Outdoor Kitchens and BBQ Islands in Tucson
Block on a poured footing, cut outs made to the manufacturer specification for your actual grill, and a finish that matches the rest of the yard rather than fighting it.
- Poured footing under every island
- Cut outs sized to your specific appliance
- Gas and power by licensed trade partners
- Counter surfaces specified for outdoor UV
[ 01 ]The part you cannot see
Built to outlast the appliance in it
The grill will be replaced. Every grill is, eventually. The structure it sits in should not be, and that is the whole design brief for this kind of build.
The version that fails is the quick one: a steel stud frame with cement board screwed to it and a thin skim over the top. It goes up fast, it costs less, and it photographs identically to a masonry island on the day it is finished. Then the frame moves, the corners crack, water gets behind the skim, and the face starts breaking up within a few summers.
We build in block on a poured footing, with reinforcement and grouted cells. It is heavier, slower and more expensive, and it is the difference between a permanent part of the yard and a consumable.
The other half of the job is planning around the appliances rather than after them. Cut outs are made to a specific manufacturer specification, not to a generic opening, and combustible clearances around a built in grill are larger than they are for the same grill standing free on a patio. Choosing the appliance first is not a delay, it is the design input everything else follows from.
[ 02 ]Scope
What we build
Straight grill islands
A single run with a built in grill, landing space either side and storage below. The most common build and the right starting point for a proper cooking station without a full kitchen.
L shaped islands with a bar
An L where the short leg becomes a raised or flush bar with seating. Keeps people facing the cook without putting them in the smoke, and it is the layout most people wish they had chosen.
Full outdoor kitchens
Grill plus side burner, refrigeration, sink, storage and sometimes a pizza oven, with the utilities run properly. This is where permits and licensed trades reliably enter the picture.
[ 03 ]In every scope
What is included
Footing and structure
Footing poured below the loose surface layer, block shell, reinforcement and grouted cells. The part that decides whether the finish is still intact in ten years.
Appliance cut outs
Openings made to the manufacturer specification for the grill and appliances you have chosen, with ventilation and combustible clearances respected rather than approximated.
Counters and finish
Stucco, stone veneer or tile matched to the house and the surrounding hardscape, and a counter surface specified for outdoor UV and heat with a fall on it so water runs off rather than sitting.
Utilities and commissioning
Gas, water and power where required, run and tested by licensed trade partners, inspected where the work calls for it, then commissioned with you present.
[ 04 ]How it runs
How the build runs
- 01
Site visit and siting
We look at where the island wants to sit, check the prevailing wind and where the smoke will go, work out the sun exposure at the times you actually cook, and find where gas and power really are.
- 02
Appliance selection
Appliances chosen before the island is designed, because the cut outs, the counter runs and the utility requirements all follow from them.
- 03
Fixed quote
Itemised with the appliance allowance separated, so you can see the construction cost on its own and change appliances without renegotiating the build.
- 04
Permits and trades
Blue stake locates before we dig, and where a gas line or new circuits are involved we handle the submittal and book the licensed trades.
- 05
Build
Footing, block, rough in, inspection where required, finish, counters, then appliances last.
- 06
Commissioning and walkthrough
We fire it with you present, check every connection, and show you how the appliances come apart for cleaning.
[ 05 ]Why us
Why build with us
We are a construction company rather than an appliance retailer. That matters because retailers subcontract the masonry, which makes the structure a cost line rather than the product, and a crack in the island two years later is not really their problem while the grill is still under warranty.
We will fit whatever brand you want and we have no reason to steer you toward a more expensive one. The structure is what we sell.
And we build for this ground. Tucson soil moves and the caliche layer is unpredictable across a single lot, so a footing that would be perfectly adequate elsewhere is not necessarily adequate here. The crack that appears at the counter joint two summers later is the proof of a footing decision made much earlier.
Want a real number on your island?
Send us the space and the grill you have in mind. We will come out and measure.
[ 06 ]Questions
Outdoor kitchen questions
What qualifies as an outdoor kitchen?
Broadly, a permanent structure outdoors with a built in cooking appliance and work surface, as opposed to a rolling grill parked on a patio. Where the line sits between a BBQ island and an outdoor kitchen is mostly a matter of how many utilities are involved. Once you add water, refrigeration or a second appliance, you are building a kitchen and the permitting and utility work reflects that.
Do I need a permit to install an outdoor kitchen?
A freestanding masonry island with no utilities is treated differently to a build involving a new gas line, new electrical circuits, plumbing, or a roofed structure over it. The utilities are usually what trigger the requirement rather than the masonry. We check for your address before we start.
What is the average cost for an outdoor kitchen?
The structure, the finish and the counter make up most of the construction cost, appliances sit on top of that as a separate number, and utility runs are the variable that surprises people. The distance from the meter to the island can move a quote considerably.
Can I put an outdoor kitchen against my house?
Often yes, and it is frequently the practical choice because the utilities are already there. What it requires is attention to clearance from the wall, protection of the wall finish from heat and grease, and thought about where smoke will go, because a wall reflects it back at whoever is cooking. Built in grills need larger clearances than the same appliance standing free, and the manufacturer specification governs.
What are the disadvantages of an outdoor kitchen?
It is expensive and permanent, so a layout you get wrong is expensive to change. In this climate it is genuinely unusable in the middle of a summer afternoon unless it is shaded. Appliances live outdoors and age faster than indoor ones. And if it goes in without proper utility work, the eventual repairs cost more than doing it properly would have.
What should I build my outdoor kitchen out of?
Masonry on a footing, in our view, which in practice means block with a stucco, stone veneer or tile finish. Steel stud and cement board goes up faster and costs less, and it does not do as well over a long run of Tucson summers. Whatever the structure, the counter should be a material specified for outdoor UV and heat, since a lot of indoor surfaces do not hold their colour outside here.
What are the must-haves in an outdoor kitchen?
Landing space either side of the grill, which is the thing most often designed out and most missed in use. Shade, because otherwise you will not cook out there for a third of the year. Storage that actually keeps things dry. And a work light, because most outdoor cooking here happens after sunset in summer.
Where we build
We build across Tucson, Oro Valley, Marana, Vail, Sahuarita, Green Valley, Catalina Foothills, Casas Adobes, Rita Ranch, Dove Mountain, Corona de Tucson and Tanque Verde.
See where we build[ 07 ]Related
What people build with this
[ 08 ]Free on site quote
Get a quote for your outdoor kitchen
Tell us where it would go and what you want to cook on. We will come out, measure, and give you a real number.
Thanks, that is with us
We will call you back, usually the same working day, and ask a few questions about the space before we come out. If it is urgent, call(520) 555-0168.