BBQ island kits, prefab islands and custom builds compared
Each one leaves different work to you. Here is what a kit, a prefab island and a custom build involve, and which parts are licensed trades of their own.
Big B's Bbq's and Beehives Inc, ROC 153059
A kit is a set of parts assembled in your yard, a prefab island is built elsewhere and set in place, and a custom island is built for your yard. Whichever you choose, the gas line, the electrical and any plumbing are licensed trades of their own, and new gas piping may need a city permit. What fits your yard is settled in a quote: request one below or call 480-807-5499.
One island, three ways to get it
The three differ in who makes the island and where. None of them is the right answer for every yard.
A BBQ island for your yard
A kit
Parts shipped to you and assembled in the yard.
- You or a builder put it together
- Its grill cutout is set by the kit
- It still needs a level, solid base
A prefab island
Built elsewhere and set in place.
- It arrives finished, whole or in sections
- Its size and openings are the model’s
- It still needs its utilities connected
A custom island
Built for your yard and its layout.
- Its size, shape and finish are settled with you
- Its openings fit the grill you choose
- It is the work the license word BBQ’s names
What each leaves to you
These five parts are part of every island, however it is made. Ask any seller or builder which of them is in the price.
| The part | Kit, prefab or custom | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| The base | Every island sits on a level, solid base. Built-in grill makers' installation guides call for a level pad with a proper subgrade under it.Source: a built-in grill maker's installation guide | What to askWho prepares the base, and what it is |
| The grill cutout | A kit or a prefab island has its openings set by its design. A custom island's openings are sized to the grill you choose, from that grill maker's guide.Source: a built-in grill maker's installation guide | What to askWhich grill the island is sized for |
| The gas line | With a kit, a prefab island or a custom build alike, the gas line to the grill is a licensed trade of its own.Source: Arizona Registrar of Contractors | What to askWho runs it, and under which license |
| The electrical | Power for lights, a refrigerator or an outlet on the island is a licensed trade of its own.Source: Arizona Registrar of Contractors | What to askWhether it is included, and who does it |
| The permit | In Phoenix, any new gas piping needs a city permit, a city inspection and a gas clearance. Other towns set their own rules.Source: City of Phoenix | What to askWhether one is needed, and who applies for it |
Who is licensed for what
In Arizona, the Registrar of Contractors says that when a project's whole cost, labor and materials together, is over $1,000 or the work needs a local permit, the person or business doing it must be licensed. Each license names a classification, and some are restricted to named work.
ROC 153059 is a Specialty Dual CR-5 license, restricted by the Registrar to BBQ's and fireplaces, planters and decorative walls. Gas, electrical and plumbing work are classifications of their own.
For the island itself, see BBQ islands; for what moves the price, see what a BBQ island costs.
Questions
Is it cheaper to build your own outdoor kitchen?
Assembling a kit yourself takes the assembly labor out of the price, but the gas line, the electrical and any plumbing are still licensed trades of their own, and a city permit may be needed for new gas piping. What a built island costs against a kit is settled in a quote; the cost guide lists what moves the number.
Which prefab barbecue island is the best?
We rank no product. To compare any prefab island or kit, check what its frame is made of, whether the grill maker allows its built-in grill in that enclosure, and who will connect the gas and the electrical.
How to make an outdoor barbecue island?
Any builder or homeowner faces the same parts: a level, solid base; a noncombustible frame or block core; a cutout sized to the grill maker's guide, with vents and an access opening under the grill; the facing and the countertop; and the gas, the electrical and any plumbing by licensed trades, with a permit where the city requires one.
Sources
- Ariz. Admin. Code R4-9-102 and R4-9-103, the license classifications and their scopes, Legal Information Institute
- Contracting in Arizona? Here's What You Need to Know!, Arizona Registrar of Contractors
- Gas Clearance: Requirements for Existing Structures (TRT/DOC/00930), City of Phoenix
- Summit Built-In gas grill installation guide (noncombustible enclosure, level pad, vents), Weber-Stephen Products
- C2C36 built-in grill installation guide (cutout dimensions per model), Coyote Outdoor Living