Why I Oughta...

Progress on the pizza oven MVP continues.  At least in terms of the hard surface part of the project.  Back ten days ago, I showed the first timber (6x6x8 treated ground-contact) being placed on site and talked about how much more excavation was required.  A few days ago, I posted a photo showing the three other timbers that I brought home from the lumber store that were ready to get placed for dry-fitting .  Now that I have the first four timbers on-site, I can start to see how much more excavation is required.  With the wall being about ten-inches-tall, that means that I would like to have about ten-inches of gravel behind the wall.  Thus, excavation is for the space required for the timbers to be square plus ten-inches in each direction.  Below is a look at the current state of the area:  All four timbers are on-site and I've been pulling away at the earth that needs to be retained: My plan is to use a flat shovel to create a clean edge in the...

Last I checked-in on the pizza oven ground project, I was dry-fitting the first 6x6 treated (ground-contact) timber that I'll use to retain the earth and (I think) hold in gravel in the middle of the surface.  I spent a little bit of time this past weekend doing more excavation and found time to run to the hardware store to bring home three more 6x6 timbers.   Below, you can see the three timbers (and a pile of bags of gravel) that I'll haul to the backyard in the coming days.  Once back there, I'll use them to make sure I've excavated *enough* earth.  My plan is to dry-fit all of these in the ground, then measure what over-dig still needs to be done that will allow for a foot-or-so of gravel to sit *behind* (earth-side) of the wall.   I'll next update the project once I put all the timbers in and fit.  After that, I'll finalize the excavation, lay down the nonwoven fabric, establish the grade for the first course of timbers with gravel and/or pa...

I continue to find small bits of time to excavate and prep the ground in front of the pizza oven slab.  After work, on weekends.  A little bit at a time.  This is #2 on my list of 'priority projects', but that full project also includes weather-proofing the actual oven .  The other part is the hard-surface to stand-on, in-front of the oven.  My (current) thinking is that I'll create an 8x8(ish) area that is edged with landscape timbers.  I'll use a nonwoven geotextile underneath the whole thing and install a couple of timbers as a retaining wall - to help handle the grade change.   Here's my initial excavation post showing some of the dirt removal .   And, just last week, I measured the depth of grade-change at the seven-foot-deep-mark.  About 12" of earth that needs to be held back .  Over the weekend, I picked up one (1) 6x6x8 treated ground-contact landscape timber from the big box lumber store.  It is H E A V Y.  ...

I've excavated the landing in front of the pizza oven a little bit at a time over the past week-or-so.  I've managed to remove about seven(ish) feet x eight(ish) feet in area.  I'd like to get back to (at least) 8x8.  But, I've also begun to figure out what I'm facing in terms of earth that needs to be held back.  Below, is a photo showing the rear edge of the site - showing about eleven-inches of height at seven-feet-back.  The grade isn't too steep in this spot, so if I take out another foot, I'm guessing this might raise up to one-foot-tall.    Here's the initial excavation post from last week . My plan is to get all of the earth removed so I can start to use the eight-foot timber as guide to find level.  Underneath the wall area, I'll excavate a bit to fill with gravel + paver base.   At 12" tall, I'm dealing with a timber with a 5.5" true height.  Thinking two 6x6's (11 inches) might be enough.  But, that all depends on wh...

The weather recently has been doing with late Winter/early Spring does around here:  Move all over the place.  Some 60's and some 30's.  I've been trying to fit in some early garden work during the warmer moments - from clean-up to bed extensions to...now...kicking off the pizza oven project for 2025.   I labeled this my #2 priority project earlier this month and talked about getting it 'operational' was my goal :  that means getting it water-tight and getting the hard surface right in front of the oven mud-free - and...presentable.   I am going to first address the hard surface.   This whole project - in the most ideal state - requires A LOT of things - retaining walls, paver patio, covered roof, prep surface and (likely) a bar.  But, for now, I'm looking at what I can get done NOW - this Spring.  And something that is both cost-effective and (at least somewhat) attractive.   There's a 26" drop between the grade of ...

Yesterday, I posted a list of 18 potential projects that I called "an early look" at some potential priority projects and talked about how I needed to refine the list to bring forward the most critical ones.  The first one on that list that I labeled as a priority in its own post was the bluestone chip gravel path renovation project that calls for the installation of a nonwoven geotextile .   The second priority project is going to focus on my largest project from 2024:  the pizza oven. I've spent a bunch of time ( and a lot of posts ) writing about the oven, including how it will anchor a second, lower-level patio.  That project requires the installation of a retaining wall , a patio floor ( or floating deck ) and more.  I even worked through an 'order of operations' in this post where I talked about the ideal, final state including electrical and prep-space.   But, I know that those projects will take time - likely all summer.  And, I'd l...

