oven or fireplace?

[eric jackson]

We are building a new home and I would like an outdoor wood oven that doubles as a wood fireplace. Does this work?

[dmun]

A wood oven IS a fireplace, with a high hearth and a deep firebox, of special shape to reflect the heat down onto the food. Some people rake the fire forward after cooking to enjoy a decorative fire after dinner. Others have built adjoining fireplaces and ovens , but usually not right next to each other so the person doing the cooking doesn't get roasted.

It depends on what kind of cooking you want to do, and how you use your fireplace.

[redbricknick]

That depends on your definition of a wood fireplace. You could warm yourself by the oven fire, then when you get bored of that, your oven will be hot enough to make pizza. Oh, your oven/fireplace will work as a barbecue too. Welcome to your new addiction.

[james]

After a night of cooking pizza, pull the fire forward and sit down to enjoy a glass of wine and watch the dancing flames. After a while, the kids even get to roast marshmallows.

The only thing you don't get is a lot of heat pouring out of the oven. The insulation the keeps the oven cooking well, keeps the heat inside the oven -- so it isn't a great heat source.
James