[gjbingham]

Ken,
I poured concrete flush against the vent floor bricks. I suppose water could potentially leak down between the two materials, but is seems like a really tight joint. Also, I put a slope on the landing so that any water hitting it would run off to the front vs. back into the oven.

I've also been thinking about a weather door with a perimeter gasket that could be pressed into the entryway to waterproof the entryway as much as possible.

George