How to build an outdoor kitchen: planning, materials and budget

Why an outdoor kitchen changes everything

There is a world of difference between a standalone barbecue on the lawn and a proper outdoor kitchen. With a barbecue, you trudge back inside twenty times for chopping boards, seasoning, plates and washing-up water. With an outdoor kitchen, everything sits within arm's reach and you stay part of the conversation while you cook.

Over the past five years, outdoor kitchens have shifted from luxury statement to achievable garden feature. You do not need a mansion-sized plot. A solid starter setup fits on a patio of 3 by 4 metres, and entry-level builds start around five hundred pounds if you are prepared to do the work yourself.

Choosing the right spot

Wind direction and sun

The biggest mistake people make is putting the kitchen wherever space allows, without considering wind. Smoke blowing into your guests' faces kills the atmosphere. Check the prevailing wind direction in your area (south-westerly for most of the UK) and position the cooking section so smoke drifts away from the dining area.

Sun matters too. Cooking in full July midday sun is miserable. Pick a spot that gets morning sun but offers some shelter in the afternoon, or plan an overhead cover from the start.

Distance to the indoor kitchen

Keep the route to your indoor kitchen short. You will always need to fetch something — forgotten sauce, ice, that one pan you do not have outside. Five to ten metres is ideal. Beyond fifteen metres, weeknight outdoor cooking becomes a chore rather than a pleasure.

Neighbours and nuisance

Smoke and cooking smells are a common source of neighbour disputes. Position your outdoor kitchen at least two to three metres from the boundary, and consider a hedge or screen between the two gardens.

Foundations and flooring

An outdoor kitchen is heavy. A masonry frame with a granite worktop and a kamado can easily weigh 400 kilograms. That will not sit happily on grass or gravel. You need a stable base.

Flooring options

• Concrete slab: the strongest option. Pour a reinforced slab of 15 cm on compacted sub-base. Cost: around £40–70/m².
• Large porcelain pavers: strong, fire-resistant, easy to clean. Lay on a prepared sand bed or on pedestals. Cost: £55–120/m².
• Clay pavers: classic and non-slip even in rain. Cost: £30–60/m².
• Natural stone: beautiful but pricey and sometimes slippery when wet. Cost: £70–140/m².

Never use timber directly around the cooking zone. Sparks and grease are not friends of decking. Composite is slightly better, but genuine fire resistance only comes from stone or porcelain.

Cooking equipment: gas, charcoal or kamado

Gas barbecue

Fast to reach temperature, easy to regulate, clean. A built-in gas burner with three or four zones is the backbone of most outdoor kitchens. Budget £450–1,800 for a decent built-in unit. You need a gas supply — either a fixed line from the mains (use a Gas Safe registered engineer) or a bottled-gas cabinet with proper ventilation.

Charcoal barbecue

Nothing matches that smoke flavour. A built-in charcoal grill or Argentine-style parrilla fits perfectly in a masonry frame. Downside: 20–30 minutes to reach cooking temperature and more cleanup afterwards.

Kamado

The kamado (Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe, Berghoff) is the all-rounder: grill, smoke, bake, slow-cook. Place it on a sturdy, heat-resistant surface. A kamado weighs 60–120 kg, so account for that in your base. Budget: £700–2,200 for the unit alone.

Pizza oven

A wood-fired pizza oven is the showpiece. A pizza with a blistered base in 90 seconds — you cannot replicate that indoors. Compact models start around £250; built-in stone ovens run to £2,500 or more. Remember: a pizza oven reaches 400–500 degrees Celsius. The surroundings must handle that heat.

Worktop materials

The worktop is where you chop, mix and prep. It needs to withstand heat, water, grease and frost.

• Granite: the most popular choice. Scratch-resistant, heat-proof, frost-proof. Budget £180–350/m².
• Polished concrete: industrial aesthetic, robust and cheaper than granite. Seal it against stains. £90–220/m².
• Porcelain slab: same benefits as porcelain pavers but as a continuous surface. £220–450/m².
• Stainless steel: professional look, hygienic, but prone to scratching. £130–300/m².

Avoid marble (too porous), timber (rots and moulds outdoors) and indoor-grade laminate or composite that is not UV-stable.

Plumbing and drainage

Running water at your outdoor kitchen is the difference between cooking outside and merely eating outside. You want to wash hands, rinse vegetables and clean a pan without going indoors.

What you need

• Water supply: a 25 mm MDPE pipe from your mains or a branch off an existing outdoor tap. Lay the pipe at least 750 mm deep to protect against frost, or install a self-draining system you blow out in autumn.
• Hot water: a small point-of-use heater (3 kW) or a feed from your boiler if the distance is short.
• Drainage: connect to the foul drain or install a soakaway pit. Note that greasy waste water should not go straight into the ground — a grease trap may be required.

Electrics and lighting

You need power for lighting, perhaps a fridge, blender or speaker. Have an electrician install a weatherproof circuit with:

• At least two weatherproof sockets (IP65 rated)
• An RCD rated at 30 mA
• LED task lighting above the worktop and ambient lighting around the seating

Run cables underground in ducting. Never rely on an extension lead trailed across the garden.

Storage

Do not underestimate this. Outdoor cooking generates kit: cutlery, plates, chopping boards, oils, spices, firewood, pizza peels, cleaning products. Build enough cabinet space into the frame, preferably with doors that seal tightly against moisture and insects. Stainless steel drawers are ideal: rust-free and smooth-running.

Shelter and roofing

A roof extends the season from May–September to March–November. Options:

• Pergola with retractable shade sail: open feel, protects against sun and light rain. From £1,200.
• Lean-to with glass roof: fully dry, but ensure good ventilation for smoke. From £2,500.
• Louvred roof: aluminium slats you can tilt open or closed. Sleek and functional. From £4,000.

Always ensure adequate ventilation above the cooking area. Trapped smoke stains the ceiling and leaves a persistent smell.

Budget overview

Costs climb quickly once you add plumbing, electrics and a roof. Consider starting small and extending later — a well-designed frame can be built modularly.

Planning permission

In England and Wales, an outdoor kitchen is usually permitted development if it is a single-storey, open-sided structure within your curtilage, does not exceed 2.5 m at the eaves and covers less than 50% of your garden area. Enclosed buildings or structures in conservation areas may need planning permission. Always check with your local authority before work begins.

Winter protection

Your outdoor kitchen lives outside year-round. Protect vulnerable parts before winter:

• Gas bottle: store in a dry, ventilated space
• Kamado: ceramic is frost-proof, but cover against rain
• Worktop: granite and sealed concrete handle frost well; re-seal before the season
• Taps and pipes: drain down before the first hard frost
• Electrics: switch off the circuit if you will not cook for months

Planting around the cooking area

An outdoor kitchen does not have to be a concrete desert. Plant herbs right next to the worktop — rosemary, thyme, basil and chives are daily essentials. Use large pots or a raised herb bed. Climbers such as jasmine or wisteria over the pergola provide shade and scent.

Keep flammable planting at least a metre from the cooking zone. Conifers and dry ornamental grasses are a risk around sparks.

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