Custom Outdoor Pizza Ovens: Why You Don’t Want to DIY This Project

Custom Brick & Stone • June 11, 2025

The Risks of DIY Outdoor Pizza Ovens: What You Need to Know

Since the world was hit with a pandemic in early 2020, many people have found new ways to enjoy their homes. One of the most popular trends since then is the outdoor pizza oven. They’re great for entertaining guests or having a pizza party with your family. An outdoor pizza oven will give you all a unique culinary experience to enjoy again and again.


We also know the allure of DIY projects, but there are some where the risk is greater than the gain. Hiring a professional mason to construct your outdoor pizza oven might seem more expensive, but it costs less in the long run, and you’ll be ensuring everyone’s safety, the quality of craftsmanship, and long-term satisfaction and use.


Building a Custom Outdoor Pizza Oven is a Complex Project


When it comes to any outdoor cooking vessel, like a stove or even a fire pit that offers cooking options, these projects all require complex designs. They also require the best materials and construction expertise.


A pizza oven requires proper insulation, heat retention, and overall structural integrity. If the construction isn’t done correctly, you could be left with an uneven pizza oven, safety hazards, and even damage to your property over time.


Building Codes and Safety Concerns


Outdoor pizza ovens require proper venting, sufficient clearances, and ways to minimize grease-laden vapors. All of these are fire hazards if not constructed correctly. If your DIY pizza oven doesn’t have the structural integrity to hold the amount of heat required to cook a pizza, you could end up with a fire.


Fires spread quickly, especially in backyards where there are leaves and other organic debris. That’s why most municipalities have codes that all residents must abide by. Everyone in the neighborhood must adhere to those codes and regulations for the greater good. The good news is, professional masons are familiar with codes and safety protocols, so they’ll do the job right.


Durability and Quality of Materials


Most DIYers have never built a pizza oven before, and odds are no one will do it more than once unless they’re in the business. So, the average person does not know the optimal materials to use for an outdoor pizza oven. There’s no shame in that. We’re sure that whatever specifics go into your career are not known to the average person either.

When you’re not familiar with the tools and materials needed, you risk a shorter lifespan and higher maintenance.


Experience and Expertise


Oven design requires nuances that only a professional would know. They’re aware of things like airflow and heat distribution. A professional mason will custom-make the design to fit your specific outdoor space and even complement your cooking preferences. The best part of hiring a professional to build your outdoor oven is that you’ll instantly minimize errors during construction and ensure you have an efficient and reliable oven that’s safe to use.


Cost Considerations


What typically happens when we attempt DIY projects without any expertise is mistakes. When it comes to a small project, mistakes are a great learning tool. But for an outdoor pizza oven—something you’ll likely only do once—is the cost of any potential errors worth the few dollars you might save?


Mistakes cost money, and you might have to rebuild due to those mistakes a few months down the road. When you hire a professional mason to construct your outdoor pizza oven, you get better value over time. So, in the long run, it costs less.

The cold, hard fact is that a professionally built oven will last much longer than a DIY one, which means less hassle in the long run.


Are You Considering a Pizza Oven for Your Outdoor Space in Frankfort, Hinsdale, or the Northwest Indiana Area?


If you live in
Frankfort, Homewood, Chicago Heights, IL, or Munster, IN, and you’ve been dreaming of an outdoor pizza oven, put aside the DIY research and give us a call. Our professional masons have been building outdoor ovens for years, and we can construct one that meets your needs perfectly. Contact us today!

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