Hi All!
I wanted to give back to this forum, that has given me so much information and encouragement. I wanted to post an online diary of my effort to build a Mattone Barile Pizza Oven with Natural Gas Burner…by myself…during an Arizona summer!.
My name is Dwayne, and I am an IT professional working from home (due to Covid-19). While I am fortunate to be able to work from home; it does tend to feel like Groundhog Day, after awhile.
I am a bit of a handyman. I started my life in IT, then became a Low-voltage contractor, then back to IT (after the recession). During my days as a contractor, I was fortunate to work with various trades, who help me to this day.
To ward off boredom, and the fact that I love cooking (and Pizza), I bought a little Pronto Pizza oven. It was fine for a while, but after a few trips to Italy…I wanted a real Pizza Oven! As a real geek, I did a lot of research…which lead me to Brickwood Ovens! One look at the instructions and I was in.
I decided to build my own oven! Cost was a factor. We are in a strange time, and our household income is effected by Covid-19. I had a budget, and I had to stick with it! After explaining my intentions to my wife…she reminded me, that I have not completed the Master Bathroom remodel, yet! (Wives…am I right?!). I told her, this would be done before she (finally) picks out the Vessel sinks…which she’s had 6 months to do.
I currently hate my backyard. I haven’t been in my pool in three years! Our home is 20 years old…and shows it. Our backyard is run down and outdated. My pizza oven will be the start of our backyard renovation!
To commit to the project, I ordered the Mattone Barile package. The oven would be next to our built-in grill (which needs replacing…badly). An old refrigerator will be removed (not used for years), thus making a perfect place to store my wood. I would not need a lot of wood, because I will have a Natural Gas burner added to the girl. Hardwood is not the easiest thing to find in Arizona, and I like to have a choice between NG and wood. My oven will be used for everything from steaks to bread.
This will be a bit of a journey…and I’d like to bring you all along. Maybe you can learn from my mistakes.
Let’s begin…My oven will go here: