I personally design, build, and install every oven. From the initial consultation through final firing, you work directly with the person responsible for the project.

I only build 2-3 ovens per year. Each one is unique. Each one expertly handcrafted one brick at a time.

Typically from the moment the bricks are ordered till the oven is complete and ready to go is about 4 months. Bear in mind there is a wait list. Call for details.

I believe you can never have too much insulation. Your oven comes with 2” of an aerospace quality microporous floor insulation with 3 times less thermal conductivity than more commonly used calcium silicate board which is the accepted standard. And your dome gets covered with 2” of this same insulation in a blanket form that is the equivalent of 6” ceramic fiber blanket! No one else uses this type of insulation! No one. Also the dome and floors are separated from each other so that they can move independently during hot/cold cycles. What’s more the dome is also placed on the same floor insulation to prevent heat soak into the stand.

My experience when talking to clients is it always starts with pizza. Then steak. Then chicken. Pretty soon they want to have breakfast the next day and even bake bread! So I build your oven to be versatile. To allow you cook whatever you want including items like bread or breakfast which require sustained heat retention.

All of my ovens are built with a dome height of 15-16”. This “low dome” design offers enhanced wood efficiency and and more even cooking. It is a nice all around sweet spot for all types of foods including roasts, breads and yes pizza. Too high a dome, like hemispheres, tend to be inefficient. Too low and the oven can be a bit unforgiving. A low dome is however more difficult to engineer and build but I feel it’s worth the effort.

I only use 12×12” and 12×18” firebrick floor tile that results in 85% fewer seems for a peel to catch on.

Your oven floor will include a proprietary subfloor that when combined with the cooking floor is 3.5” thick overall. This provides a bit of extra mass and retained heat for breads and roasts or if you just want to cook breakfast the next day! No one builds a subfloor. I do.

Most of the domes are circular and elliptical. But I can also do Neopolitan domes, square/rectangular vaults and French Pour a Bois which are tear drop shaped.

I offer 40”, 48” and 60”. 40” is my bread and butter size. It’s perfect for the average family and small parties. 48” is a step up and is great for large families, people who love to host large parties or at home chefs as well as small restaurants. 60” is for larger restaurants. Inquire into vault and French ovens.

No. I’ve found clients tend to outgrow the 36” oven size quickly and wish they had that little bit more room that a 40” allows. Also the cost savings between a 36” vs a 40” is minimal.

I love burners. Burners when paired with wood can cut the heat up time in less than half and significantly reduce the amount of wood required! Call me for more information.

Many people use ordinary red clay bricks. I don’t use red clay bricks because the red iron oxide which give the brick that red color expands and contracts with repeated cycling. Over time this leads to cracking and spalling which can also cause the mortar to fall out. What’s more, ordinary red clay bricks are often hand made and turn to dust. They simply cannot handle the wear and tear these ovens experience. Many ovens that use red clay bricks start to see deterioration in as little as 3-5 years. Some people will insist that you can use regular red clay bricks. Ordinary red clay bricks are optimal from building and home facades. Not the temperature extremes and hot cold cycles of a brick oven. Firebrick are called FIREbrick for a reason. This is what they were made for.

I only use dedicated commercial refractory bricks that are designed to handle temps well in excess of what a brick oven will see without any risk of deterioration as well as the hot and cold cycles typically seen in brick ovens. These bricks are commonly used in kilns and foundries and can handle upwards of 3000*F, well above the temperatures seen in brick ovens. I also only use American made Alsey bricks as they are the best quality available. They cost more but I feel they are worth it.

I don’t like labels such as “Medium Duty”. I prefer to go by the alumina content. Medium Duty firebrick can vary from 30-38% alumina depending on the manufacturer. I insist on only using Alsey firebrick made here in the United States. I use their Jet DP (37% alumina) for the dome and Pilot DP (41% alumina) for the inner arch and floor because of the added durability the higher alumina content provides. Important when you’re cooking with pots and pans.

