Planning a grill station on the patio? We build the slab, block base and stone, brick or stucco shell to fit your appliances.
Outdoor kitchen masonry in Summerville is the slab, the concrete block base and the stone, brick or stucco shell that hold your grill and countertop. We build it to the sizes of the appliances you pick, so each one fits where it should.
We pour the slab and lay the concrete block base. Then we face it with stone veneer, which is a thin stone facing, or with brick or stucco, and get the top ready for your countertop. The price mostly comes down to the size and shape of the base, the facing you choose and how many appliance openings it needs. Your written estimate lists the materials, the steps and anything not included.
The schedule depends on more than our part. The countertop is made after the base is built, and the gas, electrical and plumbing trades have to fit in between our steps, so the whole kitchen takes longer than the masonry alone. Whether you need a permit, and from which office, depends on where your address sits, and we sort that out before we start.
A few details decide whether an outdoor kitchen base still looks right years from now. These are the ones I check on every layout, because they're hard to fix once the facing is on.
The slab should slope away from your house so rain runs off instead of back toward your foundation. Any closed section of the base needs drain holes near the bottom, because water gets in through doors and seams and has to have a way out. We set that slope when we form the slab, before any block goes down.
Gas, electrical and plumbing lines are run into place after the block is up and before the stone veneer goes on. In that order the other trades can reach everything, and nobody has to cut into finished stone to move a line. We plan our part of the schedule around that pause.
The last masonry step is getting the top of the base ready for the countertop. If the block is out of level or the corners aren't square, the counter won't sit flat and the seams will show. I check the top with a level and a square before anyone measures for the counter, because an extra hour there saves a bad fit later.
Here's how an outdoor kitchen job runs from your first call to the final walk-through, so you know what happens at each step and where the other trades come in.
Call (843) 376-1285 or fill out our form. Tell us where the kitchen will go and which grill and appliances you're looking at. A rough sketch of the layout helps me come prepared.
I come out, look the spot over, measure it and ask how you plan to use the kitchen. You get a written estimate with the materials and steps, and I check with the office that covers your address about permits.
Our crew pours the slab, lays the block and puts on the facing, and I check the work as it goes. Inside Summerville's limits, construction is allowed between 7 AM and 9 PM, so our crew works within those hours there.
When the masonry is done, we walk it with you and leave the site clean. From there the base is ready for your countertop. Keeping those drain holes clear helps it last.
We ask you to pick your grill and other appliances before we lay out any block. Each one has its own cutout size. If a course of block is set around the wrong opening, the only fix is to tear it out and lay it again. Once the models are chosen, I lay out the base to their sizes before anyone mixes mortar.
We also leave room inside the base for the other trades to run their lines, so gas, power and water reach each appliance without anyone chipping into new block. We plan what sits around the kitchen with the same care. Our walkway construction can run a path from the slab to your back door, and our brick wall installation can add a low seat wall around it.
If the back of the kitchen shows from the yard or the patio, we face every side the same, so it looks finished from any angle. It costs more, because every side gets the full facing.
Owners often choose a plainer finish on the side that faces the house, since few people see it, and that brings the cost down. When I measure, I'll point out which sides are on view.
Send your details and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time for me to come out. The estimate is free, it's done on site, and there's no pressure to book. Have your appliance choices and a rough layout ready, and I'll measure and write it up from there.
(843) 376-1285Summerville requires permits for new buildings, renovations and repairs. Its permit list names gas, electrical, mechanical and plumbing work, but it doesn't name outdoor kitchen masonry, so the list doesn't settle whether the masonry needs its own permit. Those rules only cover homes inside Summerville's limits. For a job inside them, ask the Town of Summerville Building Department.
If you're outside Summerville's limits in Dorchester County, the county's Building Services Department issues residential permits for new construction and renovations and inspects the work during construction. We find out which side of the line you're on, check with that office, and handle the permit and inspections when the job needs them. For homes in an HOA or a historic district, we help you line up the approvals that come before the permit.
We're based in Summerville and work across the cities around it in Dorchester, Berkeley and Charleston counties, including Sangaree and Ladson. A lot of the outdoor kitchens we're asked about here go on or beside an existing patio close to the back of the house. That's why I pay close attention to the slope away from the house.
I learned brick, block and stone at a big commercial outfit, where every course got measured and checked before the next one went on. I started this business in Summerville in 2013 to bring that way of working to homes. A base that's square, level and built for the water it'll see is the one that holds up.
I come out and measure your job myself. Our own crew does the work, and I check it as it goes, so the person who drew the layout is the one making sure it's followed. We're fully licensed and insured. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
If you've picked out your grill, or you're close, call (843) 376-1285 or send our estimate form and I'll come take a look. Bring any spec sheets you have for the appliances, because I lay out the base to the cutout sizes printed on them.
A solid walkway from the back door to the kitchen means you're not carrying plates across wet grass, and we can grade it to drain with the slab.
A brick wall can frame the cooking area, give guests a place to sit or screen the grill from the neighbors, and we can match it to the kitchen's facing.
We're based in Summerville and build outdoor kitchens in the cities around it across Dorchester, Berkeley and Charleston counties. If your city isn't on the list, call anyway, because we're glad to hear from you.
One pricing guide puts the masonry for a standard L-shaped outdoor kitchen at 7 to 12 working days. The countertop takes 2 to 3 weeks to fabricate, and the gas, electrical and plumbing trades need their own time on the schedule, so the whole kitchen takes longer than the masonry. It's fair to ask any contractor how their schedule allows for those trades.
Inside Summerville's limits, the gas, electrical and plumbing work is on the permit list. The list doesn't name outdoor kitchen masonry, so it doesn't settle whether the masonry needs a permit. Outside the limits, a different office decides. Before we start, we check with the office that covers your address and handle the permit when the job needs one.
Stucco over the concrete block base is the most economical finish. Brick facing gives a different look at a higher price, and stone veneer is the other common choice. When the budget is tight, stucco is the usual pick.
In South Carolina, brick, concrete block and concrete slab work on residential jobs over $500 counts as residential specialty contractor work, which needs a state license. Summerville also requires contractors to be licensed by the state for their scope of work and to hold a Town of Summerville business license. Ask any mason you're considering to show both.
There's no set price, because it comes down to the size and shape of the base, the facing and how many appliances need openings. Stucco costs less than brick, and a plainer finish on the side facing the house brings the cost down further. Your written estimate gives you the figure for your kitchen.
Have your grill and other appliances chosen, or at least narrowed down, plus a rough sketch of where the kitchen goes and its shape. It also helps to know whether your house is inside Summerville's limits or in the county, since that decides which office handles any permit.
Call (843) 376-1285 or use the form, and if you haven't ordered appliances yet, I can check that the spot you have in mind fits the ones you're looking at.
