Cooking on a rolling grill at the patio's edge? We plan appliances, block and finish first, so your outdoor kitchen fits the first time.
Outdoor kitchen masonry in El Paso is the base that holds your whole outdoor kitchen. It's concrete block set on a reinforced concrete slab and laid around your grill and other appliances, then faced with stucco or stone veneer, a facing of stone. We're based in El Paso and build these across the city and the cities around it, on both the Texas and New Mexico sides.
Most calls start the same way. You've got the patio and maybe a grill in mind, and you want counter space and a sink so you're not running back inside every five minutes. The price follows the size of the kitchen, the appliances it holds and the finish you choose. The schedule usually leans more on the countertop and the other trades than on the block. Your written estimate puts your own figures down.
A lot of owners tie the kitchen into the rest of the yard, with a walkway out from the back door or a brick wall that matches the base. I ran a landscaping business before I went into masonry full time, so I'll look at how the kitchen sits in the whole yard, not just the spot where the grill goes.
Call (915) 265-1230 or use the form, and tell us which appliances you're looking at and roughly where the kitchen should go. We call you back to set a time that works for you.
I come out myself, stand where the kitchen will go with you and talk through the layout, appliances and finish. You get a written estimate that spells out the block, the finish and what's left for the countertop maker and the other trades.
Our crew lays the block to your appliance sizes, and I check on the work as it goes. The other trades come in at set points along the way, and we tell you what's coming next.
When the finish is on, we walk the whole kitchen with you before we call it done. That's your time to point at any joint or opening and ask about it.
Before we lay out a single block, I'll ask you to pick your grill and anything else going in, like a side burner, sink or fridge. The openings get built to those exact sizes, and building around the wrong numbers means tearing block back out later. Bring the model sheets or store listings, and I'll mark the layout on the ground with you so you can see how it works.
Once the sizes are settled, I walk you through the finish choices, whether that's stucco, stone veneer or brick, and what each one takes to keep up. Ask any builder how the grill will be insulated. One build guide calls for non-combustible insulation, a kind that won't burn, between the firebox and the masonry, and you should get a straight answer on that before the block goes up.
What an outdoor kitchen build covers:
If you've got an older grill island with cracked stucco or loose stone, start by looking at the block underneath. When the block is sound, patching or refacing the finish is usually all it needs, and it's the cheaper road. If you're swapping in a bigger grill, or the openings never fit right, I'd rebuild that section, because cutting and shimming block to force a new appliance in tends to crack the finish again.
The biggest pieces are the length and shape of the run and how many appliances it holds, since every opening is more block to cut, lay and finish. The finish comes next. Stucco over block is the most economical, and a lot of owners put a plainer finish on the back that faces the house and save the stone for the side that faces the yard. That split keeps the look where people actually see it.
I learned brick, block and stone beside a mason who'd spent decades at it, and the habit I kept is explaining a job before we start it. I'd rather you understand your own yard well enough to make a good call, even if you don't hire us. We started this business in 2023, and that hasn't changed.
On your property, our crew keeps the work to the area we're building and cleans up as we go, so your patio is still usable. If something looks off, I'll show you the actual joint or opening and tell you what caused it. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
Have your appliance list and a rough sketch of the layout handy when you call, so we can talk real sizes from the start.
Tell us your appliances and where you want the kitchen. We reply within one business day, and I come out for a free estimate at your home with no pressure to book.
One industry pricing guide puts the masonry for a standard L-shaped outdoor kitchen at about 7 to 12 working days, but the whole project runs longer than that. Countertops usually need 2 to 3 weeks to fabricate, and the other trades have to be scheduled, so plan beyond the block work. We'll sort out the order at the estimate.
No. Clay brick needs no paint or surface treatment, because the color is part of the brick and it holds up. Painted exterior masonry needs repainting every three to five years, so leaving brick bare is the low-upkeep choice.
Building permits in El Paso go in at the city's One Stop Shop, which offers permitting help in one place and is also where you pay for building permits. The city requires a building permit to construct, alter, repair or demolish a building or structure. Before work starts I check which office covers your address, since that changes from one city to the next, and when a permit is needed we handle the paperwork and keep you posted. We're licensed and fully insured.
In Texas, installing LP-gas piping and certain LP-gas appliances takes someone with a Railroad Commission of Texas Category D license or the commission's exemption. A current master or journeyman plumber, or a Class A or Class B air conditioning and refrigeration contractor, can register for that exemption, so ask whoever runs your line which one they hold.
An outdoor sink needs a hot water hookup and a drain to the sewer, and a refrigerator needs electrical lines run to it. One planning guide suggests putting the kitchen near where water and electricity are already available, which keeps those runs short. The lines usually go in after the block is up and before the stone veneer goes on.
Your price comes from a written estimate at your home, because there's no honest number until I've seen the spot, your appliance list and the finish you want. The biggest swings come from the size of the run, the number of openings and the finish, plus how far water and power have to travel. Call (915) 265-1230 and we'll set a time.
We're based in El Paso and also build in Sunland Park and Horizon City, on both sides of the state line. Pick your area below, or call if yours isn't listed.
