Custom Outdoor Kitchens in Charleston, SC
Designed & Built In-House
Outdoor Kitchens Built for How You Actually Cook and Host
An outdoor kitchen is usually the heart of an outdoor living space. It’s where everyone ends up. We design and build yours from start to finish with our own team, including the gas lines, electrical, plumbing and permits. You won’t need to hire anyone else, and the kitchen is ready to cook on the day we finish.
Doug and Zach Cramer design every kitchen around how you’ll use it, what you want to spend, and the style of your home, so it looks like it belongs there.
Where Most Kitchens Start, and What People Add
The most common kitchen we build is a straight run with a grill, cabinets underneath and a refrigerator. The first things most homeowners want are a grill, a TV, a fridge, a sink and seating for guests.
From there, the most popular additions are:
- A bar top for guests, usually as a separate island, so people can sit and talk with whoever is cooking
- A flat-top griddle for breakfasts and big crowds
- A sink for prep and cleanup
- A pizza oven
- A built-in trash can, which we only recommend if you’ll keep it clean, because it can attract rats
We almost always build a structure overhead, whether a pergola or a pavilion, so the kitchen is protected and usable in any weather.
Start With Where the Cook Stands
Before appliances, before finishes, settle where the person cooking will be standing and where everyone else will be. A kitchen that puts the cook in a corner with their back to the party gets used less, no matter what is in it.
A bar top keeps people out of the cook’s way and is the difference between a kitchen people gather at and one they watch from a distance. And leave room to work: give the cook at least 2 to 3 feet of counter beside the grill.
Materials That Last on the Coast
Granite countertops with stainless steel cabinets are our go-to. They handle salt air, humidity and summer sun, and they’re a good value.
- Wood cabinets give a warmer, rustic look. We’ve built several and they’ve turned out great.
- Concrete countertops are a solid lower-cost option.
- Microcement and specialized lime plasters are the option to ask about if you want a smooth, modern surface rather than a textured stucco. They go over the cabinet structure as a finish, and they work on an outdoor fireplace too — so the kitchen and the fireplace can read as one piece of work instead of two.
For appliances, we usually install Blaze, but you’re welcome to pick out your own. Appliances tend to be the biggest part of a kitchen’s cost, and we don’t add any markup to them.
The Details That Matter Later
A range hood over the grill. When a grill sits under a porch, pergola or pavilion roof, the smoke and grease rise and collect on the ceiling. Over time that means a lot of cleaning, and it can damage the paint. We recommend a range hood whenever the grill is under a roof.
If a hood doesn’t fit the budget, running the ceiling fan and adding a second fan to push the smoke out works well. That’s what we did on the pergola kitchen in Summerville.
Lighting where you cook. Good lighting over the grill and the bar top means the kitchen works just as well after dark.
The cook needs light aimed at the grill and the counter. Anything bright and overhead in the seating area does the opposite of what you want in the evening.
More outlets than you think. They are almost free at rough-in and a real job to add afterwards.
The TV out of the sun. Put it where it is not fighting the sun and where it is genuinely under cover. A screen facing west is unwatchable exactly when people are out there.
Drain the sink to a dry well. It is usually the easiest and cheapest way to handle the water.
Landscape lighting around the space runs about $200 a light plus a transformer, and it is what makes the area usable after dark rather than just lit.
Run the Utilities Before Anything Is Poured
Gas, water and electrical all have to reach the kitchen, and the cheap moment to run them is before the patio goes down and the structure goes up. If a pergola or pavilion is going up, that is the moment to run them, and our own crews handle the gas, electrical and plumbing along with the permits.
If a kitchen is even a possibility later, run the gas and water sleeves now. An empty sleeve under a new patio costs very little; getting one under an existing patio means cutting it up.
A Three-Station Kitchen Built for Entertaining
One of our favorite kitchens wraps around in a U shape with three separate stations:
- A grill with its own range hood, plus a Big Green Egg
- Two refrigerators, one with slide-out drawers, a sink and plenty of cabinet storage
- A bar-top seating station with a sapele wood foot rail
- Custom light fixtures hung over one of the work stations and over the bar top
Most kitchens don’t need all of that, but it shows how a kitchen can be designed around the way a family likes to entertain.
What an Outdoor Kitchen Typically Costs
| Outdoor kitchen | $8,000 – $20,000+ |
|---|---|
| Pergola overhead | $6,000 – $30,000 |
| Pavilion overhead | $30,000 – $90,000+ |
| Patio underneath | from $18 per sq ft |
Appliances have the biggest effect on the price, and we don’t mark them up. Size, countertop and cabinet materials, and how far the gas, electrical and plumbing need to run also play a part. You’ll get an exact quote once the design is set.
How We Build Yours
- Consultation at your home, usually within a week of your call, and free around Charleston, Mount Pleasant and Summerville. We talk about how you cook and host and what budget you’re comfortable with.
- Budget within about a week.
- Design: drawings, with optional 3D renderings for an additional cost. This takes 1 to 4 weeks depending on complexity. We match the kitchen to your home’s architecture.
- Final quote and permits. Structures need a permit, which takes about 4 to 6 weeks.
- Build. A simple kitchen and pergola takes one to three weeks, and a pavilion 6 to 8 weeks. Gas, electrical and plumbing are all done by our own team.
Kitchens pair naturally with paver patios, fireplaces, fire pits and landscape lighting. We serve Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Summerville, West Ashley, Johns Island, James Island and the surrounding Lowcountry.
Projects We’ve Built
Real jobs, with the story of how each one came together.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does an outdoor kitchen cost?
Most of our outdoor kitchens fall between $8,000 and $20,000+. Appliances are usually the biggest part of the cost, and we don’t add any markup to them. A pergola or pavilion over the kitchen is priced separately.
Can I supply my own grill and appliances?
Yes. We usually install Blaze appliances, but you’re welcome to choose and supply your own.
Can the kitchen be finished in something other than stucco?
Yes. Alongside stone, brick, stucco, shiplap and wood we offer microcement and specialized lime plasters, which give a smooth, modern surface instead of a textured one. They work on an outdoor fireplace as well, so if you want the kitchen and the fireplace to match, that is the way to get them reading as one build.
Do you run the gas, electrical and plumbing?
Yes, all in-house, along with the permits. Your kitchen is ready to cook on the day we finish, with no second contractor to hire.
How long does it take to build?
A simple kitchen with a pergola is built in one to three weeks. If there’s a structure that needs a permit, allow about 4 to 6 weeks for permitting first. Pavilions take 6 to 8 weeks to build.
Is the consultation free?
Yes, anywhere in our main service area around Charleston, Mount Pleasant and Summerville. For Kiawah, Seabrook, Wadmalaw and Awendaw, or anywhere else more than an hour from Charleston or Summerville, there’s a charge for the proposal trip. It comes off the price if you go ahead with the build, and it is not refundable if you do not.
Do I need a roof over my outdoor kitchen?
We almost always build one. A pergola or pavilion protects the kitchen, gives you shade and a place for fans, lights and a TV, and makes the space usable in the rain.
Should I add a trash can to the cabinets?
Only if you’ll keep it clean. A built-in trash can is convenient, but a dirty one attracts rats, so we talk it through before adding one.
How much counter space does an outdoor kitchen need?
At least 2 to 3 feet of working space beside the grill.
Where does an outdoor kitchen sink drain?
Usually to a dry well, which is the easiest and cheapest option.
Plan Your Outdoor Kitchen
Tell us how you like to cook and host, and we’ll come out to look at the space, usually within a week.