Outdoor kitchen masonry in Auburn AL - a block base built around your grill
Tired of cooking on a cart grill that's crowding the patio? We build a block kitchen with openings sized to the appliances you picked.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What does it take to build an outdoor kitchen in Auburn?
Outdoor kitchen masonry in Auburn, AL is the concrete block base, set on a reinforced concrete slab, that holds your grill, your countertop and the finish on the outside. At United Auburn Concrete and Masonry we build that base for homeowners in Auburn and the cities around it, with the openings built to fit the appliances you've already chosen.
Most people who call me already have a grill in mind and a spot on the patio picked out, and they want to know what it'll take. The price mostly moves with the size and shape of the kitchen, how many appliance openings it needs, the countertop, and the finish you choose for the outside, whether that's stucco or stone veneer. The schedule depends less on our block work than on what has to fit around it, because the countertop is made to order and the gas and electric trades come in between our stages. When I come out, the estimate I send says what we'll do and why, so you can see where the money goes before anything starts.
How do you know an outdoor kitchen needs a mason?
Water standing inside the base
If you open a cabinet door under the counter and find puddles or rust, the water has no way out. The slab should slope away from the house and the enclosed sections need drain holes, and when they're missing the water sits there, rusting doors and appliances and feeding mildew every time it rains.
Cracked block around the grill
Cracks or scorch marks right around the grill opening usually mean the firebox sits against the masonry with nothing between them. One national guide advises non-combustible insulation there, a layer that won't catch fire, and without it the heat keeps working the block apart every time you cook.
Stucco cracking or coming loose
Hairline cracks that keep growing, or patches that sound hollow when you tap them, usually mean something underneath is moving, either the slab or the block. Patching the surface won't hold if the cause is still there, and every rainy season lets more water into the block behind it.
How we build outdoor kitchen masonry
Before we lay out a single block, I ask you to settle the grill and every other appliance, sizes included, because the openings get built around them and changing a grill later means tearing out block. Then we check the slab or pour a reinforced one where there isn't a good one, lay the concrete block base with the openings where your appliances go, and leave a window after the block is up and before the finish goes on so the gas and electric trades can run their lines. Once the base is standing, we help you pick a finish that suits your budget, put it on and leave the top ready for the countertop.
A kitchen in the yard usually needs a good way to get to it, so a lot of owners have us lay a new walkway from the back door while we're there. If you want a low wall to close in the cooking area, our brick wall installation work can tie it into the kitchen and the brick on your house.
Straight run along the patio
A single counter with the grill and one or two openings suits a smaller patio or a first outdoor kitchen. It's the simplest layout to build and leaves the most room for a table.
L-shaped kitchen
An L puts prep space on one leg and the grill on the other, which suits people who cook for a crowd. It takes more block and more countertop than a straight run, and in return you get a real work area.
Island with a bar ledge
A freestanding island with a raised ledge lets guests sit across from whoever's cooking. It needs the most planning up front, since the gas and power lines have to come up through the slab out in the middle of the patio.
Get a free estimate for your outdoor kitchen
Send your appliance list with the form. We reply within one business day to set a time, and I come out for a free on-site estimate that says what we'll do and why, with no pressure and no obligation.
(334) 780-0060- Based in
- Auburn, AL 36830
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
What happens after you call about an outdoor kitchen?
Here's how the job runs from your first call to the final walk-through, and what you'll have in hand at each step along the way.
Call or send the form
Tell us what you have in mind and which appliances you've picked, and we'll set a time for me to come out. Have the grill's model and cutout size handy if you've got them.
I look the spot over
I come out, look at the slab and the space, and ask a lot of questions about how you cook and what you want to spend. Then I send an estimate that says what we'll do and why, so you can see what's driving the price before you decide.
We handle permits and build
We take care of the permit paperwork when the job needs it, then lay the block, leave the window for the gas and electric trades and put the finish on. You'll know ahead of time when the other trades are due, because their part has to fit between ours.
Walk the finished kitchen together
When we're done, we walk the kitchen with you, open every door and check every opening against your appliances. If something doesn't look right to you, that's the time to say so.
