Projects Outdoor Built-In Outdoor Grill

Built-In Outdoor Grill

Time to upgrade your outdoor grilling area? Elevate your space with a custom Built-in Outdoor Grilling Station with countertop space for supplies, ingredients and more.

Directions

Measure out area where the grill will go. Board out the area using 2x4’s and tamp down 1 inch of gravel mix for adequate drainage.
In total, this project required 10, 80 lbs bags of concrete using a wheelbarrow. The area will be filled halfway.
Then, lay steel reinforcement in the middle and top the area off with the rest of the concrete mix.
Use a float trowel to lightly smooth out the surface as the rocks settle down in the concrete mix and the water evaporates to the top of my concrete slab.
Next, start framing out the grill station using 2x4s and 3 inch screws.
Cover the entire area using 7/16 in. OSB and secure it using 1-½” screws.
Frame out the top section that will act as a countertop around the grill and secure it into the 2x4 studs that it sits on. Keep in mind, depending on the size of your grill, add an extra 1-½ inches to your desired area to account for the cement board and steel flashing that will go here, and of course your grill’s grease catch, depending where it's located.
Wrap every area that will have stone veneer on it with builder felt and staple it to the frame. This is the same material that is used as a moisture barrier in roofing.
Then, wrap the builder tape using galvanized lath. Be sure to have the honeycomb pattern point up and secure it tightly by wrapping it around your structure using 1-½” roofing nails. If any points feel loose and the steel mesh is moving around, secure it with more nails. The idea is to roughly have a nail every 6 inches.
Using a “Type S” Mortar mix, apply the “scratch coat” to the metal mesh “lath” so that the steel was no longer seen. If at any point the mesh moves and exposes itself from underneath the mortar mix, stop, and recur it with an additional nail.
After the “scratch coat'' begins to dry firm to the touch, create a “score” coat using a ½ trowel. Make horizontal straight passes and then let the mortar mix dry for 24-48 hours.
For the posts, use 4, 4x4 posts at 70 inches each, and attach each one to the inside corners of the last top box frame you built. Attach them using 5” lag bolts to the 2x4s. Once installed and leveled, cover the top with OSB.
For the pergola, use 2x4 and 2x6 boards mitered with 50 degree ends and attach them using 3 inch screws drilled at an angle.
To weatherize and make the pergola fire resistant, torch wood using the old Shou Sugi Ban technique. Utilize the Bernzomatic TS8000 torch and MAP PRO gas to burn the pergola until the entire exterior layer of wood is charred.
Once the wood had cooled, brush off all the flaking burnt char with a stiff brush and then rinse off any of the existing fine burnt dust that still remains. This is so that when it rains, it won't get the grill area dirty.
Use a 2 stage process to make my grill fire safe. For stage one, wrap the area where the grill will sit using ½ HardieBacker cement board as an insulator from the OSB. The cement board also happens to be fire resistant.
For the second stage, use metal flashing and wrap the cement board to keep things from catching on fire.
When installing the stone veneer, mix up the same Type S mortar mix to the consistency of peanut butter. It should be able to be wet enough to mold and stiff enough to stay on the trowel when turned at 90 degrees without falling off.
Using a spray bottle with water in it, spray the back of the stone veneer to help the mortar mix stick to it better. Then, I add 1 inch of mortar mix to it.
Press it firmly onto the wall until the mortar mix began to squeeze out from the side. It’s important to install the corner pieces first, and work your way from both sides towards the middle.
For the countertop section, use 8x16 concrete pavers and cut out the 4x4 notch using an angle grinder and a masonry cutting wheel. Attach to top of grill station and you are done!