How to Build an Outdoor Kitchen

Outdoor patio shot overlooking an ocean in full daylight, with extra-wide plank decking, and a Cal Flame BBQ LBK-870 L-Shaped luxury outdoor BBQ kitchen, fully loaded with food

As with a fine suit or the perfect dress, you get the best results when the product is designed around you. Tailoring your outdoor kitchen to how you like to cook and entertain will make it infinitely more enjoyable. You love to grill but hate the idea of smoking food for a bajillion hours? You’ll want to focus on a grill and ditch the smoker. Teenagers who can’t get enough of freshly baked pizza? Sounds like a pizza-oven is a must have. Tailoring your kitchen to your cooking preferences creates a near-perfect workflow for you and sets your cooking enjoyment meter up to 11.

We’ll cover the basics of what an outdoor kitchen is, what areas you’ll need to design, and give you some helpful tips and tricks along the way. Although you may think of it as a huge task, it really is just a series of smaller, easy steps to get your outdoor kitchen perfected to your specifications.

What is an outdoor kitchen, anyway?

Think your (indoor) kitchen. What do you do there? Prep meals, cook meals, serve meals, and generally gather to talk about your day. An outdoor kitchen is exactly the same – sans all those pesky walls that can get in the way. When you add sunshine, cool breezes and the smells that come with an early summer afternoon (we’re thinking of you, freshly mowed grass) to your cooking you’ll be able to reach a whole new level of creativity (and enjoyment) with your cooking.

What goes into a great outdoor kitchen?

Outdoor patio scene overlooking pool with glass fence with rectangular tile deck, metal dining table, chairs and bench with wood tops, and mounted from the top of the porch is an Advaning Slim-Gray Series MA1410-A108NG manual retractable awning

Prep Area

Designing your outdoor kitchen starts with looking at your overall countertop space and what you can do with it. I’m pretty sure I’m safe to say that there’s no such thing as too much counterspace, so be generous in your planning. Even if you have a countertop section with no specific purpose, it’ll quickly be filled with things like meat rubs, seasonings, napkins, corn holders and other nice-to-have conveniences that need a home.

When designing your countertops, consider a small section with a stainless-steel surface to allow for meat preparation (either pre- or post-cooking) with ease. Another nice way to adorn your outdoor workspace is to stop by your local granite installer and ask them for some leftover pieces (many of which are headed for the trash – we recently got a 2’ x 2’ piece directly out of our installer’s dumpster, with their permission). The short of this story is to create a clean (and cleanable) workspace that you can trust with your food during preparation.

One of our favorite additions for the prep area of our outdoor kitchen is a pull-out cutting board. Adding little features like this goes a LONG way toward making your prep area not just functional, but a joy to work in.

Remember that in the heat of battle, your outdoor kitchen is going to need things like cutting boards, paper towel holders (consider building this in as a cabinet space), utensils, etc. and that having a little extra counter space will come in handy in the long run.

Cooking zone

Close-up of PGS Grills Big Sur S48Tgrill station, with T-bone steak both on the grill and on a wood serving platter, with a half glass of red wine on the sideboard

Generally, when we think cooking in an outdoor kitchen we immediately think of grills and smokers… and with good reason. An outdoor grill is the perfect place to hear sizzling steaks, see the bright colors of freshly grilled vegetables, and smell every one of those heavenly aromas. An outdoor grill, especially those built to be installed in an outdoor kitchen, is incredibly convenient, heats up quickly and provides a huge grilling space for your culinary adventures.

Other outdoor chefs with significantly more patience prefer the low-‘n-slow method of cooking that we know as smoking. Smoking foods takes many hours, and slowly infuses the heat and wonderful smoky flavor that we all know and love in things like smoked turkey, beef brisket, and of course that gorgeous rack of ribs. Your guests will know as soon as they arrive that they’re in for a treat as the smoked meat goodness fills the air.

There’s more to outdoor cooking than just grilling and smoking.

