An outdoor barbecue grill has become a standard feature in the residential landscape. I would say nine out of ten projects have at least the outdoor barbecue grill installed. And two or three of those go on to add other “outdoor kitchen” features.
Finding a location for the grill should not be rushed and certainly not put off during the design process as “something we’ll deal with later”. Even if the outdoor barbecue grill is to be postponed, you’ll want to know where it’s going and possibly run a gas line (natural or propane) and an electrical line during the project construction phase.
Things to consider when locating the outdoor barbecue grill:
- Think about proximity to the house kitchen for convenience.
- Think about the heat and smoke from cooking as it might affect nearby things and people. Even the affect of a prevailing wind should be considered. Constant smoke in your guest’s face is not good, no matter how good it smells.
- Make sure the grilling area is out of the “traffic” flow.
- Design some additional space for a few people to socialize with the grill master.
- How about lighting?
- If it’s just the outdoor barbecue grill, is there enough room for a table or counter for staging food and supplies?
If available, know the dimensions of the grill so you can plot out the footprint and other related lines and dimensions.
The Project
If you have a ground level patio, you don’t have to take up valuable space on the patio to accommodate the barbecue. Here we used a 2X3′ piece of bluestone (1.5″ thick) adjacent to the patio as a platform.
We dug down approximately 6″ deep in the area where the barbecue would sit. The remaining earth was compacted with a tamper. 3/8″ crushed stone was then added and also compacted, and the bluestone piece was set level on top.
The area surrounding the bluestone platform was dug down 3″ and filled with decorative gravel to help keep the area and grill clean and dry.
We used bluestone pieces (set vertical) as edging to keep the gravel and mulch areas separated.
Notice the electrical outlet with the weatherproof cover right behind the outdoor barbecue grill – primarily for the rotisserie, you could also energize a small light for cooking after dark.