from Bread Earth and Fire

 THE EARTH OVEN con't

 

Assuming you don’t have to buy any tools for the job, the cost of materials is relatively small considering what you’ll be getting. Abbott and Nancy spent about $250.00 on materials. Labor was free.No matter how careful and neat you are, expect the area where you’ll be doing your work to look like a construction site because that’s what it will be. Don’t leave nails sticking up in boards, and don’t leave tools on the ground where someone could step on them. Always think about your safety and the safety of others. Spread a couple of your tarps.After deciding on a spot for your oven, stake out the area. You’ll be pouring a concrete slab, 48 X 48 inches, but the area you stake out should be at least a foot bigger all the way around, or 60 X 60 inches because you need to give yourself some wiggle room. Now start digging. Abbott and Nancy dug down about one foot, and that seemed about right. Place the sod and topsoil in a pile away from the construction site, or it will just get in your way. However, save it because it’s alive, rich in nutrients, and after the sods decompose, you can shovel what remains into your garden or place around shrubbery. Fill your excavation with enough gravel so that when you pour your slab, it will be as high as your own mowed lawn (if you have one) or higher. You don’t want your slab to be underground.
to be continued