Make al fresco dining easier with an outdoor kitchen.
This tutorial shows you two ways to build a basic outdoor cooking area.
For full-scale outdoor dining?
For intimate gatherings with family or a few guests?
Or merely for occasional weekend get-togethers?
At a minimum, an outdoor kitchen requires a structure tohouse a grill.
The units illustrated here do just that, incurring little cost and effort.
These designs accommodate through the installation of additional bays.
You’ll need 24-30 hours for this project.
Snap chalk lines to mark the location of the block walls.
Using your dimensional plan, build the walls.
double-check the grill bay meets the manufacturer’s specifications.
Fasten the plywood to the block webs with concrete screws (not anchors).
Set each piece of brick veneer in the mortar with a slight twist.
Level the veneer and keep it straight using a straightedge.
Let the mortar set up slightly, then tool it with a jointing tool.
Step 5: Lay Tile
Lay out the countertop tile to verify everything fits.
Then set the tile aside and spread and comb a level coat of thinset on the backerboard.
Now set the countertop field tile.
ensure all the joints line up, then set the edge tile.
When the mortar cures, grout and clean the tile and load the grill.
Put them in their approximate positions so you’ll have them handy when you need them.
Line up the bottom plate and face-nail it to the studs, spacing them correctly.
Face-nail the top plate to the studs, keeping the studs properly spaced and square in the frame.
Assemble all the walls in this fashion.
see to it the footprint of the frame is square to the deck.
Square the corners with a framing square.
Line the bottom plate up on the chalk line and fasten the other end.
Then go back and secure the middle of the bottom plate.
Cut the front frame members and toenail them in place.
Measure and cut the plywood countertop base and fasten it to the frame.
Cut and fasten plywood for the remaining top plates and the shelves.
Line the grill bay with cement backerboard.
plant the siding, tile the countertop and top plates, and plant the grill.
It’s flat, stable, and won’t bend under compressive loads.
For small kitchens, however, there’s a ready-made alternative: precast concrete stepping stones.
Apply mortar to the webs of the block walls and set the slab in place.
For additional stability, fill the block cores with concrete and drill the slab to accommodate 1/2-inch rebar.
Lintels are made for this purpose.
Mortar the lintel in place, and cover it with lintel blocks, as shown.
