Cooking outside on a rolling grill and a folding table? We build a block-and-stone kitchen that's planned for gas, water and heat.
Outdoor kitchen masonry in Santa Barbara is the concrete slab, the concrete block frame and the stone, brick, stucco or tile face that hold your grill and counters, with the top prepped so the countertop can go on.
Most people who call us already have a patio and a grill and want the space to work like a real kitchen. The job starts with the slab, then the block frame, then the face you see, and I prep the top so the countertop maker can set it. If you want a path from the back door out to it, we can tie that in with walkway construction.
The finish you pick for the outside moves the price more than anything, along with the size of the layout and how many appliances it holds. The schedule turns on the other trades, the countertop maker and the city. We're licensed and fully insured, and before work starts we find out which office covers your address and whether your kitchen needs a permit. Your estimate puts a number on your own layout.
Call (805) 456-2871 or use the form and tell us roughly what you have in mind. We get back to you and set a time for me to come out.
I look over the spot with you and talk through the layout, the finish and where the gas, water and power need to run. You get a price for the layout and finish we settled on, so you can weigh one finish against another before you decide.
If your kitchen needs a permit, we handle the application and meet the inspector. The city often reviews a project more than once before it issues, each review after the first takes 10 business days and can run longer when staff are busy, so I tell you up front how that fits the start date.
I work on the job with our crew, from the slab and block frame through to the stone once the other trades have set their lines. When it's done, we walk the finished kitchen with you before we pack up.
We build the block frame first and leave openings for the gas, water and power lines before any stone goes on. One guide says those lines should be set in place before the facing goes up, which puts the plumber and electrician after the block is finished and before the stone starts, and that's the order we keep.
If there's a grill, we plan a fireproof layer between it and the masonry, since one guide calls for a layer that won't burn between the grill firebox and the block around it. It's also worth asking whether your frame will have steel in it, because the grout bonds the block and the steel so they carry the load together.
What an outdoor kitchen job covers:
If your outdoor kitchen has a few loose stones or a cracked face but the block underneath is sound, fixing the facing is usually all it needs, and I'll tell you if it can wait. If the base is settling, water sits inside it, or the grill is set right against the masonry with nothing between them, I'd rather rebuild the frame than patch over a problem that will come back.
Past the finish, which I covered above, the price comes down to how long the counters run, whether it's a straight run or an L, and how many openings it needs for the grill, sink, fridge and lines. A fire layer at the grill, a tight side yard where materials go in by hand, and a matching wall around the space through our brick wall installation work all add to it.
I grew up on a farm where you fixed a fence or a barn wall so it stayed fixed, and I've run this business in Santa Barbara that way since 2017. I come out for the estimate myself and work on the job with our crew, so the person who priced it is the one building it.
We keep the work area tidy, protect the rest of your patio and tell you plainly what each step is for and why. If something can wait, I'll say so. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
Call (805) 456-2871 with your address, a rough layout and the finish you like, so we can talk through your yard on the first call.
Tell us your address, your layout idea and the finish you're leaning toward. We reply within one business day, and I come out for a free on-site estimate with no obligation.
One guide puts the masonry for a standard L-shaped outdoor kitchen at 7 to 12 working days, plus 2 to 3 weeks of lead time for the countertop. The whole project runs longer once you add time for the gas, plumbing and electrical trades, and for the city's review if your kitchen needs a permit.
Usually, yes. One outdoor kitchen seller says tile and stucco finishes tend to be the cheapest, while brick and stone veneer are the most expensive. The frame underneath is much the same either way, so I'm glad to price two finishes side by side at the estimate.
Plan on asking, because the city generally requires a building permit to build or alter a structure, and its list of work that doesn't need one names masonry walls, not outdoor kitchens. The city also notes other divisions may regulate some items, so the counter staff at the City's Permit Center are the people to ask, and the city's building permit page has the details. We find out which office covers your address and handle the application when a permit is needed.
Look up your parcel in the city's MAPS tool, which shows whether it sits within a City High Fire Hazard Area. The city points to it from its wildland fire page, and it's worth checking before design starts so you can bring the result to the estimate.
One guide says the slab should slope away from the house and any enclosed base sections need drain holes so water doesn't stand inside. I check the slope of your patio when I come out, since that's where most pooling starts.
It doesn't need to be, because manufactured stone veneer is a facing, not a structure. It's a lightweight product cast from cement-based materials to look like natural stone, and it carries no weight, so the block frame behind it does the holding.
We're based in Santa Barbara and build outdoor kitchens in Goleta, Montecito and the cities around them. Pick your area below, or call if yours isn't listed.
