I learned my lesson with Stucco and BBQ's years ago. I was prepping for painting the house and the area behind the BBQ was not solid, the stucco moved in when you pushed on it. Turns out that the heat from the BBQ melted the foam insulation under the stucco. Luckily my neighbor was having some stucco work done and was able get the crew to fix my mistake relatively cheaply. Now I move the grill away from the wall before I use it.
6 Years Later | [Build Thread]
- Thread starter matthewsunshineflorida
- Start date
- Nov 12, 2017
- 12,657
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Wow! I never thought of that. I'll have to keep an eye on that. Though I think I have plywood sheathing directly behind my stucco. That's what I found when I installed a couple of outlets in the same wall my BBQ is up against. How thick is that insulation, typically? I could pretty easily determine the thickness of my exterior wall, and then subtract for 5/8" sheetrock and 3.5" studs. I'm pretty sure I have only fiberglass in the bays, not foam on the walls.
Apologies for this mini-hijack. But to bring it back to the OP's thread... maybe pulling your BBQ away from the wall while using it would have a couple benefits: saving the insulation and minimizing the goo that collects on the wall.
It is about an inch thick. They wrap framing with the insulation than chicken wire before stucco is applied. Here is a pic of our current home. The issue happened on our previous home.
Yes, Apologies for the hijack
Yes, Apologies for the hijack
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- Sep 28, 2018
- 238
- Pool Size
- 13000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
The kitchen/bar was built using only 14ga welded steel with 12" spacing and hydrodefense cement board (fully waterproof rated rather than standard stuff). Then, instead of standard stucco, I used a stucco repair product that is loaded with polymer hardeners sort of like how modified thinsets are made - way too expensive to do a house with but entirely affordable when you're doing a small wall like this. I really think that sucker is going to last forever. See my thread about it here:
https://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/diy-wet-bar-outdoor-kitchen-complete.300699
However, we ended up not incorporating the BBQ into the stucco wall at all and did a separate BBQ area that is nowhere near the house with only a screen behind it - see grill on the right in the first photo for location reference, last photo shows the new stucco wall on the right with the grill straight ahead (need to put sod back in, there's a huge dry well under there for sink and gutter drainage).
I've seen some where people do L shaped kitchens with the grill back facing the pool, but we didn't want to block the pool view or access in any way. The other option was building the grill into this counter top but that would have made it bump out from the flow of the counter by about a foot to clear the screen which would also crowd that area, so we figured having it separate is really just the best use of the space. This way, we have a full counter available for serving and a larger grill area. I also got these really neat plug-in silicone warmers that you put the burgers and sides on so they stay hot indefinitely! Had our daughter's daycare buddies over last weekend and it all worked out perfectly:
I MAY eventually do an extension of the outdoor kitchen to that same corner where the grill is now, with the same steel/granite/cement board and either stucco or stainless back, but we actually really like this BrandMan mini island type thing so far! It has TWELVE wheels so it's easy to wheel to make a temporary L kitchen when it's raining and you want the cover of the roof while grilling.
https://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/diy-wet-bar-outdoor-kitchen-complete.300699
However, we ended up not incorporating the BBQ into the stucco wall at all and did a separate BBQ area that is nowhere near the house with only a screen behind it - see grill on the right in the first photo for location reference, last photo shows the new stucco wall on the right with the grill straight ahead (need to put sod back in, there's a huge dry well under there for sink and gutter drainage).
I've seen some where people do L shaped kitchens with the grill back facing the pool, but we didn't want to block the pool view or access in any way. The other option was building the grill into this counter top but that would have made it bump out from the flow of the counter by about a foot to clear the screen which would also crowd that area, so we figured having it separate is really just the best use of the space. This way, we have a full counter available for serving and a larger grill area. I also got these really neat plug-in silicone warmers that you put the burgers and sides on so they stay hot indefinitely! Had our daughter's daycare buddies over last weekend and it all worked out perfectly:
I MAY eventually do an extension of the outdoor kitchen to that same corner where the grill is now, with the same steel/granite/cement board and either stucco or stainless back, but we actually really like this BrandMan mini island type thing so far! It has TWELVE wheels so it's easy to wheel to make a temporary L kitchen when it's raining and you want the cover of the roof while grilling.
- Nov 12, 2017
- 12,657
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
I think your separate BBQ solution is perfect. When I set up for my big parties, I have to put up two or three foldable tables (I don't have an outdoor kitchen), so you cannot have too much counter space. A BBQ in the middle of the counter would not only cut into all that space, but logistically it doesn't work, especially for a big party. You're standing there working a smokey grill, and everybody else is crowding around trying to get at the cooked meat trays and side dishes? Uh, uh. The BBQ a ways away from where the food is being served is definitely the way to go. And I think you'll really appreciate being able to roll it around into various configurations, or roll it outside for a thorough cleaning. 
Ha, I made a classic mistake at one of my first big parties. My chicken recipe uses a lot of olive oil, and I was basting it on the chicken. Drip, drip, flare up, and then the entire bottom of the grill caught fire. I had forgotten to clean my grill before the party. The grill was full of chicken, and everything under it was on fire. Spraying, closing the lid, nothing worked. I couldn't even get at the chicken. It just had to burn itself out. Meanwhile, the resulting smoke wafted out over the entire party, across where the food and people tables were. Pretty much filled the entire yard for about half an hour. Talk about ambiance! Lesson learned. We didn't get any chicken that year!
Ha, I made a classic mistake at one of my first big parties. My chicken recipe uses a lot of olive oil, and I was basting it on the chicken. Drip, drip, flare up, and then the entire bottom of the grill caught fire. I had forgotten to clean my grill before the party. The grill was full of chicken, and everything under it was on fire. Spraying, closing the lid, nothing worked. I couldn't even get at the chicken. It just had to burn itself out. Meanwhile, the resulting smoke wafted out over the entire party, across where the food and people tables were. Pretty much filled the entire yard for about half an hour. Talk about ambiance! Lesson learned. We didn't get any chicken that year!
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