been some very good memories generated as a result of having it close by.
Fiskars. I keep two axes and a hatchet on the Hill. The Mrs insisted on getting a homeowner collection. Their hatchet is a kindling machine.
I’ll venture there have been some very good memories generated as a result of having it close by. Fiskars. I keep two axes and a hatchet on the Hill. The Mrs insisted on getting a homeowner collection. Their hatchet is a kindling machine.
@WarDamnEagle Thanks for the education…you’re right, not what I wanted to hear. I THINK the one question that pops up for me is….the floor of my pole barn is between 6-8” thick on top of a compacted base of 3/4” bluestone. Is has no footings or foundation beyond the posts of the building being 4’ deep. Let’s assume I had constructed a CMU (something we old guys called cinder block)base of 3 - 4 courses and built a 48” dome on top of it…. Where do I expect this to have problems? Is it freeze and thaw or weight based? Don’t worry on the structural engineer thing…I never have and in 50+ yrs, so far so good…
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- #216
It's both; something I have little to no experience with when it comes to building design. My assumption is the 36" is a requirement due to freezing conditions (which causes uplift) and the width of the foundation is based on overall load (weight). My wife is a civil engineer and my son in law has a masters in structural engineering. He's probably a better person to ask about your pole barn. If I were you I would decide on foundation size (length and width only) and location. I would then get a quote or two; if nothing else to see what they say about the necessity of a footer.@WarDamnEagle Thanks for the education…you’re right, not what I wanted to hear. I THINK the one question that pops up for me is….the floor of my pole barn is between 6-8” thick on top of a compacted base of 3/4” bluestone. Is has no footings or foundation beyond the posts of the building being 4’ deep. Let’s assume I had constructed a CMU (something we old guys called cinder block)base of 3 - 4 courses and built a 48” dome on top of it…. Where do I expect this to have problems? Is it freeze and thaw or weight based? Don’t worry on the structural engineer thing…I never have and in 50+ yrs, so far so good…
Thank you. I will keep your hospitality in mind, but I rarely visit Alabama via I85. I20 is my most regular route to visit your fair state. Our youngest just completed her residency at UAB; so for the last few years, we made the drive to Birmingham regularly to visit her. But my trips to the CMP range at Talladega will keep I20 fresh for me.
I used to regularly visit Garage Journal, but it lost its vibe for me a few years ago. Maybe I need to revisit just to check out what is there now and what you & Michael have posted.
@LDowney it’s funny that you come through on I 20. That puts you almost equidistant between Greg and I.
@WarDamnEagle, nicely done. Getting ready to build a shop and looking for ideas. Thanks for sharing.