Outdoor Kitchen Island

by unetity

24K30520

Intro: Outdoor Kitchen Island

An outdoor kitchen can be a beautiful place to enjoy with family and friends sharing in many beautiful moments. When constructed using strong materials that can withstand the outside elements they can last a long time with very little maintenance.

STEP 1: Design

Depending on what you are looking to construct it is best to do the preliminary design in a program such as AutoCAD that allows you to determine the opening sizes for the required appliances and additional items to be fit into the frame. Figuring out the spacing beforehand just as you would use blueprints when building a house keeps everything organized and prevents things from not fitting correctly.

STEP 2: Cutting & Welding the Steel

From the blueprint designs you can do a takeoff to determine the material required. Once you order and receive the steel you may begin to cut the appropriate pieces and begin welding them together to create the frame.

STEP 3: Grinding & Cleaning the Welds

In this step we began to clean up the welds by grinding them down. The objective is to create a smooth surface on the exterior parts of the frame in order for the cement board to be fastened on as flush as possible. We cleaned up the interior welds as well for aesthetics and safety reasons.

STEP 4: The Steel Frame

After welding and grinding we did a final check to make sure every angle and measurement was correct. We also checked to make sure everything was level. When comfortable everything was accurate we painted the frame.

STEP 5: Setting the Frame & Fastening the Cement Board

We set the frame in the appropriate spot on the concrete slab allowing for enough space for seating and a specific distance from the pool to adhere to the county codes. We then secured the frame to the slab using anchor bolts with nuts adjusting the nuts for the frame to be level and permit water to pass through underneath. When secured we measure, cut and fastened the cement board to the steel frame.

STEP 6: Tape & Mud

After the cement board was in place we taped and applied a mortar compound.

STEP 7: Install the Appliances & Put the Stone On

We fastened the double doors and then put the stone on. Afterwards we dry fit the grill in order to be as precise as we could for the stone.

STEP 8: Install the Granite and Drop-Ins

We measured for the granite then when cut and polished placed the granite in place and added the ice chest and burner using a silicone sealant.

STEP 9: "L" Shaped Outdoor Kitchen Island

After cleaning up everything and hooking up the grill and burner we placed the umbrella, chairs and accessories in place. The "L" Shaped Outdoor Kitchen Island is complete.

17 Comments

M L G 7 years ago

I Use SU Pro which is a one time purchase and under £400. Granted that's still expensive but at least it's not what you pay for AutoCAD and also theres no annual subscription which quite frankly is ridiculous. Surely if you bought software it should be yours, anyway another affordable software is Real Landscape, and Real Landscape Photo. Try them out! Nice project btw!

bobski_horner 7 years ago

impressive no doubt about that ! BUT ERR, I wonder how many of us can afford an autocad programme especially for a 1 off ?

rundmcarlson 7 years ago

fusion 360 has a free yearly license for personal use or startups http://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/try-buy

unetity 7 years ago

Thank you for the help.

unetity 7 years ago

Thank you very much.

ThirdEarthDesign 7 years ago

Great build, really like it, thanks for sharing! You also have a lovely home :-)

RobDeVoer 7 years ago

A very nice project. Thanks for making the effort to share it. Looks like a great place to entertain.

unetity 7 years ago

Thank you for your kind words.

jshep321 7 years ago

Hi, As I don't happen to have welders and steel cutting tools, what are your thoughts on doing this with pressure treated lumber? As long as it is watertight, should last decades, right?

unetity 7 years ago

You will receive a mixed response to building an outdoor kitchen out of wood. The majority of houses in America at this time are constructed using wood. These houses can and do last for many decades. If a house, that people live in, is constructed with this method I would feel confident building an outdoor structure with the same methodology in mind. The problem, or opportunity for improvement, involve the parts of the structure where the heating elements will expose these wood parts to very high temperatures. High enough temperatures where the wood being exposed to them can lead to undesirable results. I personally have seen outdoor kitchens built using wood that have had no problems whatsoever. One reason I choose to construct with steel and/or concrete is for structural integrity and the heat issues I have heard and read about. Keep in mind whatever construction method you choose all will have pros and cons.