DIY Outdoor kitchen, Cypress, TX

[CCisotope]

Hubby decided to build an Outdoor kitchen himself instead of contracting it out. He's been working hard and making great progress. Cabinets are oak with a cherry oak stain and water sealer. The bottom will be stucco-he is using something called tuff stuff which I understand to be a premixed stucco and there's no need for a mesh backer. The counters along with the raised eating area will be marble tile.





Stained cabinets and rest of Hardibacker board;


Back of the kitchen facing the pool:


Bar height eating area with kick plate at the bottom-(plan to cover the kick plate with the scrape pieces of travetine coping from our pool build)


Marble tile for counter and eating area:


Access to plumbing, gas, electric and drain:


Stub out for plumbing, gas, electric and drain;


This has been his little project and I have tried to keep my input to a minimum but I had a question about the gas hook up-for the Houston area do most people do the gas hook up themselves or do you call some one out? Can one do the gas hook up themselves or is it required that you have someone come out and do it. When we had our pool built no one came out to inspect the gas, plumbing or electrical work so I am not sure how things are done in the Houston area. Hubby plans on doing the gas hook up himself....but I would feel better if someone came out and did it. And what are the people that hook up the gas for outdoor kitchens called? Do I look up "gas people" in the phone book?

 

[BoDarville]

Lookin' real good so far. Can't wait to see it all when it's finished.

 

[Dchambers25]

This has been his little project and I have tried to keep my input to a minimum but I had a question about the gas hook up-for the Houston area do most people do the gas hook up themselves or do you call some one out? Can one do the gas hook up themselves or is it required that you have someone come out and do it. When we had our pool built no one came out to inspect the gas, plumbing or electrical work so I am not sure how things are done in the Houston area. Hubby plans on doing the gas hook up himself....but I would feel better if someone came out and did it. And what are the people that hook up the gas for outdoor kitchens called? Do I look up "gas people" in the phone book?

Looks good! The detail is really showing through.


Did you guys obtain a permit to build the pool? If so, inspections should have been done at regular intervals, at least that's how they do it here in CA. A plumber would be able to hook up the gas for you. I am assuming a plumber did the rough in supply line.

 

[CCisotope]

No permits were needed, we just submitted plans to our local HOA. We moved to Houston from the East Coast where permits and township inspections were needed and done for all electrical work, some gas line work and some plumbing. I am not sure what is normally done in the Houston area and I know there are a lot of folks on this forum from the Houston area that might be able to add some insight.

It seems most pools that are built in this area don't need permits and they aren't inspected...and I noticed the same with electrical work. This is why I ask about the gas hook up for our area.

Thanks for the info on who to call, hubby won't tell me who I should call and insists he can do it all himself. I am sure hubby is capable but with the gas and electric lines being so close...I want to make some calls just to be safe.

 

[whesser]

Hi -

I currently have a post re tile counter tops and it looks like you have a wood frame (2x4's ?) on counter/bar areas covered with cement board ? I have built my steel L - modules ... grill module and long L to be of equal height with raised bar attached to longer L. (island not covered from elements with anything yet). It appears that what I am seeing with tile is that it needs to have OSB or other solid base under my Durock ... would you agree ? I didn't think of that as I wanted to keep the two L's level and not use wood on the grill side. If this makes sense ... what are your thoughts ?

Thanks!
Wayne H

 

[36racin]

He's done a excellent job so far. That's what DIY is all about. If he as ran the gas lines, capped off both ends and pressure tested the line to make sure there is no pressure drop you will be ok. The hard work is done at this point. The lines are already ran.

Todd

 

[CCisotope]

Hi -

I currently have a post re tile counter tops and it looks like you have a wood frame (2x4's ?) on counter/bar areas covered with cement board ? I have built my steel L - modules ... grill module and long L to be of equal height with raised bar attached to longer L. (island not covered from elements with anything yet). It appears that what I am seeing with tile is that it needs to have OSB or other solid base under my Durock ... would you agree ? I didn't think of that as I wanted to keep the two L's level and not use wood on the grill side. If this makes sense ... what are your thoughts ?

