A few days ago the granite was installed on our custom pizza oven project. I was able to arrive just towards the end when the fabricators at Stone Kitchens where putting the final touches on all the seams.
It was a gorgeous slab of granite- black and white with lots of moment and arching swirls of color. It contrasted nicely with the black Unilock U-Cara wall block, and the black stained pergola.
At first glance the project scope sounds simple- outdoor kitchen with a pergola. However the amount ingenuity and math that went into this project was anything but simple.
The scope of the project required us to keep the existing concrete patio so this meant the pergola post would be anchored to footers outside of the concrete and kitchen built around those posts. We had limited room for the wine refrigerator, grill, and access doors but lots of counter space for a table top pizza oven.
However as we neared the installation date of the project the pizza oven sitting on the granite counter became less and less appealing to the homeowners. I don’t blame them.
When I initially worked on designing the kitchen all the built in pizza ovens where massive and we didn’t have room for that. On the other hand some of the counter top versions just didn’t fit the style of the rest of the kitchen.
Finally it was asked “Is there any way we can make this a built in pizza oven?”
Lucky for me the contractor I was working with, Alex, was all about a challenge. After a multitude of calls to the our Unilock Rep and other manufactures; the technical drawings and change order costs where on my desk.
The redesign was a winner and quickly approved of by the homeowners.
With only a few more weeks till the projected installation date there was sudden frenzy of questions, ordering parts and double checking the size of the kitchen features to make sure everything would actually fit. Every single inch on this project mattered- no room for error allowed.
The best part of all that planning was the opportunity to share all the sneak peaks with the clients- photos of the welding, and the metal structure being coated. It was a really cool process.
Finally in early April we broke ground, and like every project some portions go fast and it’s really exciting and others are slow and there is a lot of waiting. Through out it all there was never a shortage of laughter and comradely as we worked through each portion of the project.
The installation of the the pergola was one of my favorite portions of the project. I love a good pergola. It just changes everything thing. The whole look and feel of the space completely transform in what feels like a few hours.
I was in complete awe when I stood in my client’s living room and looked out at the backyard for the first time.
My 2nd favorite part was the granite installation. At that moment everything was complete and that is a wonderful feeling. The backyard has been completely transformed, and now it’s time to relax and enjoy the space.
This project has been an amazing to be a part of and to top it off I had amazing clients to work with. It’s been a lot of fun and I will miss all the phone calls, group text messages, and laughter.
That being said talk of a phase 2 in fall has been mentioned.
sTART TO FINISH pICTURES BELOW!!
Wow, this is so neat. It sounds like a complicated project, but that's your forte! I'll take a large pepperoni, please. Way to go, Living Spaces.