Outdoor kitchen masonry in Ventura CA - a solid block base built around your grill
Tired of cooking on a wobbly cart out back? We build a block kitchen on a solid slab, with openings sized to your appliances.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What goes into building an outdoor kitchen in Ventura?
A&B Ventura Concrete and Masonry builds outdoor kitchens in Ventura, CA as a concrete block base set on a reinforced concrete slab, sized around your grill and counters and finished in stone or stucco.
Most people who call about an outdoor kitchen have been cooking out back for years and want something that stays put, with real counter room beside the grill. The price mostly turns on the size and shape of the kitchen, how many appliance openings it needs, whether you face it in stone or stucco and which counter you pick, while the schedule turns on how long the counter takes to make, when the other trades can come and whether the city wants a permit. Your own figure comes in the written estimate, which spells out what I'd build and why.
How do you know it's time for a built-in outdoor kitchen?
Grill cart rusting out
If your rolling grill is rusting at the joints and rocks when you lift the lid, it's usually close to done. Waiting just means buying another cart, when that money could go toward a grill set into a base that stays put.
Nowhere to set anything
When plates, trays and tongs end up on a folding table or the deck rail, you've outgrown the setup. A counter built beside the grill gives you room to prep and serve without running back inside every few minutes.
Older island cracking apart
Cracks in the stucco or stones coming loose on an older island usually mean movement underneath or water getting behind the finish. Left alone, the water keeps working in, and a small fix can turn into stripping the whole face off.
How we build outdoor kitchen masonry
We ask you to pick your grill and other appliances before we lay out any block, because the openings have to match their sizes and a wrong guess means cutting out block later. Then our crew pours a reinforced concrete slab, lays the block on it with the openings where your plan puts them and leaves the walls open so the other trades can run their lines before the finish goes on. After that we face it in stone or stucco, get the top ready for your counter and clean up. I'll also talk with you honestly about the finish and the counter, because not every counter material sold for kitchens is made to live outside, and I'd rather you hear that from me before you order one.
A kitchen out back usually needs a good way to get to it, so we often do walkway construction from the back door to the grill at the same time. If you'd like a low wall behind the counter to close in the cooking area or give you some privacy, our brick wall installation can tie it into the rest of the yard.
Stone veneer over block
This suits you if you want the kitchen to look like it's part of a stone patio or wall, since the stone facing gives it texture and depth. It takes more labor to set, which you'll see on the estimate.
Stucco over block
This suits a clean, simple look that matches a stucco house, because the finish can be colored to blend with your walls. It's also the easier finish to patch if it ever takes a knock.
Straight run or L-shape
A straight run fits a narrow side yard or a spot along a fence, while an L-shape gives you a corner of counter for prep and serving. We size either one around the appliances you've picked.
Get a written plan for your outdoor kitchen
We reply within one business day to set a time, then I come out for a free estimate at your property with no obligation. If you've picked your appliances, have the list ready.
(805) 507-9163- Based in
- Ventura, CA 93001
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–11 PM
What happens when you call about an outdoor kitchen in Ventura?
Here's how an outdoor kitchen job runs, from your first call to the final walk, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send the form
We get back to you and set a time to come look at the yard. If you've already picked a grill, have the brand and model handy so we can talk sizes from the start.
Walk the yard together
I come out myself, look at where the kitchen would sit and answer your questions before I write anything up. This is the time to ask about finishes and counters, and I don't mind explaining twice.
Go over your written estimate
You get a written estimate that says what we'd build and why, so you can see how the size, finish and counter each move the price. Once you're ready, we line up any permits and set a start.
Build, check and walk it
I run the job on site and check the slab, the block and the finish as each one goes in. At the end we walk the finished kitchen together.
Why Ventura homeowners call A&B Ventura Concrete and Masonry for outdoor kitchens
I look at every job myself
I come out to every estimate, and once work starts our crew of experienced masons builds it while I'm on site checking it as it goes. You're talking to the same person from the first look to the final walk.
Licensed for block and stone
We're fully licensed and insured. California's contractor licensing board defines a masonry contractor as one who installs concrete block and natural and manufactured stone, which covers both the base of your kitchen and a stone face on it.
In business since 2021
We've been in business since 2021, and before that I ran a landscaping business where the stone and block work was the part I liked best. So I think about how the kitchen sits in the whole yard, not just the box itself.
On an outdoor kitchen, the openings and the base have to be right before the finish covers them. Tell us about your project and I'll come take a look.
Outdoor kitchens, walls and walkways in Ventura
In Ventura, the city's Building and Safety Division oversees new construction, and its permit list names alterations, additions and new construction without naming outdoor kitchens. That list doesn't settle whether your kitchen needs a permit, so we ask that office before we start, and if one is needed we handle the application and set up the inspections.
The city's fire hazard map marks High and Very High hazard areas, and owners in those zones have to finish clearing brush by June 1 each year. If your house is in one, we'll plan the backyard work around that date so the build and your clearing don't land on top of each other. We're based in Ventura and work in the cities around it, and on jobs here, in Oxnard and in Thousand Oaks, the kitchen usually has to share the yard with a patio, paths and planting, so I lay it out with the whole space in mind.
Questions about outdoor kitchen masonry in Ventura
Is stone or stucco cheaper for an outdoor kitchen in Ventura?
Stucco over the block is usually the more economical finish, and stone veneer is the most popular one. So it comes down to whether the look of stone is worth the extra cost to you, and we can go through both when I'm out at your house.
How long does it take to build an outdoor kitchen?
One pricing guide puts the masonry for a standard L-shaped kitchen at about 7 to 12 working days. Making the countertop adds a lead time of 2 to 3 weeks, plus time to fit in the other trades, so the whole project runs longer than the block work alone and it helps to choose your counter early.
Can I use quartz for an outdoor kitchen countertop?
It's a risky choice, because one maker's limited warranty excludes outdoor use of its quartz and engineered stone and calls them indoor use only. That holds even when the counter is covered, shaded or sealed, so check the warranty on any engineered stone before you order it for outside.
Who oversees construction in Ventura, CA?
The city's Building and Safety Division oversees new construction in Ventura and carries out a range of inspections on building work in the city. It's also the office we check with on whether your kitchen needs a permit.
What goes under stone veneer on an outdoor kitchen?
Metal lath, which is a wire mesh, goes over the block first, then a scratch coat, a rough base layer of mortar, and then each stone is set in mortar. Those layers give the stone something to grip, so it stays on the block instead of working loose.
How do I time the utility lines for an outdoor kitchen?
Utility lines usually go in after the block structure is finished and before the stone veneer goes on, while the walls are up but still open to work in. That gap is when the other trades come in, so ask any contractor you're talking to who schedules them for that window.
Related work around an outdoor kitchen
Walkway construction
A solid path from the back door to the grill means you're not carrying hot trays across wet grass or uneven stepping stones after dark.
Brick wall installation
A low brick wall can frame the cooking area, block the view from next door and give the new kitchen a finished edge in the yard.
Service areas for outdoor kitchen work
A&B Ventura Concrete and Masonry is based in Ventura, CA, and builds outdoor kitchens across the 12 cities listed here, including Camarillo and Ojai. If your city isn't on the list, call and ask.
Ventura, CA
Get your outdoor kitchen laid out right
Call (805) 507-9163 with the brand and model of the grill you want, so we can start talking sizes on that first call.