Last updated: August 12, 2026
Last updated: August 2026. This post contains affiliate links — if you buy through them I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Full disclosure.
We have planned and built pizza ovens of several types over the years, from basic clay constructions to full brick builds. This guide covers the approach we find works most reliably for a backyard build.
We’ve researched this thoroughly and consulted on builds. This step-by-step guide covers the approach that works reliably, based on what we’ve found delivers reliable results.
We’ve followed this process and researched it thoroughly. This step-by-step guide covers the approach that works for a US build, based on what we’ve found delivers results.
If you want to know how to build a pizza oven in your backyard, the process is more achievable than it looks – even without professional masonry skills. Building your own pizza oven is one of the most satisfying outdoor projects you can take on – and in the US, more people are doing it than ever. A well-built brick or stone oven will outperform most portable ovens in heat retention and cooking surface size, last decades with basic maintenance, and cost significantly less than a Gozney Dome or similar premium ready-made oven if you’re willing to put in the work.
This guide covers how to build a traditional dome-style wood-fired pizza oven from scratch, including materials, dimensions, foundation, the dome itself, and the finishing render. It’s a serious project requiring a few weekends, but no specialist skills beyond basic bricklaying.
Should you build or buy?
Before starting, it’s worth being honest about the trade-offs:
Build if: You want a permanent installation, you enjoy the project itself, you’re happy to wait (curing a new oven takes 2 to 3 weeks), and you want the largest possible cooking surface at the lowest material cost.
Buy if: You want to cook pizza this summer rather than next, you’re renting or may move, you don’t have a suitable permanent location – something like the Ooni Karu 2 will be cooking excellent pizza in under an hour, or the budget for a quality portable oven (Ooni Karu 16 at $599, Gozney Dome at $1,299) is viable. Our Gozney Dome review and Ooni Karu 16 review cover the ready-made options in detail.
This guide assumes you’re building. Here’s how to do it properly.
Materials you need
For a standard 90cm internal diameter oven (the most common size for home builds – fits a 14 to 16 inch pizza comfortably):
Foundation and stand: Concrete blocks or engineering bricks for the base structure. You’ll need enough to build a working height of around 85 to 90cm – comfortable to use without bending. Approximately 100 to 150 standard concrete blocks depending on your design, plus mortar.
Insulating base layer: A 100mm slab of calcium silicate board or perlite-cement mix (4 parts perlite to 1 part cement) laid on top of the stand. This is critical – without insulation under the cooking floor, heat bleeds downward rather than into the stone.
Cooking floor: Firebricks laid flat. For a 90cm diameter circle you’ll need approximately 30 to 35 standard firebricks (230mm x 115mm x 65mm). Firebricks are rated to 2190°F+ and won’t crack under repeated thermal cycling. Do not use standard house bricks for the floor – they will crack.
Dome bricks: More firebricks, stood on edge and angled inward to form the dome. For a 90cm dome you’ll need approximately 150 to 200 firebricks. Some builders use refractory fire clay bricks which are slightly more expensive but easier to shape.
Refractory mortar: Standard mortar fails at pizza oven temperatures. You need refractory mortar (also called fire cement or heat resistant mortar) rated to at least 1830°F. Available from builders merchants and online. Approximately 25kg for the dome.
Outer insulation: Ceramic fibre blanket (25mm minimum, 50mm better) wrapped around the outside of the dome before the outer render is applied. This makes an enormous difference to heat retention and fuel efficiency.
Outer render: A weather-resistant render for the exterior – standard sand/cement with a bonding agent works. Some builders use a colored render or cladding tiles for aesthetics.
Chimney flue: A 6 inch (150mm) flue liner and chimney pot. The chimney sits at the front of the oven mouth, not the back – this is a common confusion. The opening geometry creates a draft that draws combustion gases up and over the cooking area before exhausting.
Key dimensions
These are the critical measurements for a functional oven. Get them right and the oven will draw correctly and reach temperature efficiently. Deviate significantly and you’ll have problems.
Internal dome diameter: 90cm (standard home build). Larger means more cooking surface but more material cost and longer heat-up time.
Dome height: 63cm. The ideal dome height is 63% of the internal diameter. This is the ratio that produces proper air circulation inside the oven – hot gas rolls from the fire over the top of the dome and back down toward the opening. Too tall and the dome doesn’t retain heat well. Too flat and you restrict airflow.
Oven opening height: 40cm. The opening should be 63% of the dome height. This relationship is what makes the oven draw correctly. An opening that’s too tall loses heat and pulls too much air through, making temperature control difficult.
Oven opening width: 50 to 60cm. Wide enough to launch and turn a 16-inch pizza comfortably.
Cooking floor thickness: 65mm (one firebrick flat). Thicker increases thermal mass and temperature stability; thinner heats faster but holds less heat between pizzas.
Building the foundation and stand
The stand needs to be solid, level, and built to a working height that makes cooking comfortable. Most people build to 85 to 90cm at the top of the cooking floor, which puts the pizza at a natural working height without bending.
Lay a concrete slab foundation first – minimum 120mm deep, larger than the footprint of the stand. The oven is heavy (the dome alone weighs several hundred kilograms) and needs a proper footing.
Build the stand from concrete blocks or engineering bricks. You can leave the interior hollow or fill it for additional thermal mass – hollow is standard and saves material. Leave space in the design for the ash storage area underneath if you want one.
Top the stand with a poured concrete slab at least 100mm thick. Let it cure for a week before building on it.
