A modular outdoor kitchen uses ready-made units that you arrange and fix together, so it goes in quickly, can be changed later and can come with you when you move. A custom build, usually block or masonry with a stone or tiled worktop, fits your space exactly and lasts as long as the patio, but takes longer and needs a builder. Whichever route you take, choose the barbecue first, because its cut-out, clearances and ventilation shape everything around it.
The two routes compared
| Modular | Custom build | |
|---|---|---|
| Build time | Days | Weeks, including curing and finishing |
| Fit | Set unit sizes | Exactly to your space and shape |
| Flexibility | Rearrange, add units or take it with you | Permanent |
| Materials | Depends on the system; check it suits the barbecue you are fitting | Block, brick, render, stone or tile |
| Ground | A level, solid patio | A proper foundation |
| Who builds it | Often DIY assembly, with professionals for gas and electrics | A builder or stonemason, plus gas and electrical trades |
| Look | Clean, contemporary lines | Anything from rustic brick to rendered and tiled |
The order that saves money. Barbecue first, then the layout, then the build. Changing a cut-out after the worktop is cut is one of the most expensive mistakes in an outdoor kitchen.
Ways to build an outdoor kitchen
Modular and custom are the two classic routes, but they are not the only ones. These are the main options for a UK garden:
Fastest to a finished look
Modular units
Ready-made cabinets and worktops in set sizes, with a module made to take your built-in barbecue.
Made to measure
Custom masonry
Block or brick to your exact shape, finished in render, stone or tile, with a countertop pizza oven or barbecue set in.
No build at all
Island BBQ
A freestanding outdoor kitchen in one piece, with burners, worktops and cabinets ready to stand.
Charcoal and a real fire
Masonry BBQ centrepiece
A German-made concrete barbecue and outdoor fireplace that becomes the focal point, with a worktop built alongside.
Start with the barbecue
The barbecue sets the rules for everything around it. A BeefEater 1600E 4-burner needs a non-combustible enclosure 880mm wide with its hanging bracket (830mm without) and 604mm deep, with a 40mm gap to the rear wall. A BeefEater Proline 6-burner drops into a 1025 x 502mm cut-out in a non-combustible benchtop at least 600mm deep, with an enclosure vent of at least 700 x 25mm. The 1200, 1500, 1600 and 3000 series need 450mm clearance to combustible materials, and BeefEater's European manual gives 610mm for the 7000. Whatever system or builder you use must meet those requirements; our installation guide lists the cut-outs for every BeefEater built-in we sell.
Plan the zones
An outdoor kitchen works best when it is laid out like an indoor one, in zones that follow the way food moves:
- Prep zone. Worktop for raw food, ideally beside the barbecue and away from the serving side.
- Hot zone. The barbecue, with clear worktop either side and room behind for the hood to open.
- Serving zone. Worktop on the other side for cooked food, plates and sauces.
- Cold zone. A fridge or cooler where guests can help themselves without crossing the cook.
- Wet zone. A sink, if you have water and drainage, near the prep side.
Think about the wind and the house too. Smoke and heat should drift away from doors, windows and seating, and the cook should face the guests rather than a wall.
What else goes in an outdoor kitchen
- Gas storage: a ventilated, reachable compartment for an LPG cylinder, with openings at the top and bottom (BeefEater asks for at least 200cm² each per cylinder), including low down because LPG is heavier than air.
- Cold drinks: an outdoor-rated cooler such as the Lifestyle outdoor electric drinks cooler, a 50 litre mains-powered unit with a 2m UK plug cable. Outdoor sockets should be installed by a registered electrician with RCD protection.
- A second cooking zone: a countertop pizza oven such as the Fontana Mangiafuoco, or a charcoal masonry barbecue.
- Fuel storage: a dry home for logs and charcoal; see our log stores.
- Lighting: low-level lights on the worktop and path make evening cooking safer.
- Shelter: a pergola gives shade and structure, but keep the barbecue's clearances to any timber.
Modular: what to check
- Made for your barbecue. The barbecue module must match the exact cut-out, ventilation and clearance your model needs.
- Materials next to the heat. The units around the barbecue must suit it; for BeefEater built-ins that means a non-combustible enclosure.
- Levelling. Patios slope for drainage. Check whether the units have adjustable feet, or plan to level the base.
- Weather resistance. Ask what the carcass, doors and worktop are made of, and how they handle rain, frost and sun.
- Who connects what. Even a DIY assembly needs a Gas Safe registered engineer for any mains gas and a registered electrician for power.
Custom builds: a few tips
- Build on a solid, level foundation: block, stone and worktops are heavy.
- Use non-combustible materials around the barbecue and keep the manufacturer's clearances.