Adventurous outdoor cookers looking to add an authenticity to their outdoor culinary arts add wood-fired ovens to recreate the pioneer’s methods of baking using only the materials they had at hand (in this case, hard woods).
Gear up for pizza night by adding a pizza brick or combination pizza oven / warmer to start popping out fresh pies for all to share.
Grilling up some authentic Philly Cheesesteaks is a breeze with a Hibachi drop-in grill, just don’t forget the peppers and onions.
Add a side burner or warming tray… heck, you can even add a deep fryer to create the perfect homestyle fries to go with the juicy burgers sizzling on the grill

The short of it is that you should take inventory of what and how you like to cook, and plan for the right equipment to make those outdoor cooking dreams a reality.

Plating and serving area

Once your food is done cooking, you’ll need a place to let the meat rest (you ARE letting your meat rest after cooking, right?). Setting up a plating and serving area will keep ravenous and otherwise nosy guests away from the grill, headed directly to where the finished food is ready for consumption. This is an area where you can store serving supplies (plates, forks, and the like), keep condiments available for use, and generally is the “Come ‘n Get It” section of your outdoor kitchen. For this, an open stretch of counter would be perfect, and if we may be so bold we would recommend a drop-in food warmer to keep everything toasty and tidy.

Entertaining area

Close up product shot of Cal Flame BBQ BBQ09843B beer tape refrigerator

This may be the reason most of your guests call you a friend – free flowing beverages in the entertaining area! Equip this area with outdoor bar equipment, including outdoor refrigerators (make sure they’re outdoor rated), ice makers, wine coolers and even kegerators! Remember in your planning to keep your hot things (grills, smokers) away from your cold things (refrigerators and ice makers) to keep everything running efficiently.

Planning your outdoor kitchen before you start

Before we go too far, we’d like to remind you that any time you’re considering doing something with the word “building” in it, that you contact your local authorities and make sure you have the proper permits to make your outdoor kitchen dream a reality.

Make sure when creating your plans that you have space in your outdoor kitchen for proper venting. Gas grills can sometimes leak, and what happens to that leaked gas is super important to consider at the planning stage. Natural gas grills need to have venting in your island toward the top of the island, as natural gas is lighter than air and will pool at the top without proper venting. Propane gas, however, is heavier than air and requires your venting to be at the bottom of your island. A little bit of vent planning now can help avoid potential disasters later.

Okay, you’ve got an inkling that you could really use an outdoor kitchen… there are a few things to keep in mind while you’re creating your grand plan:

How much space do you have to work with?

Although large items require linear footage space plans (we’ll thinking about that massive grill you’d like where you could cook an entire mastodon), though others require you to think of linear space within a cabinet. Love to add that pull-out chopping block, but it’ll only fit under the third drawer… It’s going to be tough to use 6” off the ground. Look at both your linear space and vertical space within cabinets when planning.

Check your wallet first

Home improvements can get costly, and you can expect that your outdoor kitchen will cost somewhere between $5,000 and $15,000 depending on what you plan to add to it. We suggest making three separate lists: “must have,” “want to have” and “nice to have.” Then start purchasing decent quality items for each.

Begin with outdoor cooking appliances

Focus on your biggest, most used items first – that 51-inch Big Sur stainless-steel grill head with infrared rotisserie burner would be an amazing centerpiece to your outdoor kitchen – but do you really need all that space when cooking? Size your appliances to your typical need and go from there. This behemoth of an ultimate outdoor kitchen grill would work fine for just my wife and I, but I could make do with less than half the size and save a significant amount of money.

From your main appliance(s), consider picking up an outdoor fridge, an outdoor sink, outdoor pizza oven, outdoor refrigerator or even an outdoor ice maker to absolutely thrill your guests. I want you to note something… the key word for almost all of these fantastic outdoor kitchen appliances is OUTDOOR. Just because you have a mini fridge that will fit under a counter doesn’t make it ideal as an outdoor appliance. Outdoor appliances handle weather better and have motors that are screened to keep out bugs and other creepy crawlies – be certain to put the “outdoor” in your outdoor appliances. 