Yesterday, I posted some details of the short, 26" (or so) tall gravity retaining wall that we'll need to build out this Spring in the backyard.  I talked about some of the details need sorting out (type/look of block) and others need to be finalized (straight run, vs. L-shape vs. curved wall).   When I was out running one of the kids to their various activities, I stopped at a signal and noticed a retaining wall on one corner.  Below are a couple of photos.  They show that this wall is curved, includes a 'cap', but also includes a contrasting row of blocks at the top of the wall.    These blocks are smooth (not jagged fronts) and have no bevel on the corners.   That (smooth face) is in contrast to the example photo I posted yesterday .   I see (at the corner) three full blocks above grade and one partially below grade.  Those are (likely) 8" tall blocks, so this wall is 30-inches-or-so tall above grade (8+8+8+3.5+2.5 = 30). T...

The pizza oven patio project continues to be a work-in-progress with a number of details that we need to figure out/solve-for before too much time passes, so we can begin the project when the weather breaks. Back in January, I posted this 'notebook' post - where I ran through a number of decisions/items that need to be sorted and came out with these three lists. First, the list of 'elements' or component-projects inside the larger project: 1. The floor 2. A retaining wall 3. Stairs from patio 4. Roof Structure (with piers) 5. Prep Counter/bar-top 6. Utilities 7. Landscaping 8. Oven doghouse, landing and veneer Second, I put together a series of 'prep-work decisions' that need to be made: 1. Figure out utilities. Primarily electric. where they go, how they get there. in 2. Figure out 'level' for the floor and base of retaining wall. That requires decision on material. 2 depths - sunken prep area. 3. Wall details: placement, material, siz...

Yesterday, I posted the first step in the build-out of our pizza oven patio area with the elevation change calculation that I was able to complete using a length of string and a couple of stakes.  I observed a 26" elevation difference between the grade of our 'upper' patio and the top grade of the pizza oven slab .   Back in January, I laid out what I think are the 'order of operations' of the build and included a number of 'to be solved' steps - including that above mentioned elevation change.  Here's the rest of that 'to be solved' list: 1. Figure out utilities. Primarily electric. where they go, how they get there. in 2. Figure out 'level' for the floor and base of retaining wall. That requires decision on material. 2 depths - sunken prep area. 26" delta. 3. Wall and floor details: placement, material, size, height, length, stairs, drainage and even stairs. This determines the floorplan. 4. Lay out floorplan. Size o...

A couple days ago, I posted a photo of how Disney used the "European Fan" pattern with cobblestones to make a hard surface/walkway at Disney Springs and mused about how that might be a really nice way to bring a unique floor surface to our pizza oven patio.   That surface material (in this case cobblestones) is a key decision that I have to begin to work towards as the calendar begins to soon turn to March. I laid out what I thought (at the time) was my path towards progress with our pizza oven patio in this post back in early January .    The list that I put together included a number of 'to be figured out' items that would help me sort the rest of the decisions - including utilities, size of patio and the change in elevation between the current patio and the pizza oven foundation.  That delta in height is important because it tells me how high the retaining wall needs to be - which in turns tells us what materials/engineering is required to make the wall *wor...

Amongst the various hard surfaces around the Walt Disney World Resort are 'realistic' (Animal Kingdom) and not-so-realistic (the brown middle part in Liberty Square).  It isn't hard to miss some of the hardscape elements, but it is also worth taking a beat and looking around to see what they're using in various spots.  One of them is this European Fan at Disney Springs.  See below for the cobble stones: I've been spending time thinking about the hard surfaces for my pizza oven patio - here's my initial 'musings' post .  This European Fan pattern sent me looking out on the Web for how I could use it down there.  I found this concrete fan pattern that can be used to stamp concrete .  Could be a nice treatment, right?

A year and two weeks ago, I was able to get out with a shovel and start to dig and excavate for the beginnings of the foundation slab of our backyard pizza oven.  This post is from late January showing how the ground wasn't frozen .  Right now...the ground is frozen solid.  What a difference a year makes. Time to get going on the 2025 task plan for the pizza oven.  The order of operations is already baked .  Now come the details.  

I've done this sort of 'notebook' posts in the past and it has been helpful in organizing my thoughts when it comes to project planning.  Here's an 'order of operations' post on a big, 'new bed' backyard overhaul from 2021 that - just by writing - helped me get my head wrapped-around what I needed to do.   I've done similar 'notebook' or 'musing' posts on retaining walls and our boardwalk on the side of our house .  I've referenced Paul Graham's post about WRITING previously - but the gist his POV is: Writing doesn't just communicate ideas; it generates them.  The act of writing about something (in this case...the process around my pizza oven project) shows me that I'm in the MIDST of my learning journey on said process.    Hopefully...by the end of this, I'll have a v1 of what I need to do. I've recently updated a few posts with oven construction, but haven't shown the completed project - just yet.  The...

I was at the orange big box store over the weekend and saw this little floor model fridge that was just a couple hundred bucks for a glass-front wine fridge.  See below for the one they're selling - note: I have NO idea if this is (at all!) a decent fridge or not.  Based on the price...I'm guessing it isn't.  But...that's not the point.  What this fridge got me thinking was about the potential for an outdoor kitchen and prep area for the pizza oven.  I haven't thought one second about electricity out there...but....maybe I should be?   For something like this and for...well....lights.  Part of why I'm not using the oven during the Winter is...of course...the cold.  But the other part?  The dark.   Something to add to the (growing larger everyday) 2025 planning considerations.