- Build the opening to the installation sheet, not to a measurement taken off the barbecue, and have the barbecue on site before the worktop is cut.
- Form low vents in the cylinder compartment as you build, and leave access for the gas.
- Expect render to move a little with the seasons. Good preparation and a flexible finish reduce hairline cracks.
- Plan for a cover: a built-in barbecue still needs one in winter.
Building around a charcoal barbecue instead? Our guide to outdoor kitchens built around a masonry BBQ shows how.
Worktops and finishes
The worktop takes the most punishment in an outdoor kitchen: sun, frost, fat, hot pans and rain. Around the barbecue it must be non-combustible.
- Porcelain and sintered stone shrug off stains and heat and do not need sealing, which makes them easy to live with.
- Granite is hard-wearing; seal it as the supplier recommends so fat splashes do not soak in.
- Limestone and other porous stone look beautiful but mark easily near a grill.
- Concrete can be cast to any shape; it needs sealing and can show hairline cracks.
- Tiles should be frost-rated for outdoor use, with a grout that copes with grease.
- A waterfall edge, where the worktop runs down the side of the unit to the ground, gives a sleek finish and protects the end panel from splashes.
Timber cladding and composite panels are fine on the parts of an island well away from the heat, as long as the barbecue's clearances to combustibles are kept. Dark worktops get very hot in summer sun, which is worth knowing if the kitchen faces south.
Where to spend and where to save
Spend on the barbecue head, the non-combustible enclosure and the worktop around it, because those take the heat and are hard to change later. Save on cladding and finishes away from the heat, and on assembly if you are handy. If the budget will not stretch to everything now, build in phases: put in the island and barbecue first, and leave a base and space for a pizza oven or fridge to add next year.
A ready-made alternative
If you want the outdoor kitchen without a build, a freestanding island does a lot of the job. The Lifestyle Bahama Island has five main burners, a sizzle burner, a rotisserie back burner, an ice bucket and cabinets in one 2260mm wide unit. For cooking over wood, the Firepits UK complete outdoor kitchen combines a 70cm fire bowl, a warming oven, a worktop and a log store, 140cm wide, or 216cm with a Dome Oven.
Planning permission and regulations
Planning rules are aimed at buildings and structures in the garden, so the bigger and more enclosed your outdoor kitchen, the more they matter. In England, outbuildings, enclosures and similar structures used with your home usually come under permitted development, which means no planning application, within limits. The Planning Portal sets these out:
- Nothing forward of the wall forming the principal elevation of the house.
- Single storey, with eaves no higher than 2.5 metres and an overall height of no more than 4 metres with a dual-pitched roof, or 3 metres with any other roof.
- No more than 2.5 metres high within 2 metres of a boundary.
- No verandas, balconies or raised platforms, and platforms no higher than 0.3 metres.
- No more than half the land around the original house covered by additions and other buildings.
Check before you build. Listed buildings, flats and maisonettes, and designated land such as conservation areas and National Parks have tighter rules, and some councils remove permitted development rights. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own systems. Ask your local planning authority if in doubt, and remember that mains gas work must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Common questions
Is a modular outdoor kitchen cheaper than a custom build?
Often, once labour is included, because it goes in faster. A custom build can be cheaper in materials but needs a builder and more time.
Do I choose the BBQ or the kitchen first?
The barbecue. Its cut-out, clearances and ventilation set the design of the units around it, so have the installation sheet before anything is built.
What should an outdoor kitchen be built from?
Non-combustible materials around the barbecue, such as block, brick or concrete with a stone, porcelain or tiled worktop, following the barbecue maker's clearances.
Can I put a fridge and sink in an outdoor kitchen?
Yes, with outdoor-rated appliances, RCD-protected power installed by a registered electrician, and a plan for water supply and drainage.
How do modular kitchens cope with a sloping patio?
Patios usually slope slightly for drainage. Some modular units have adjustable feet; otherwise level the base first so the worktop is flat and the barbecue drains properly.
Can I fit a modular outdoor kitchen myself?
Many systems are designed for straightforward assembly, but mains gas connections need a Gas Safe registered engineer and new outdoor power needs a registered electrician.
Do I need planning permission for an outdoor kitchen?
Often not. In England, outbuildings and enclosures used with your home usually come under permitted development, within limits on height, position and coverage. Listed buildings, flats and designated land such as conservation areas have tighter rules, so check with your council if in doubt.
Can I have a pizza oven in an outdoor kitchen?
Yes. A countertop oven such as the Fontana Mangiafuoco sits on a worktop, but it is heavy, so build the base for its weight and keep the flue clear above.
Plan your outdoor kitchen
Start with the barbecue: BeefEater built-ins, island BBQs, masonry barbecues and countertop pizza ovens. Send us your plans and we will help you match the cut-outs.
