Grill on a cart and a bare patio? We build a block island, faced in stone, that fits the appliances you picked.
Outdoor kitchen masonry in Antioch is the slab, block and stone work behind a built-in grill island. It's the part that holds the grill, the countertops and the work space beside it, and we leave it ready for the countertop installer when we're done.
Most people who call already have a patio and are tired of cooking on a grill cart. We pour a slab if there isn't a good one, build the island out of concrete block, face it in stone and leave the top ready for countertops. The masonry has to be right first, because everything else sits on it.
The price moves with the size and shape of the island, how many appliances need openings in the block, the facing you pick and whether we're pouring a new slab. The schedule turns mostly on two things outside the masonry, having your appliances chosen and the countertop shop's wait. Your written estimate gives you the figure for your own island.
An island looks simple from the patio, but a few parts of the build decide whether it holds up and whether the trades after us can do their work without tearing into it.
A block island faced in stone is heavy, so it usually goes on a concrete slab poured for it rather than on pavers or a thin old patio. If your patio is cracked or sinking where the island will sit, I'll tell you, because block laid on a moving base cracks right along with it.
The gas line, power and any water get run into the island after the block is up and before the stone goes on, so the lines sit inside the structure instead of being cut in later. We leave the openings where they belong and plan our work around your plumber and electrician.
A grill with no counter beside it is hard to cook on, so we plan landing space on at least one side for plates and tools, and more if you want a prep area or a side burner. That work space is part of the masonry, so it gets settled at the layout, not after.
From the first call to the final walk-through, you'll see me at every step. Here's how it usually goes for a grill island or a full outdoor kitchen.
Call (925) 503-1025 or send the form with a few lines about your yard and what you want to cook on. Most of the time it's me who gets back to you.
I come out, look at the spot, measure and tell you plainly what I see. Then you get a written estimate that spells out what we'll do and what we won't.
If you go ahead, we take care of any permit the job needs. Then our crew pours, lays the block and puts on the facing, and I'm on site with them while the work gets done.
When it's done, we walk the island with you from top to bottom. Keep the grill maker's manual handy and the vent openings clear, since they're there for a reason.
Before we lay out a single block, I ask for the sizes of your grill and every appliance going in, from the side burner to the fridge. Openings in a masonry island are built, not cut, so if a fridge shows up an inch too wide, something has to be torn out. Getting the sizes first means nothing does.
The island gets built to the installation guide for the grill you chose, not to habit or a drawing from another job. Grill makers differ on materials and vent openings, and their instructions decide how the box goes together. If you haven't bought the grill yet, I'd rather wait for the model than guess.
Most islands connect to more than the patio. If you want a path from the back door so nobody crosses the lawn with a tray of food, our walkway construction work ties in at the same time. A low wall around the cooking area, or a seat wall facing the grill, is part of our brick wall installation work.
Stone veneer is the usual face on a block island, and brick facing is the other common choice. Either one goes on over the block after the utilities are in, so pick the one that suits your house and patio.
One contractor guide calls stucco over the block the most economical finish, and it's a fair pick when the island sits against a stucco house. If it does what you need, I'll tell you so before I'd talk you into stone.
Send the form and you'll hear back within one business day, most of the time from me. I'll set a time to come out, look at your yard and give you a free written estimate at your property, with no pressure to book. If you know your grill model and appliance sizes, add them, since that's where the layout starts.
(925) 503-1025Whether your island needs a building permit is something we check with the city for each job, not something I'll guess at. The city's Engineering Division does issue a separate encroachment permit for any work in the public right-of-way, like a curb cut or a driveway change. When a job needs a permit, we pull it and line up the inspections.
When the city does review a project, a complete site plan shows public easements, how far existing patios and retaining walls sit from the property lines, and the size, location and setbacks of the new work. So I measure where the island will sit against the lot lines early. The State Fire Marshal has also mapped fire hazard zones in Antioch, and it's worth knowing early whether your lot falls in one.
Most islands we see here go off the back of the house, on a patio or right beside one, often with a path back to the kitchen door. We're based in Antioch and do the same work in the cities around it, from Concord and Walnut Creek out to Brentwood and Rio Vista. Not sure we cover your address? Call and ask.
I come out to look at every job myself, and I'm on site with our crew when the work gets done, so the person who wrote your estimate is the one watching the block go up. I started as a helper on a masonry crew, mixing mortar and hauling block long before anyone let me lay a brick, and I've run this business in Antioch since 2023.
We're licensed and insured. I care about work that holds up after we leave, and about telling you the truth, even when the truth is a smaller job than you pictured. We stand behind it with one line, satisfaction guaranteed on every job. When you're ready, call (925) 503-1025 or send the form.
A solid path between the back door and the island keeps food trays off wet grass and gives guests a clear way out to the cooking area.
A brick wall can close in the cooking corner, give people a place to sit near the grill, or match a brick-faced island.
We're in Antioch and build grill islands across the cities around it. These are the cities with their own page on our site, and if yours isn't listed, call and ask.
One contractor guide puts the masonry for a standard L-shaped outdoor kitchen at 7 to 12 working days. Countertops add their own wait, since the same guide says fabrication takes 2 to 3 weeks, plus time to schedule the other trades. Your estimate shows how those pieces line up for your island.
In California, someone without a contractor's license can only take on minor work up to $1,000, and only when the job needs no permit and they hire no one to help. An outdoor kitchen over that amount, or one that needs a permit or a helper, calls for a licensed contractor. Ask anyone you're considering for their license before you sign.
A grill island should be built from noncombustible materials, like concrete block with a masonry facing, and vented the way your grill's maker says. One maker's built-in grill guide calls for a noncombustible island, countertops and work areas beside the grill, with vent openings at the top and bottom in case gas leaks. Follow the installation guide for the grill you pick, and we build to it.
Start with the city's Planning Division, which strongly encourages owners to check development standards early, before submitting plans or starting work. For what a permit application needs, the city's Building Division answers questions at (925) 779-7065 or by email before you apply.
The cost depends on your island, and the written estimate gives you that figure after I've seen the yard. To keep it down, a straight run costs less than an L with corners, fewer built-in appliances mean fewer openings to frame, and a solid existing patio can save a pour.
Pick a rough spot for the island, think about how you'll walk to it from the kitchen, and decide whether you want gas, power or water run out there. Before the crew arrives, clear patio furniture and pots from the work area and keep a path open from the driveway for block and materials.
We're open seven days a week and into the evening, so call (925) 503-1025 whenever you've got a few minutes to talk it through.