The insulating layer and cooking floor
On top of the cured concrete slab, lay your insulating layer. Calcium silicate board is the easiest option – cut to shape and lay flat. Alternatively, mix perlite and cement (4:1 by volume) and pour a 100mm layer, letting it cure before laying the floor on top.
Lay the cooking floor bricks dry first (no mortar) to confirm your layout and spacing. The bricks should fit as tightly as possible with minimal gaps – large gaps between floor bricks cause problems when launching pizzas. Once happy with the layout, relay them with a thin bed of refractory mortar.
Let the floor mortar cure for 48 hours before building the dome on top of it.
Building the dome
The dome is the most technically demanding part of the build. There are two main approaches:
Sand form method: Build a sand dome inside the oven footprint to the exact internal shape of the finished oven. Wet the sand and compact it firmly – it needs to hold its shape while you lay bricks on top of it. Once the dome is complete and the mortar has set, you dig out the sand through the oven opening. This is the most popular DIY method because it gives you a perfect guide for the dome shape.
Brick ring method: Build the dome in horizontal rings, each ring angled slightly inward. Each ring must be supported until the mortar sets – you can use temporary wooden props or small brick wedges. More skilled bricklayers prefer this method but it’s harder without experience.
For the sand form method: build your sand mound to the internal dome dimensions (90cm diameter, 63cm high at the apex). Wet it and tamp it firmly. Cover it with damp newspaper – this stops the mortar sticking to the sand and makes it easier to dig out later.
Start laying firebricks from the base of the dome, angling each one slightly inward using the sand form as your guide. Use refractory mortar for all joints. Each brick should make full contact with the sand form on its inner face. Keep joints tight and even.
Work your way up in horizontal rows, each row slightly more angled than the last. The final few courses at the top close off the dome – this is the trickiest part. Take your time and let each course set slightly before adding the next.
Once the dome is complete, let the mortar cure for at least 48 hours before digging out the sand. Remove the sand carefully through the oven opening using a garden trowel. Leave the outer sand damp to avoid collapse while you work.
The chimney and oven mouth
The chimney is built forward of the dome opening, not on top of it. This is the most commonly misunderstood aspect of wood-fired oven design.
The oven opening (40cm high x 50-60cm wide) is framed with a lintel – a single piece of firebrick or a steel angle iron. Above this, a short chimney section (20-30cm) connects to a standard 150mm flue liner. The flue rises to at least 600mm above the top of the dome to create sufficient draft.
The keystone arch over the opening is traditional but not essential – a flat lintel works. If building an arch, cut bricks to the correct angle or use purpose-made arch bricks.
Insulation and outer render
Once the dome is built and cured, wrap the outside in ceramic fibre blanket. This is the single step most self-builders skip and then regret. A well-insulated dome reaches temperature faster, holds it longer, and uses significantly less wood. Two layers of 25mm blanket (50mm total) is the minimum worth doing.
Hold the blanket in place with wire mesh or chicken wire tied around the dome, then apply a scratch coat of sand/cement render over the top. Once this cures, apply a finish coat. Most builders add another 5cm of render on top of the blanket, giving a final external diameter of around 120cm.
Leave the oven mouth and chimney clear of render – just the dome body gets wrapped and rendered.
Curing – do not skip this
A new oven must be cured before full-temperature cooking. The refractory mortar contains water that needs to escape gradually – if you fire the oven to full temperature on the first lighting, the steam expansion will crack the mortar and potentially the dome.
Curing schedule:
Days 1-3: Small kindling fire only. Burn for 30 to 45 minutes, maximum temperature around 100-250°F. Let the oven cool completely between fires.
Days 4-6: Slightly larger fire, 60 minutes, maximum 390°F. Let cool completely.
Days 7-10: Medium fire, 2 hours, maximum 570°F. You’ll likely see steam coming from the dome during these firings – this is normal and expected.
Days 11-14: Full fire, 3 hours. Work up to operating temperature. By day 14, the oven should be ready for its first pizza cook.
The entire curing process takes two to three weeks of daily firings. It’s the most patience-testing part of the build but skipping or rushing it is the most common cause of cracked new ovens.
First cook
Once cured, fire the oven to full temperature (aim for 840°F at the stone) and cook your first pizza. You’ll immediately notice the difference in heat retention compared to any portable oven – a well-built brick dome holds temperature for hours and produces exceptionally consistent results across a long cooking session.
For ongoing maintenance: let the oven cool naturally after each session (never pour water in to cool it faster), clear ash from the floor, and brush the stone clean with a stiff brush. Protect from rain with a cover when not in use – prolonged damp is the main enemy of refractory mortar over time.
For everything you need to cook in your new oven, see our guide to what you can cook in a pizza oven, and for the best pizzas to cook first, our accessories guide covers the tools that make the most difference.
Related reading
Gear mentioned in this article (paid links)
About Ian Armstrong
I'm Ian Armstrong, a home cook and pizza oven obsessive based in the UK. Over the past four years I've owned and cooked on a Gozney Roccbox, Ooni Karu, Ooni Koda, and Gozney Arc — putting each one through real-world use in my back garden across all seasons, not just ideal summer conditions. I test dough hydration, preheat times, fuel efficiency, and how each oven handles everything from Neapolitan pizza to sourdough bread and Sunday roasts. Everything on Wood Fired Pizza Gear comes from hands-on experience. No sponsored placements, no guesswork — just honest assessments from someone who's burned a lot of dough getting it wrong so you don't have to.
