Outdoor Kitchens and Fire Features, Built Like Buildings
The difference between an outdoor kitchen that lasts and one that sags in four years is what is under the counter. Steel or block framing on a real footing, not wood. Utilities roughed in before the veneer goes on. Clearances that match what your appliance manufacturer actually requires.
What is included
Every outdoor kitchen and fire pit job includes
- Layout planned around the cook, prep space, landing space and traffic flow
- Footing or reinforced slab sized for the finished structure
- Non-combustible framing, steel stud or masonry block
- Gas, electrical and water rough-ins coordinated with licensed trades
- Manufacturer-specified clearances and ventilation for every built-in appliance
- Countertop, veneer and finish, with the whole assembly detailed to shed water
What it costs
A basic grill island with counter and storage starts around $6,000 to $12,000. Full kitchens with refrigeration, side burners, a sink and significant counter run $18,000 to $50,000 and up. Gas fire pits typically run $4,000 to $12,000, wood-burning masonry pits less. Appliance selection swings these numbers hard.
Materials
Choosing what goes on top
All of these work. They differ in cost, how they age, and how much labor the install takes. We will tell you which one actually fits your site rather than which one has the best margin.
Granite countertops
Handles heat and weather, huge color range, the default for outdoor counters for good reason.
Concrete countertops
Cast to any shape, integral drainboards and edge profiles possible. Wants sealing on a schedule.
Porcelain slab
Extremely stain and UV resistant, thin profile, increasingly common outdoors. Needs careful support at overhangs.
Stone or paver veneer
Ties the structure to the patio it sits on. Full-bed or thin veneer over the structural frame.
Planning an outdoor kitchen?
Get a written price for your outdoor kitchen and fire pit project
Send us the basics and you get a written price back. We reply within 2 hours in business hours, and no pressure on the call.
- Line-item written quote, not a single lump number
- Insured crews, verified before they are scheduled
- 12 years in business, 5-star rated
Free outdoor kitchen and fire pit quote
Takes about 20 seconds.
5-star rated · 12 years · Fully insured · All 50 states
How it goes
From first call to walkthrough
Work out how you cook
Grill size, whether you want a side burner, where drinks live, how many people stand around while you cook. That determines the footprint more than style does.
Utilities planned before anything is built
Gas line sizing, circuits, and whether a sink means a drain or a simple hose feed. Licensed trades handle their scope and we coordinate the sequence.
Structure, then finish
Footing, frame, rough-ins, appliance fit check, then veneer and countertop.
Fire it up together
We commission the appliances with you, confirm the burner and safety shutoff behavior on gas features, and hand over every manual and warranty card.
Questions
Questions we get about outdoor kitchens & fire pits
How far does a fire pit need to be from the house?
Ten feet from any structure or property line is the common rule, and further from anything overhanging like eaves, low branches or a pergola. Local fire codes vary and some HOAs are stricter than code. We confirm your local requirement before siting it.
Gas or wood burning?
Gas lights instantly, has no smoke, no ash and a shutoff valve, and is allowed in many places where open wood burning is not. Wood gives you real flame, real heat and the smell people actually want. Gas gets used far more often in practice, which is worth weighing honestly.
Can an outdoor kitchen be framed in wood?
We do not build them that way. Wood framing outdoors absorbs moisture, moves with humidity and sits inside a structure containing gas appliances. Steel stud or masonry block costs modestly more and removes the entire failure mode.
What survives a freezing winter?
Everything if it is designed for it: water lines pitched to drain and a shutoff inside, gas lines properly sized and supported, appliances rated for outdoor installation, countertops on a structure that sheds water rather than holding it. Freeze damage is nearly always a detailing failure, not a material one.
Planning an outdoor kitchen?
Tell us what you are building and where you are. You get a written, line-item quote with no obligation.