Thanks!
Wayne H

Hi Wayne, not sure I can give you any advice as this is my husbands project and he is the expert. He did build a frame out of 2x4 for our raised eating area. Our eating area is 93"x44" with an over hang of about 12 inches (I think). The wood frame gives it more support- which I think is needed. If an adult should lean on the edge or a little kid is hanginging form the edge it just a bit sturdier.

He built a raised backsplash near the cooking area and then topped this with a mini-ledge. The mini-ledge is basically two 2x4's that he screwed together and then covered with the metal studs. It worked out perfectly because the wood studs fit directly into the metal stud space. Then he covered it with the backer board. It's wide enough for someone to place their drinks on or lean on comfortably. We will be covering the top and edge with marble tile and the backsplash area will have the same blue glass tile that was used on our pool build. I understand your concern about keep things level, if you do use the wood studs just make sure the wood studs are level too. We ended up using the premium wood and examined every stud to make sure it was level.

I was a little worried about the wood near the grill and just the use of wood in general due to rot and fire hazard. He's been reading a BBQ forum and looking at videos and seen other builders do the same. Once it's all covered with tile it won't be exposed and protected more.

Others may be able to offer more insight too.

 

[CCisotope]

He's done a excellent job so far. That's what DIY is all about. If he as ran the gas lines, capped off both ends and pressure tested the line to make sure there is no pressure drop you will be ok. The hard work is done at this point. The lines are already ran.

Todd

Hi Todd, I should of clarified a bit more in my post earlier.

The gas lines are run and functional it's the same line that feeds our pool and spa. So my concern is the following, he now needs to run lines from the stubbed out gas line and then also form a T-line( one line to fuel the grill and the other line to fuel the side burner). He says he can do this himself and reading/watching how it is done...so my question is, do most people DIY this part or do you need to call someone out? Any safety concerns I should be aware of too?

I don't think he will listen to me without some convincing and facts from an expert. When picking out the hardware for the electrical outlets he said the blue boxes were okay, I told him the metal ones will probably be better for outdoor use. We ended up getting the blue ones. The electrician that came out to give me a quote for the electrical run, said we needed the gray ones . The hubby went back to Lowes and got the gray metal ones. . He plans on connecting the wires to the outlets himself after the electrician runs the lines to the kitchen.

Also here's a link to the TUFF II mix he will be using for the bottom: http://t.homedepot.com/p/STYRO-Indu...rey-Tuff-II-Foundation-Coating-TTFG/203009638

Anyone us this and have any feedback?

 

[Vegas Kid]

Hey CC,

Gas hook up can be done without permitting in our area, but I'd suggest getting a plumber if you have any concerns with it. If you have new builds in the area, just talk to one of the plumbers, maybe offer $20 and they'll do it for you.

If you're running off the same line as the heater / fireplace you're going to need a regulator somewhere along the line. I'll take some pics of our setup later today and post it for you. We have a similar setup with a main grill and a side burner.

FYI, all the gray boxes at the big box stores will work for outdoor installations. Just look for bjox's with gaskets to prevent water ingress.
Personally I like the metal outlets with the spring loaded covers.

Also, you may want to put a gas shutoff valve close to your grill. Additionally, you may want to verify if there is any min distance between your gas and electrical stubout. Seems very close to me...

 

[whesser]

Hi - how did you post all of your pics at once?

I am trying to document mine and post pics but it only allowed me to attach 2 pics ??
Thanks!

 

[36racin]

Hi - how did you post all of your pics at once?

I am trying to document mine and post pics but it only allowed me to attach 2 pics ??
Thanks!

Use Photobucket to download your pictures. You can copy as many pictures into the post as you want