Decide which layout configuration is for you

When designing your overall layout, start with your overall space, consider the cabinets you want and add in your appliances to come up with the best use of space. Choose from: 

L-Shaped: Looks like “ L “, with a longer island attached to a shorter one perpendicular to it
Linear: Looks like “ | “, with one long island in a straight line
U-Shaped: Looks like “ U “, with two parallel islands with a connecting one on one side, forming a large “U”
Galley: Looks like “ | | “, with two long islands in straight lines parallel to each other 

How to build and install an outdoor kitchen frame

Step 1. Put your plans together

With your permits and overall plans in place, make sure your budget will cover the coming build. Let’s do this.

Step 2. Build the frame pieces

Here we get to use our trusty pressure-treated 2 x 4 boards to create the frame of our outdoor kitchen. For additional strength, we suggest building your frame in modules (one of the grill, one for the fridge and counter, and so on) as the extra wood in the section divisions will add significant strength to your island.

Step 3. Assemble the frame

Cut your 2 x 4’s to size and use extra spacers to connect the front and the back of your frame for added strength. Keep your wood off the ground by using outdoor-rated furniture glides and use deck screws (built to handle the elements of the weather) for assembly. Leaving spaces for your refrigerator, pull-out trash can, etc., use pressure-treated plywood to cover the front and sides of the frame using construction adhesive and deck screws.

Install cladding over the finished frame

Let’s see… which decorative outside will adorn your outdoor kitchen island.

Tile or stone: First add a ledger board for support, then tile or lay stone and grout as normal
Brick Veneer: First apply builder’s felt, wire lath and mortar to create a surface the veneer can adhere to, then veneer as normal

Install an outdoor countertop

It’s really shaping up now. Once the cladding has had time to cure, following the manufacturer’s instructions, install the countertop (making sure that any cutouts are properly positioned).

Load Up!

Now that the countertop is in, install cabinet doors, appliances, and fixtures.

Hook Up!

It’s time to trust others… I know it’s tough, but this is an important step that requires a professional hand. Have a licensed professional run the power, gas and water supply and drain lines to your outdoor kitchen as designed. 

Whew!

It’s time to sit back and have a cold one… your outdoor kitchen island is done. This outdoor entertainment masterpiece will serve your family for years (even decades) and give you the space you need with the equipment you want to make your next outdoor shindig truly memorable.

Wrap-Up

Close-up of T-Bone steaks grilling on an infrared grill, with garlic butter melting on the steaks

You can do this. Start with a vision of how you’d like to have your space. Work out the details and make a working plan. Review your budget and start acquiring the parts and pieces needed to make your dream come true. Then it’s go time.

It’s hard work getting your outdoor kitchen space designed, built, and ready-to-go, but the benefits are enormous. Every fair-weathered party or small family gathering from here on will use some or all of your outdoor kitchen – it’s the focal point of your outdoor living life and a natural gathering place for your guests.

Adding just the right outdoor kitchen appliances and useful additions allows you to build a custom solution that fits you like a glove. Whether you prefer to be the grill-master or the hostess-with-the-mostest, your outdoor kitchen is ground zero for good times to come.

Here at Patio Heat and Shade, we’re dedicated 100% to making your outdoor living space more comfortable and just plan fun, and outdoor kitchens are our favorite foundation on which to build an outdoor oasis. Our customers rave not only about our selecting and pricing, but as they build their ultimate outdoor kitchen, they rely on our outdoor patio experts to help them identify the right products to fit their situation. Expert help is what makes us stand out, and why you should rely on us to help – just give us a call, we promise to treat you like family.

How to Build an Outdoor Kitchen

What is an outdoor kitchen, anyway?

What goes into a great outdoor kitchen?

Prep Area

Cooking zone

Plating and serving area

Entertaining area

Planning your outdoor kitchen before you start

How much space do you have to work with?

Check your wallet first

Begin with outdoor cooking appliances

Decide which layout configuration is for you

How to build and install an outdoor kitchen frame

Step 1. Put your plans together

Step 2. Build the frame pieces

Step 3. Assemble the frame

Install cladding over the finished frame

Install an outdoor countertop

Load Up!

Hook Up!

Whew!

Wrap-Up

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