Outdoor Stone Fireplace: The Klimek Family’s Mountain-View Build

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Step 1: Pour the Slab and Lay the Block

The project sits under a new pergola on a North Carolina hillside. A gravel base and concrete slab went in first, then cinder block walls for the fireplace and the oven stand.

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Step 2: Form and Pour the Hearth

With the fire brick firebox going in beside it, a wood form went on top of the oven stand and the hearth slab was poured in place.

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Step 3: Raise the Chimney and Lay the Firebrick Cooking Surface

The block chimney climbed above the fireplace. On the oven side, a brick border and the firebrick cooking surface went down on the hearth.

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Step 4: Cast the Oven

The Mattone Cupola foam form went on the firebrick cooking surface, a foam box went up around it, and the oven was cast in castable refractory. Then the foam came out.

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Step 5: Build the Arch and Insulate

A brick arch went across the front. The oven was wrapped in ceramic fiber blanket, held tight with wire and wood clamps, with a stainless flue on top.

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Step 6: Fieldstone and Stucco

Fieldstone veneer went on the fireplace, the gabled chimney and the oven stand. The oven itself was boxed in and finished in tan stucco.

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Step 7: First Bakes

Bread, then pizza. The oven got a name plaque, too: Seraphina.

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Step 8: The Finished Outdoor Stone Fireplace

Under the pergola, the outdoor stone fireplace and the oven sit side by side, with firewood stacked below and the mountains behind.

BeforeFinished

Drag across the photo (or just move your mouse) to go from a gravel pad to the finished outdoor stone fireplace and oven.

Plan Yours

Outdoor Stone Fireplace Ideas From This Build

Put the fire and the oven side by side. One slab, one stone finish, two fires. The fireplace even feeds hot coals to the oven. See more outdoor fireplace with pizza oven ideas.

Give the chimney a gable. A pitched stone cap makes the chimney the centerpiece of the patio.

Hire help if you need it. Their bricklayer had never built a pizza oven. He followed our FREE plans step by step.

Cover it. A timber pergola keeps rain off the cook and frames the view. For another fireplace build, see this custom outdoor kitchen with a fireplace tucked under its oven.

Good Questions

Outdoor Stone Fireplace FAQ

How do you build an outdoor stone fireplace?

Start with a concrete slab, build the firebox and chimney in block, line the firebox with fire brick, then face it all in stone veneer. That is how the Klimek family's fireplace went up, right beside their pizza oven.

Can you build a pizza oven next to an outdoor fireplace?

Yes. The Klimeks built the fireplace and oven side by side on one slab. The fireplace also makes a great supply of hot coals to add to the oven while cooking. See more ideas for an outdoor fireplace with pizza oven.

Which oven kit did the Klimek family use?

A 28" Mattone Cupola, Package 1. It is a castable refractory oven cast over our foam form, then boxed in and finished in stucco. Want the classic round look instead? See our dome pizza oven.

Can a contractor build a BrickWood oven?

Yes. The Klimeks hired a bricklayer who had never built a pizza oven, and guided him through each step with our instructions, which are also available in Spanish.

How do you hold the insulation blanket in place?

Wrap the ceramic fiber blanket over the oven, then pull wire mesh tight over it before the stucco. The Klimeks used wire and homemade wooden clamps to keep it snug.

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.