Biscotti has become the popular thing in the last few years. Problem is it’s useful if all you’re going to cook is Neopolitan pizza at 900*F. And because they are handmade they tend to literally disintegrate and fall apart after 3-10 years especially if you cook more than just pizza. They simply cannot withstand the wear and tear caused by pots and pans. Again, I build my ovens to be versatile.

Some people say it’s better to use “low duty” firebrick (18-27% alumina). They say it’s better for Neapolitan pizza. Fact is that’s ok if you all you want to make are 90 second pizzas. But you give up a significant amount of durability. I’ve also experimented with low duty firebrick in my shop and was not at all impressed with the quality. The Alsey Jet DP and Pilot DP firebick I use have a thermal conductivity of 1.2 w/mk. Just 0.04 w/m/k more than “low duty” firebrick, yet far more durable. Very important when you’re cooking with pots and pans.

All of my bricks are cut with exceptionally tight joints of just 1mm. Each brick is cut 8 ways as a decagon with double compound miters. The math involved is painful! And it takes 200 hrs to cut them! I even bevel the bottoms! No one else does this! The effect is that each brick is essentially a keystone resulting in an incredibly strong almost monolithic dome structure. It also allows for far less mortar and thus far less water that needs to be cured out. Theoretically my ovens don’t need mortar! It’s incredibly difficult and time consuming process but I feel it’s well worth the effort. And more importantly it allows me to warranty our domes for life*. Ask for details.

I only use wet premix mortar. It’s perfect for those exceptionally tight 1mm joints. This results in a stronger more monolithic structure that contributes to long term durability.

That’s a misconception. It is water soluble UNTIL your oven reaches 230-300*F with the first curing fires. After that it is fully bonded. I’ve seen uncovered firepits built with wet premix mortar that have lasted years! Unless you have a river running through your oven it’s a non issue.

I also go to great pains to eliminate all stacked joints and ensure a proper running bond with the brick below. This also contributes to the exceptional strength of my ovens. I also build your dome to be symmetrical. Details you won’t see in anyone else’s oven. No one else goes to these incredible lengths. That’s why a typical 40” oven has almost 200hrs in it.

I stand behind my workmanship and provide a written warranty for the scope of work described in your proposal.

I only use 304 stainless steel in our ovens to prevent rust. If you live near the ocean I will use 316 stainless steel.

Some people feel it’s a badge of honor when they see soot on the front of an oven. I reject this notion as nonsense. While it’s impossible to guarantee that your oven won’t smoke 100% of the time I go to great lengths to prevent this. It’s all in a properly designed throat/smoke chamber/flue combination. Of course things that can contribute to smoke is damp wood, and improper fire location.

I use an iQ MS362 “dustless” dry saw. It allows me to cut all of the brick without water. Less water in, less water needs to be cured out, reducing the risk of cracks.

By using air set wet premix mortar and tight 1mm joints as well as a dry sand/fireclay leveling bed and a iQ dustless dry saw, I’ve  significantly reduced the use of water needed to build the dome of your oven. This helps to ensure that there is little or no water that needs to be evaporated during the curing process.

I pre-cure all of my ovens both during and after the construction process. I have a proprietary drying process that significantly reduces the risk of cracking.

Small hairline cracks are perfectly normal and part of the curing process due to expansion and contraction.

While it’s impossible to guarantee this 100% of the time, i go to great lengths to ensure your ovens are built as waterproof as possible. Call for more details.

Pretty much anything you can image but typically includes stucco, tile, stone, metal, etc. Call me for details.

Stonework is a dying art that takes a keen eye for balance and proportions. My grandfather, uncle and cousin were masons so it’s something dear to my heart. While there are many good stone masons, there are also many bad ones but only a handful of great ones. I only use a handful of the best when a client wants stonework for their ovens and stands.

Typically ovens come in either an “igloo” style or a Neapolitan style or in a roofed enclosure. Call me for details.

Yes, in fact I insist on it. Because of the weight of these ovens there are certain aspects that need to be included in the design.

Great question. Because they have their own finishing choices we found it’s best to price them separately even though they are included with the oven on the contract.

Of course. Just call as I always welcome visitors.