An outdoor kitchen is a structure before it is a place to cook. We build the island from concrete block or a metal frame, set on a footing that carries the weight. The face gets finished in stone veneer, stucco or tile. The counter goes on top, cut with openings for the appliances you pick.
We are a family construction company based in Salinas, working across the Monterey Bay area. Most of these kitchens sit on a concrete patio we build in the same job. We lay out the island with you, or we build from your designer's plans. Estimates are free, so call or text (831) 262-9943.
Tell us about the job. We will get right back to you.
The island starts underground. A heavy masonry island stays put only when the ground under it is prepared. We pour a footing and slab sized for the island, and tie in steel. On a paver patio the pavers come up where the island lands, and the field is reset around the footing.
The body goes up in concrete block or a metal frame. Block takes stone veneer or a stucco coat well. The island can then match a wall, a column or an outdoor fireplace in the same yard. Counters run in stone, tile or poured concrete, with an overhang for bar stools.
We build the openings from the specification sheets for the units you buy. A built in grill, a side burner, a refrigerator and access doors each need their own opening and air gap. Those gaps are what keep heat away from the cabinet and the finish.
An outdoor kitchen pulls in more than one trade. A gas line comes off the meter, a circuit feeds the refrigerator, and a sink needs supply and drain. Those runs carry their own permits and inspections, separate from the building permit. We coordinate them with licensed trade contractors under one contract.
On the Monterey Peninsula, a sink can add a water district step. The Monterey Peninsula Water Management District issues a water permit to set a meter or change its size. It also issues one to intensify water use on an existing connection. New outdoor fixtures can fall under that, so we check with the district first.
Who issues the building permit depends on the address. Cities like Monterey and Pacific Grove run their own building divisions. Pebble Beach and Carmel Valley are unincorporated, so they go through Monterey County Housing and Community Development. Aptos goes through the Santa Cruz County Unified Permit Center, so we confirm the rules for your address.
Freezing is rare on this coast. Salt air and moisture are what wear an outdoor kitchen down. Caltrans treats structures within 1,000 feet of the ocean as a marine atmosphere exposure. Inside that line its bridge specification calls for more concrete cover over reinforcing steel.
That standard is written for bridges on this same coastline. Near the water we keep good cover over the footing steel. Hardware goes in stainless or hot dip galvanized. Counters get sealed, and stone, tile and poured concrete each ask for different upkeep.
The season here is long, so the kitchen gets used most of the year. Near the coast the frost free stretch runs about 250 to 350 days. Cool, foggy summers put average July near 62 degrees, and wind is the thing to plan for. We place the island with some shelter, or build a patio cover over it.
Free, no-obligation estimates across Salinas and the Monterey Bay area.
(831) 262-9943From the first call or text to the final walkthrough, here is how it goes.
Call or text (831) 262-9943, or send the form. Tell us what you want built and where it goes.
We come out, measure the area and look at grades, drainage and access. The visit and the estimate are free.
You get the scope, the materials and the price in writing. If the job needs a permit or an engineer, we say so up front and build that into the plan.
Excavation and base first, then forming, steel and the pour. Masonry, carpentry and iron work follow in the order the build needs.
We go over the finished work with you on site. You get plain instructions for sealing, joint sand and keeping iron and wood coated.
Common questions about outdoor kitchens across Salinas and the Monterey Bay area. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.
We build masonry outdoor fireplaces and gas or wood fire pits, set on a footing sized for the weight. Stone veneer or stucco finishes, cut stone caps and seat walls, with free estimates across the Monterey Bay area.
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We build wood pergolas and solid roof patio covers, freestanding or attached to the house. Posts land on poured footings and masonry column bases, and the frame is cut on site.
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We set paver patios, walkways and driveways on excavated, compacted base rock with edge restraint on every open side. We lay tumbled, large-format and permeable concrete pavers, cut and fitted to the shape of the yard.
Learn MoreCSLB license #787101, classification B General Building, current and active. That license has been held since 2000, more than 25 years as a licensed California contractor.
The license carries a contractor's bond, and workers' compensation insurance is on file with the CSLB. You can look up license #787101 at cslb.ca.gov.
Concrete, masonry, carpentry and iron work run under one contract and one schedule. One company answers for the whole outdoor project.
Estimates are free and we do them at the property. We work from Salinas across the Monterey Bay area, within about 45 minutes.
Call or text (831) 262-9943, or send the form with a few details about the project. Photos of the area help, and we will set a time to come out and measure.
Tell us about the job. We will get right back to you.