Why Auburn homeowners call United Auburn Concrete and Masonry for outdoor kitchens
The owner on every job
I come out to look at every job myself, and I work alongside our crew on the build. The person who heard what you wanted is the one laying out your openings.
In business since 2020
I learned the trade handing brick to my dad on his jobs, and I started this business in 2020. Six years in, a lot of our calls come from people planning a wall, a walk or an outdoor kitchen, so this is work we know.
Built to suit older brick homes
Many of our calls come from owners of older brick homes around Auburn, and a kitchen right off the back of one of those houses should look like it belongs there. When it sits next to the house, we pick the finish and the brick with the house in mind.
Licensed and insured
We're licensed and insured. That matters on an outdoor kitchen because several trades work in your yard before it's done, and you want the crew building the base covered.
If you've got your grill picked out, send us the details or call (334) 780-0060, and let me take a look.
Outdoor kitchens and the work around them in Auburn
In Auburn, the Inspection Services Department takes permit applications for electrical, HVAC, plumbing and gas, and roofing work, and outdoor kitchen masonry isn't on that list. That leaves the masonry an open question to ask the city about, while the gas line and any wiring fall under trades the list does name, so we check with the office that covers your address before we start and take care of the permit paperwork when the job needs it.
Around Auburn we build a lot of these behind brick homes, often on a patio slab that's already there, so before we set block on it I check that it's reinforced and drains away from the house. We see the same kinds of yards on jobs in Opelika and Smiths Station, and we build the same way there.
Questions about outdoor kitchen masonry in Auburn
How long does it take to build an outdoor kitchen in Auburn?
One national guide puts the masonry for a standard L-shaped outdoor kitchen at 7 to 12 working days, and the whole job runs longer than that. The same guide gives countertops a 2 to 3 week lead time, and the gas and electric trades have to be scheduled in between, so I'll lay out the full order of work for your kitchen at the estimate.
How much does an outdoor kitchen cost in Auburn, AL?
The cost depends on your layout and appliances, plus a few things you can't see from the patio. Whether your existing slab can carry the block or a new reinforced one has to be poured, and how far the gas and power have to run, can move the price as much as the size does. I'll give you your own number once I've seen the spot and your appliance list.
How do I keep an outdoor kitchen on budget?
Pick stucco over the block base, because it's the most economical finish. Stone veneer adds its own stage of masonry work to the schedule, so it costs time as well as material, and it's usually worth it when you want the kitchen to match stone already on the house.
Where do I file a permit application in Auburn, AL?
Permit forms in Auburn go to the city's Inspection Services Department, through the Auburn Permit Portal or by email to plans@auburnal.gov. When your kitchen needs a permit, that's paperwork we take care of for you.
Who can install a gas line for an outdoor grill in Alabama?
In Alabama, anyone who contracts, engages in or offers gas fitting needs Master Gas Fitter certification from the state's Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board. That makes the gas line to your grill a job for a certified gas fitter, and we leave a window in our build so the line goes in after the block is up and before the finish.
Do I need a licensed contractor to build an outdoor kitchen in Alabama?
Alabama's Home Builders Licensure Board licenses builders who improve a residential structure when the cost, labor and materials together, is more than $10,000. If you build it yourself under the state's homeowner exemption, you still need a licensed subcontractor for any part of the work that costs more than $10,000.00.
Services that go with an outdoor kitchen
Walkway construction
A built-in kitchen gets a lot of foot traffic, and a solid walk from the back door keeps guests and loaded platters off soggy grass.
Brick wall installation
A low brick wall can close in the cooking area, block the wind from the grill and give the kitchen the same brick as your house.
Service areas for outdoor kitchen work
United Auburn Concrete and Masonry is based in Auburn, Alabama, and builds outdoor kitchens across the cities around it, including Opelika and Valley. Each of the 7 cities below has its own page, and we work beyond them too.
Auburn, AL
Plan your outdoor kitchen around your grill
Calling with the grill model and cutout size in hand means the first visit goes to your layout, not to guessing at sizes.