Modern Backyard Ideas From Wyoming: Charcoal Stucco and Cedar Slats
A charcoal stucco Cortile Barile on a cedar-slat base, set on a concrete pad in a gravel yard beside a blue, metal-roof home. Four simple ideas you can borrow for your own yard.
- Built By
- The Fleenor Family
- Location
- Wyoming
- Oven Style
- Castable Refractory Barrel
- Photos & Videos
- 4 Photos
- Homeowner Review
- ★★★★★
Photo Slideshow
See the Fleenor Oven From Every Side
All four photos of the finished oven, in about 10 seconds. Press play, or grab the slider and step through them yourself.
The Fleenor family built their Cortile Barile in a Wyoming yard ringed by pines, right beside a blue home with a metal roof. They kept it simple: one dark color, one warm wood and a clean gravel yard. Here are the four modern backyard ideas this oven shows, photo by photo.
Idea 1 of 4
Finish the Oven in Charcoal Stucco
A textured charcoal stucco shell covers the cast barrel and its insulation. The dark color reads modern and hides soot around the chimney. A single border of brick laid on edge frames the hearth.
Idea 2 of 4
Wrap the Base in Horizontal Cedar Slats
Stained cedar slats run around the base, and a wide cedar fascia trims the hearth. A screened cedar door at the front opens to storage below the oven. The oven door’s white oak handles match the warm wood.
Idea 3 of 4
Set It on a Concrete Pad in Gravel
The oven stands on a poured concrete pad a few inches wider than the base, set in a yard of crushed gravel. There’s no lawn to mow around it, and the clean edge gives the oven a finished, modern look.
Idea 4 of 4
Match the Oven to the House
Dark stucco, warm cedar and gray concrete repeat the colors of the blue home and its metal roof, so the oven looks like it was planned with the house. The Cortile Barile is a castable refractory barrel, and the stainless chimney from the kit’s exhaust kit rises clean off the front.
Hover over the dots (or tap them on your phone) to see the modern backyard ideas in this one oven.
- Stainless ChimneyThe kit’s exhaust kit with a 12" pipe and chimney cap.
- Charcoal Stucco BarrelTextured stucco over the cast Cortile Barile and its insulation.
- Oven DoorA black oven door with white oak handles.
- Brick Hearth BorderBrick laid on edge frames the hearth.
- Cedar FasciaA wide cedar band trims the hearth edge.
- Screened Cedar DoorOpens to storage below the oven.
- Concrete PadA poured pad set in crushed gravel.
- Metal-Roof HomeDark colors that tie the oven to the house.
Good Questions
Modern Backyard Ideas FAQ
What are some modern backyard ideas for a pizza oven?
Keep the colors few and the lines clean. The Fleenor family paired a charcoal stucco oven with horizontal cedar slats, a single brick border and a plain concrete pad set in gravel. Dark, warm wood and gray stone repeat the colors of the house beside it, so the oven looks like it was designed with the home.
What is a Cortile Barile?
The Cortile Barile is a castable refractory barrel oven. You pack about 9 bags of castable refractory into our foam molds to cast the barrel yourself, with a firebrick cooking surface inside. It feeds 1 to 14 guests and is one of our easiest builds, rated 2 out of 5 for DIY difficulty.
Can you clad a pizza oven base in wood?
The Fleenor family did, as an outer skin. The oven sits on a masonry hearth, the barrel is wrapped in ceramic fiber blanket insulation under the stucco, and the cedar slats stay on the outside of the base, away from the fire, the oven door and the chimney. Keep any wood off the hearth and clear of the opening.
Does a pizza oven need a concrete pad?
A pizza oven is heavy, so it needs a solid, level footing that will not shift or settle. The Fleenor oven sits on a poured concrete pad a few inches wider than the base, which also gives the gravel a clean edge. Our FREE plans cover the foundation, base and hearth.
How long do you cure a new pizza oven?
Plan on about a week of small, gradually bigger fires to drive the moisture out. Skip it and the oven can crack. See our pizza oven curing guide for the full schedule.
Your Turn
Build Your Own Modern Backyard Oven
The Fleenor family turned a Cortile Barile into the clean, modern centerpiece of their Wyoming yard. Every one starts with the same kit and plans. Start with our free plans and materials list, then finish it your way. Ready to start? See Cortile Barile · Package 2, or compare all of our pizza oven kits.
