Outdoor kitchens on a budget

Climate appropriate

Cost: $8,000 ($) (materials only)

Location: Denver

This Denver home incorporates a kitchen island with a built-in grill.

This tandem design is a popular option for people who may not have the budget or desire for a full-scale kitchen and for those who live in colder climates, says Wendy Booth, owner of Ivy Street Design, which designed this yard. Outdoor plumbing for a sink can be expensive, and in cold climates, you must drain the water in the winter.

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Working with what you've got

Cost: $8,200 ($)

Location: Woodinville, Wash.

Completed in 2011, this backyard kitchen started with the basics and turned into something special. Environmental Construction Inc.  of Seattle built the space around the owner's existing grill.

"We designed and built the cabinetry with (a) granite countertop and 'bus stop' style, cantilevered roof," says Tom Barrett, the company's president. "These had to be integrated into the existing railing on a second-story deck, with the roof worked around the existing roof from the home."

The key to sticking to a budget is making smart decisions, Barrett says. Owners also should consider their climate — and what it may require.

With the Pacific Northwest's rainy weather, "outdoor kitchens cost as much as indoor kitchens or more because we need to add the roof structures in addition to the appliances," Barrett says.

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Design your own

Cost: $9,500 ($)

Location: Charlotte, N.C.

Tom Coogan of Coogan Landscape Design, in Pineville, N.C., says the key to building an outdoor kitchen is taking the basics and adding a bit to make it your own.

"It's just a grill and a bar for socializing," Coogan says. But size doesn't matter, so long as you're enjoying the space. "I remember, as a little boy, helping out my dad with building out the backyard with concrete block," he says. "For less than $100 in the '60s, we had our first outdoor living."

For as little as $3,000 today, Coogan says, people can design and build a kitchen using modular elements. These can help the budget-minded choose what they want, including a grill, sink, bar and warming drawers, and add cultured stone or stucco, Coogan says.

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Leaving it to professionals

Cost: $10,000 ($/$$)

Location: Jacksonville, Fla.

If you're going beyond simply wheeling a grill out to the patio, it may pay to consider a professional to complete the project. "It looks simple, but it's complex," says Mark Allen, president of Outdoor Kitchens by Design Inc., which designed and built this kitchen for a homeowner in Jacksonville, Fla.

Some people have tried to build outdoor countertops with wood, which can pose a fire hazard with a grill and can lead to mildew, mold and wet areas. This kitchen bar has steel framing, HardieBacker cement board — the same material used in showers — and stucco, plus a travertine bar and glass backsplash.

Find a contractor and information about building an outdoor kitchen on the National Outdoor Kitchen and Fireplace Association's website. 

"If you build a good-quality outdoor kitchen, you get every bit of your money back when you sell your home," Allen says.

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Snazzy look in smaller space

Cost: $15,000 ($$)

Location: Orange Park, Fla.

The owner of this home designed her kitchen to fit as much as possible into a tight space. Amenities include a kegerator, television, side burner, refrigerator, bar cooler and a $2,500, 30-inch, built-in grill from DCS Dynamic Cooking Systems.

Prices for grills such as this can vary. A 30-inch built-in grill from American Outdoor runs about $1,679, or you can go high-end with a $3,500 Lynx grill. Because this kitchen was built under an existing covered porch, the grill also required a high-powered overhead hood to suck up any smoke. "The bar makes it beautiful, but the hood makes it usable," Allen says.

The use of stucco and travertine also brought down the cost, compared with more expensive materials.

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Kit and kaboodle

Cost: $20,000 ($$/$$$)

Location: Covington, La.

Sometimes, custom outdoor kitchens are not in the budget. The owners of this home used prefabricated kits from Belgard Hardscapes, an Atlanta paving company, and had a contractor install them.

The yard incorporates a Belgard paver patio, a dining area, an L-shaped cabana bar, a grill bar, a fire pit and a pizza oven.

There's one big advantage to factory-built kitchens, says Rick Warda, a vice president at outdoor-living retailer Woodland Direct: "You can spend $10,000 on a kitchen and take it (with you) to another house."

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Outdoor 'man cave'

Cost: $26,000 ($$$)

Location: Ringgold, Ga.

Homeowners Karen and Rod Callahan wanted a cozy place to watch college football, visit with friends and enjoy their grandchildren — but they wanted to get outside. The result: a backyard patio with a cozy fireplace, rock wall, big-screen television and a stone bar with a grill and stovetop, as well as a sink and refrigerator.

The covered patio offers an escape from the heat, and the fireplace offers warmth in the cold. "It has become my husband's man cave," Karen Callahan says.

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Poolside party time

Cost: $50,000 ($$$)

Location: Orange County, Calif.

Homeowner Gary Wilson is a "foodie" who wanted the outdoors to be a place for entertaining and parties.

A contractor transformed his poolside yard from a simple glass-block bar with a mini-fridge to a fully equipped kitchen. It now features a stone bar to match the pool, a kegerator, two sinks, a stovetop, a traditional grill and a $4,000 Evo grill, which is much like a cast-iron skillet.

Wilson uses the Evo grill to make pancakes, scrambled eggs and steak-and-shrimp tacos for 14 to 20 people.

"People are helping and participating, and it becomes part of the event," says Wilson, adding that he cooks breakfast, lunch and dinner outside.

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Decorative and durable

Cost: $50,000 ($$$)

Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.

This Mediterranean-style outdoor kitchen leaves out nothing. The kitchen includes sandstone countertops, a beer tap, a $2,000 Cal Flame grill and a lighted backsplash. The adjacent sitting area includes a pergola, a wood-burning Isokern fireplace and a TV.

The unpredictable Midwestern weather guided most feature choices, including the $3,000 SunBrite television. "You can literally spray it with a hose," Allen says.

The countertops use travertine tile, but Allen says he recommends that homeowners in colder climates use solid stone countertops. That can be more expensive — $125 per square foot, compared with $50 per square foot for travertine tile — but tile's grout can crack in extreme weather.

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Growing and growing

Cost: $120,000 ($$$)

Location: Burlingame, Calif.

Sometimes, you can't have everything you want at once.

In 2008, this homeowner hired Unlimited Outdoor Kitchen in San Jose, Calif., to design an expansive outdoor room in phases. The couple started out with a $13,000 project, which included a small countertop bar and an $8,000 Lynx grill.

Over the years, the size of the kitchen grew to include more counter space, a wine bar, two refrigerators, an icemaker, a dishwasher, drawers, side burners, a sink and a pizza oven. Altogether, the construction has cost $120,000.

Next on the agenda: Adding two pergolas and an outdoor fireplace.

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