BBQ Island Build - 99% Complete

Jump to latest Follow Reply
M

mweisz

0
Oct 21, 2013
23
Northern California
Hello,

This is my first post in the forum. Since I gained knowledge from this forum on a variety of topics. I thought I should pass along any lessons I learned with our DIY custom BBQ Island. I will try to answer any questions that other DIYs might have on the process I faced from beginning to end. I took a ton of photos, but for now I'll show just a couple of progress shots. If later, a photo helps to answer a question, I can add more photos at that time.

It's an "L"-shaped island (7.5ft x 10ft) with granite countertops and stone veneer. Since we poured a new concrete patio, we ran the electrical & natural gas to the island. No more propane bottles to refill! I pulled the permits with the city ($90) and had it all inspected & signed off. I framed it with metal studs and faced it with wonderboard. The granite & stone veneer was hired out to professionals. The last step is the backsplash which I'm installing this weekend.

For full disclosure, I'm not professional carpenter or a skilled craftsman. I'm just a regular weekend warrior willing to try something new.

Thank you,
Mark

(Sorry about the photos being out of sequence. You'll figure it out.)

Here's a link to the photobucket site: http://s1282.photobucket.com/user/mweisz1/library/
 
Last edited:
Vegas Kid,

That's a good question. I'm guessing I saved $1,500-$2,000 on the labor by doing it myself. I did all of the design, material runs, framing, cement board and the 12V & 110V wiring.

By doing it yourself, the change orders to the project don't hurt the wallet as if you had a contractor standing in your backyard waiting on you to make a decision.

Mark
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
DaSarge said:
I would really like to know your plans/diagrams of your project. It is amazing and it is exactly what I am looking to do in my backyard
Click to expand...

DaSarge,

We did hire a landscape architect to help us some general layout concepts and with plants. Other than that we picked all of the materials and colors from the stamped concrete to the stone veneer. We spent a lot of time researching on the internet and going to home shows to get ideas.

Is there an item of particular interest that I can expand on?

Mark
 
That is VERY slick! Beautiful outdoor spot.

And now I have a ton of questions :) :
-what kind of steel stud did you use? Where did you buy it?
-Was a chop saw enough to cut all the pieces for the frame?
-What fasteners did you use to hold it all together?

Thanks!
 
caliking said:
That is VERY slick! Beautiful outdoor spot.

And now I have a ton of questions :) :
-what kind of steel stud did you use? Where did you buy it?
-Was a chop saw enough to cut all the pieces for the frame?
-What fasteners did you use to hold it all together?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Caliking,

The studs were 25 gauge steel studs from Home Depot. I pre-cut the studs on a steel band saw since it would be much quieter than a chop saw. I used screws from Hope Depot as well. The screws were Teks #8 x 3/4 in. Zinc Plated Steel Truss-Head Phillips Self Drilling Sharp Point Screws. Keep in mind that you will need some vise-grips when running the screws into the studs.

Mark
 
Hi -

Your ODK looks fantastic. I just posted today for 1st time and you are similar to me as far as "skill set". Yours is similar to what I want to do except I am on tight budget. Specific questions (included in my post -- if you want to tackle any other questions - please feel free.

Did you use any supports for the raised bar countertop - hidden or otherwise?? It looks like 12" ?? I am definitely not an electrician (but my brother has skills :) ... how many outlets do you have or recommend and did you run wiring under patio or above using conduit ?? How long to get permit and did they require detailed drawings??

Thanks so much!!
 
Re: BBQ Island Build - Complete

whesser said:
Hi -

Your ODK looks fantastic. I just posted today for 1st time and you are similar to me as far as "skill set". Yours is similar to what I want to do except I am on tight budget. Specific questions (included in my post -- if you want to tackle any other questions - please feel free.

Did you use any supports for the raised bar countertop - hidden or otherwise?? It looks like 12" ?? I am definitely not an electrician (but my brother has skills :) ... how many outlets do you have or recommend and did you run wiring under patio or above using conduit ?? How long to get permit and did they require detailed drawings??

Thanks so much!!
Click to expand...

whesser,

Yes, I used 4 brackets to the support the granite countertop. The granite is 3cm thick x 20" deep x 9.5ft long. The countertop overhangs about 13" or so. The supports are screwed into the studs.

All gas & wiring was run in a 24" deep trench (per my city's code) from the gas meter & electrical service panel, so my wiring comes under the island. The permit was easy to get with a very basic hand drawn sketch of the proposed layout of the wiring and I had to list the number of 110V GFCI outlets on that sketch. I have 2 outlets built into the island's backsplash and 2 outlets inside of the island where I have a storage space. The second photo shows the stainless steel door to access this storage space. I forgot that I had another outlet on the wall as well (the white box next to the right of the access door). Overall, I have 5 outlets on 2 circuits at the BBQ Island.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Mark
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply