Part 1

It took about 2 weeks of drawings and looking at google earth to decide where to put the oven, it was finally decided and I began to excavate the area for a base.

The problem I had after digging out the area was that it kept raining on and off for about 3 weeks. An unexpected delay.  Even with a tarp covering the area, it still got wet.  I used my pool pump to drain out the area.

Once it dried out enough, I was able to add the crushed gravel.   I used 3/4 inch stone to a depth of 7 inches.  To compact it I had used a scrap piece of 2x6 attached to a stud, which worked suprisingly well.