DIY Outdoor Kitchen

How to build a backyard DIY outdoor kitchen cooking station for a griddle and smoker.

DIY Outdoor Kitchen Solostove

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The deck project was a long time coming. Fortunately for us we ordered the lumber for our deck rebuild before the prices went out of control. The deck was the bulk of the back breaking build.

Because I receive lots of questions about our outdoor kitchen anytime I share on my Instagram, I wanted to show you how we built it.

If you have considered an outdoor kitchen and are handy with wood and tools, the process photos will help you. Depending on what cooking equipment you own and the size of your space, your measurements will need to adjust for that anyway.

Check out more before and after home decor projects from around our entire home.

Shop cooking station gadgets we own

I will be sharing our thought process on the design, which is very important.

Here was our deck before we did anything new to it. I used blue painters tape to give Ray and idea of my design and how I wanted the new deck to look. I had a vision of cleaner lines without rails. In order to remove the railing we had to lower part of the deck and add the bench.

Deck Before
DIY Outdoor Kitchen new deck idea

Ray bought the griddle for his Father’s Day gift and the smoker we’ve had for quite a few years. Our goal with this build was to take the griddle and smoker off of the rolling carts they came on.

In a quick summary here is what we completed:

  • extend the deck by 5 feet when we rebuilt it
  • add a tin roof over the kitchen area only
  • design the layout of the outdoor kitchen
  • build the cabinets and add countertop
  • stain and seal kitchen
  • lighting

We are not experts!

If you notice the front 2×4 legs for the griddle and the smoker are turned differently. This was something that Ray and I did not notice until he was building the drawers. At that point, we were not willing to tear it apart to correct. I think it may come in handy if I add hooks to hang a spatula or hand towel on

When deciding on our deck rebuild we came up with a plan to extend the deck by almost 5 feet. This allowed us to add the outdoor kitchen while keeping enough hang out area on the deck.

Outdoor kitchen roof

Highly recommend adding the roof before you build your kitchen. This will allow you to have full access to the deck for your ladder and supplies. It will also give you shade when you start building the kitchen.

Ray designed the roof style himself. The goal was to have our outdoor kitchen covered the full length of the deck without having to tie into the roof of our house. We wanted the option to cook outside when it rained.

DIY Outdoor Kitchen Roof support
DIY Outdoor Kitchen building roof
DIY Outdoor Kitchen roof

The tin roof that slants away from the deck. It is higher in the front than the back. This way, any rain water runs off the back. Ray braced the roof against the deck to ensure it was sturdy. He did a great job with the roof and it has worked super well.

DIY Outdoor Kitchen tin roof
DIY Outdoor Kitchen yard view
Deck build side view

One thing about the above photo you will notice the opening. The plan is to add decking wire there. We just have not done it yet.

Kitchen cooking station design

The smoker and griddle both came with rolling carts. We have been using our smoker on that steel cart as long as we have had it. The reason for building the outdoor kitchen was to create a permanent spot for them on our deck.

Before we built the kitchen in we wanted to test how we would use the space. We kept the griddle and smoker on the rolling carts they came with and placed them on the deck how we thought they should go. We cooked on them to see how we would most effectively use the space.

DIY Outdoor Kitchen Blackstone

In my mind I had a different plan for how it was going to work. Entertaining and having guests was my first thought. I wanted the counter surface to be a long consistent area to act as a serving station. This would mean both cook surfaces would go directly beside each other. I realized quickly that was not effective for cooking.

DIY Outdoor Kitchen adding the griddle
DIY Outdoor Kitchen raw build in

When cooking outdoors you need to have utensils, seasonings, and food handy. This meant we needed a counter surface on all sides of the smoker and griddle. This brought us to the evenly spacing the griddle and smoker along the length of our deck.

The smoker is extremely heavy therefore Ray needed to build that box so that it was strong enough to hold it. He used cement backer board that you were use with tile because we had originally just thought we would tile that space. I ended up having a can of heat spray paint on hand and decided to give it a try.  Turned out to be a good idea.

DIY Outdoor Kitchen High heat spray paint
DIY Outdoor Kitchen Primo

I ended up using the same black stain (color slate) that I used on our fence. This is a solid stain and I really like it. Bringing that same color onto the deck tied the backyard together nicely.

DIY Outdoor Kitchen black stain
DIY Outdoor Kitchen station

Butcher block countertops

Butcher block countertops may be questionable for a lot of people, it was for us as well. Using butcher block outside could go bad. But with the affordability we were willing to give it a try. The key to using butcher block outside is going to be sealing it. I made sure to seal three coats of sealer on all sides. Even before we installed the countertops, I sealed the bottom side.

DIY Outdoor Kitchen Griddle

The end away from the house can get water sitting when it rains really hard. But so far I can go out there wipe it, dry it, and it is still holding up after almost a year. No buckling or swelling. I will keep an eye on it and reseal when needed.

Outdoor kitchen lighting and electrical

Here I just wanted to show you where Ray placed the lights and an electrical outlet. He has done electrical his entire life. He has an electrical engineering degree. Teaching others how to do this is out of my expertise but this can at least show you what is possible.

We used one overhead light that was adjustable. Having the cafe lights strung from the back of the roof really helps as well.

Outdoor kitchen light
DIY Outdoor Kitchen and deck
DIY Outdoor Kitchen station

Building this outdoor kitchen has been one of the best things we have done. We cook so many meals out here. It has allowed us to spend more time together while we’re cooking because it’s more fun outdoors.

We always do our projects to fit within our budget and the way we use our home. I hope you can find inspiration in the design we used for our outdoor kitchen.

DIY Outdoor Kitchen backdoor view

Now I’m wondering if these chairs need a couple of outdoor throw pillows?

More wood building projects

16 Comments

  1. Built something similar at my last two homes, I agree the wife and I love to be outside. Very nice work, hate to see people get on here to put their two cents worth in to complain. Appreciate the pics.

  2. How did you attach the covered part to the deck? Did you cement it in the ground or bolt it to the deck frame?

  3. Never had any critters that I can see. They seem to close just like our regular kitchen does. We don’t keep food out there though, only utencils and supplies.

  4. Do the drawers close tight enough to keep small and larger critters out as well as dust?

  5. How do you keep the heat from the griddle from burning the wood countertops ans cabineta

  6. Hi Sonya; I love your outdoor kitchen and I am interested in putting in something similar in our Pool Cabana and the griddle caught my eye in my search. What are the dimensions of the outdoor unit you built (counter space and grill inserts-Height, width, depth). What size Blackstone griddle did purchase? I love the colors you used for the lower shelves…..

  7. Have you thought about a little serving cart on wheels to use like an island at your cooking area? Could be used for prep space, serving area, to be moved as needed.

  8. You really did a great job! Love the way it turned out. Thank you for sharing.

  9. Absolutely love this!!! My question is about the drawers… did you make yourself or were that pre-made and you built to fit??

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