Brick Oven Advice

Some of these posts are advice; most are instructional.  Advice is closer to opinion; instruction is close to factual.

When I write that brick oven domes are stronger/better than sprung arch vaulted brick ovens, that's opinion based on tradition and experience.  When I write that more insulation below and above a brick oven is needed, that's factual, based on heat retention, safety, and conservation.

I've been happy to give advice and limited instruction to people who find me through this blog and on the TBO checklist on my website: http://truebrickovens.com.

When people begin the conversation with me about the oven they want, I ask questions.  Some of the answers are facts, such as the purpose of the oven, the anticipated output, the placement, and the cost.
Other answers are subjective: What are their aesthetic tastes?  Does their family have an historical association with brick ovens or baking?  Will the oven become part of their daily cooking life?

Both sets of statements are important.  When we buy manufactured appliances, we are stuck with the technical and aesthetic choices of the manufacturer (within their product line).

It is becoming rarer and rarer for anyone to have an artisan built home or device.  Even the artisans are under pressure to conform to the manufactured product 'look'.  Certainly, the price point. (This is opinion based on experience).

How do we want our future to look?  Will it include old traditions that are worth preserving, like baking our own bread?  What will our grandchildren know of their ancestor's lives other than faded photos?

If you build it, they will return...