Hello from Atlanta GA.

[Mapleone]

Long time reader. First time poster. After months of thinking about it we have decided to install a Forno Bravo oven on our patio. A realistic assesment of my construtction skills leads me to decide that we need a professional installation. Can anyone in the Atlanta area recommend a contractor?

Thanks.

[asudavew]

you can do it!

[gjbingham]

I agree. You can do it and save thousands of dollars. Nothing hard here, just requires planning, and maybe a few neighbors with some experience. Everyone here loves to help.

[dmun]

Concrete work is not for everyone. You need to talk to your neighbors. Get recommendations. Find out who built what, and look at their actual work. Anyone who can pour a small slab and lay up a set of blocks can do this job, but not everyone in the masonry business is qualified.

This is not a job where you want to pull in a random worker from craigslist.

It's been my experience that a small flaw in something I made myself possesses the charm of the homemade, but the same flaw in something I paid for drives me into a rage.

[PizzaJNKY]

Mapleone, you can do it! I have no construction skills, but I decided to do it on my own. I get the feeling that once I am done building the oven, I will be proud of it, and it will be a joy to use, not only because it cooks so good, but because I built it with my own hands. I can only work my project on the weekends, so it might take a while. So far, I have only poured the slab. If I can do, you can do it!

[Inishta]

Mapleone...............welcome to the forum. When I set out on the journey to have my own oven perceived wisdom was that it is a job for a professional. Having been through that kind of build I can only echo what dmun has said about flaws.

I found this forum halfway through and although I have no background in construction I feel that, with the advice and support so freely given, I could have done it myself. I am sure you could too.

[RCLake]

Don't short change your abilites, even if you can't lift 80 lb bags of concrete items, you can do so much. The hardest part for me was pouring the hearth. I now know I built it and I'm damn sure I'll learn how to use it.

If you can cement to your site to do the foundation and the hearth, you can do the rest.

Go for it!

[gjbingham]

Wait a minute. I misread your original post. If you're installing a FB oven, you're not going to save that much money, and save a lot of headaches. I'd build the hearth, which you have to do anyway, then decide. Either way, you'll be happy.