Home › Blog › How Much Does an Outdoor Kitchen Cost in Washington?
An outdoor kitchen is the project people dream about longest and price last. Most homeowners have no idea whether they are looking at $10,000 or $100,000.
The honest answer is that both are real. Here is how outdoor kitchen pricing works in Washington, what pushes a project from one end to the other, and where the money is worth spending.
The short version on cost
Outdoor kitchens in Washington fall into three rough tiers.
Grill island, roughly $8,000 to $15,000. A built-in grill set into a masonry island with a countertop and some storage. This is the most common starting point, and it changes how you use a patio more than you would expect.
Mid-range kitchen, roughly $20,000 to $45,000. A longer L or U shaped layout with a grill, side burner or griddle, a sink, an outdoor-rated fridge, more counter space, and a bar ledge for seating.
Full outdoor kitchen, $50,000 to $100,000 and up. Pizza oven or smoker, multiple appliances, a covered structure, lighting, and a dining or lounge area built around it.
Those numbers cover the kitchen itself. If you do not already have a solid patio to put it on, that is a separate line item.
What moves the price
Appliances. The single biggest swing. A good built-in grill can run a few thousand dollars or well past ten. Every appliance you add also adds cutouts, venting, and utility work.
Utilities. Gas, water, and power all have to reach the kitchen. A short run from the house is one price. Trenching across the yard is another. A sink also needs somewhere for the water to go.
Size and layout. Every linear foot of island is block, base, and countertop. An L shape costs more than a straight run, and a U costs more again.
Countertops and finishes. Natural stone, concrete, and porcelain all hold up outside, but they are priced very differently. Veneer stone on the island face adds cost over a block finish.
Cover. A roof or pergola over the kitchen is what makes it usable from October to April here. It is also one of the bigger add-ons.
The patio comes first
An outdoor kitchen is heavy. Masonry, stone counters, and appliances all sit on whatever is underneath, and a kitchen on a weak base will crack and settle.
That is why we build the paver patio and the kitchen as one project whenever we can. The base is excavated and compacted for the load, and the gas and water lines go in before the pavers do. An average paver patio in Washington runs $10,000 to $20,000, and we break that number down in our post on paver patio cost in Washington.
If you already have a patio, we look at what is under it before we put anything on top of it.
Built for Pacific Northwest weather
Our climate is hard on outdoor kitchens. It is not the heat. It is eight months of rain.
Stainless appliances need to be rated for outdoor use, and they need covers. Cabinet doors and drawers should be stainless or another material that will not swell. Countertops need to be sealed and sloped slightly so water runs off instead of sitting. And if you want to cook in November, plan for a cover and good landscape lighting, because it is dark by five.
Where to spend and where to save
Spend on the base, the utilities, and the grill. Those are the parts that are expensive to fix later.
Save by starting with a grill island and planning for more. A good designer will lay out the space so a fridge, sink, or pizza oven can be added in a few years without tearing anything out. Running gas and water lines now, even if they are capped, costs far less than trenching through a finished patio later.
Get a real number for your yard
Every outdoor kitchen is a custom build, so the price depends on your space, your layout, and how you cook. We come out, look at the site and the utilities, and design the kitchen and patio together so you get one clear number.
Request your free design consultation and find out what your outdoor kitchen will actually cost.