Grilling off a rolling cart on a patio you barely use? We build a block island, faced and ready for counters, around the grill you choose.
Outdoor kitchen masonry in Chula Vista is the block island your grill and counters sit on. We build it on a slab, face it with stone veneer or stucco and leave it ready for the countertop installer.
Most people who call me have a grill on a cart and a patio they don't use as much as they'd like. The job is the block structure, the facing and the counter prep. We plan the gas, water and power from the start so nothing has to be cut in later. If the trip from the back door crosses dirt or cracked concrete, we can add walkway construction to the same project.
Price moves with the size and shape of the island, the finish and counters you pick, and how far the utilities have to run. The schedule mostly waits on the countertop shop, the other trades and any permit, not on the block itself. I'll look at your yard with you and put your own numbers in a written estimate.
Tell us roughly where you want the kitchen and which grill and appliances you're looking at. We'll get back to you and set a time for me to come out.
I come out myself and look at the patio, where the gas and power would come from and how the island sits in your yard, and I show you what I see. You then get a written estimate that spells out the size, the finish and the counter prep, so you know what you're paying for before anything starts.
If you go ahead, we sort out any permits, and I run the work on site with our crew from the block layout through the facing. We line up the counter shop and the gas or electric trades around our work so nobody sits waiting on anybody else.
When the masonry is done, we walk it together. I show you the openings, the vents and anything to keep an eye on while the counters go on.
I ask you to pick your grill, side burner, fridge or sink before we lay out a single block, because the openings get built to their exact sizes. If you change your mind after the block is up, we're cutting and rebuilding, and that costs you time and money. If there's gas, we plan how the island vents from the start, and the questions below explain why.
The block is the structure, and what you see is a facing over it. Manufactured stone veneer is cement, lightweight aggregate and pigment made to look like natural stone. It's set in mortar over a backing on the block, so you can pick the look without changing what holds the island up. Stucco and thin brick go over the same core, and if you want a matching garden wall, we can plan brick wall installation alongside it.
What goes into an outdoor kitchen build:
If the block core is sound and only the facing is loose or a few stones have popped off, we can usually reset the facing and repoint the mortar. It's different when the island was built around a grill you no longer have, or there's cracking through the block itself. Then I'd rather rebuild than keep cutting into the old core, because new openings in an old structure usually weaken it. I'll tell you which one I see once I've looked it over with you.
Size and shape come first, because an L or a U with a bar takes more block, more facing and more counter than a straight run. The finish and the countertop material are the biggest choices you'll make after that. Distance matters too, since gas, water or power that has to travel across the yard adds to the job. Fixing a sloped or cracked patio before we build adds to it as well. Your written estimate breaks those out so you can see where the money goes.
I come out to look at every job myself, and I'm on site running the work with our crew. That means the person who looked at your yard is the one making the calls. Before we set a block, I show you where the openings go and why. I'd rather you ask a question than nod along.
We keep the patio and the path out to the street clean as we go, protect what's next to the work and tell you ahead of time when the counter shop or the gas trade is due. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
Have your grill and appliance sizes handy when you call, so I can plan the openings around them from the first visit.
Tell us where the kitchen goes and which grill you've picked. We reply within one business day, and I come out for a free on-site estimate with no obligation.
National guidance puts the masonry for a standard L-shaped outdoor kitchen at about 7 to 12 working days. Countertops usually add a 2 to 3 week wait while they're fabricated, and the gas, plumbing or electrical trades have to fit in around that. That's one more reason I ask for your appliances early, so nothing holds up the counter shop.
Yes. A San Diego contractor notes that a stucco finish with tile counters gives a clean look for far less than stone veneer with slab granite. The block underneath is the same either way, so the difference is in the facing and the top. If you're torn, ask me to price both in your estimate.
A licensed contractor. The state license board has a masonry class that covers block, natural and manufactured stone, and thin brick veneer for facing. The board also says that if the work needs a permit of any kind, the builder has to be licensed even when the project is under $1,000. We're licensed and fully insured, and when a job calls for a permit, we pull it, line up the inspections and keep you posted.
It can be, as long as the island is designed so leaked gas has a way out. A San Diego installer warns that a sealed island can trap leaked propane or natural gas and create an explosion risk. If you're planning big burners, ask early about your gas meter too, because a home meter is sized for indoor appliances and may not keep up with a large grill and a power burner.
It has to go where the city's zoning allows, because Chula Vista's zoning code sets setbacks and height for what's built on your lot. The city's Development Services Department answers zoning questions at (619) 585-5621, and we check with the city before work starts so you know where things stand. We're based in Chula Vista and work across the cities around it. Near the water, a San Diego contractor points out that coastal homes in places like Coronado need stainless steel and finishes that stand up to salt air.
That white film is usually efflorescence, a deposit left by soluble salts that most often come from materials touching the brick, like mortar, concrete or soil. It shows more on darker colors, so it's worth weighing when you pick a brick shade for the island.
We're based in Chula Vista and build outdoor kitchens in Bonita, National City and the cities around them. Pick your area below, or call us if yours isn't listed.
