Installation guide

Pompeii Oven Instructions

1.6. A complete outdoor kitchen foundation.

1.7 The foundation and first course of stand blocks.

Hints and Tips

Use a tiller to break up the ground before you excavate.

You can rent one from Home Depot. If your ground is hard

and/or dry, water it with a sprinkler for a couple of days

before you start. Your site should be soft, but not muddy.

Compare both diagonal measurements of your foundation

frame to ensure that your foundation will be square.

Double check that your foundation really faces the exact

direction you want you oven to face. Once the diagonals

are of equal length, you may want to temporarily attach 2 x

4 lumber horizontally to form triangles at the corners and

hold your form square during the pour (Photo 1.8)

1.8. 2”x4”’s hold the form square and plumb.

The weight of concrete in the foundation can be heavy (40

80lb bags or more), and mixing it by hand in a

wheelbarrow might use up energy and time that will serve

you better later in the project. Rent a mixer from Home

Depot, and ask a friend (or pay a local teenager) to help

you mix and pour the slab.

There are also mix-on-your-site trucks that come and just

make as much concrete as you need on site, so you might

want to price this option if available in your area.

Check with your local equipment rental company for a 1-

yard mixer that you can tow behind a standard pickup

truck.

If your building side it far from your street or curb, you can

hire a concrete pump to shoot the concrete where you

want it. The pump rental is typically a different company

from the concrete delivery truck.

Remember that while the slab has to be square, level,

plumb, and structurally sound to get your oven off on the

right foot, it will never be seen. It is worth saving your best

finish work for later in the project.