Outdoor Kitchen Layout
30 m²
An outdoor kitchen plan with grill, counters, sink and a dining/bar area.
Use TemplateDesign an outdoor kitchen (grill, counters, sink, bar and dining) to scale.
to scale
Start by drawing the counter, not the grill. An outdoor run is deeper than an indoor one, 30 in (76 cm) rather than 24 in, because built-in grills and side burners are bulky from front to back. The grill drops into a cutout, and cutouts come in a short list of widths, usually 30, 32 or 36 in. Then there is the part indoor kitchens never deal with: weather. Fall the worktop about 1/8 in per ft (10 mm per m) toward the front so rain runs off instead of standing against the grill flange, and carry the top past the cabinet face by 1 to 1.5 in (25 to 38 mm) so the drips land on the paving rather than the door fronts. Working counter on both sides of the cutout is what makes the run usable, and around a 36 in grill that puts the shortest island that genuinely works at about 6 ft (1.8 m).
A seating bar is the usual reason an outdoor kitchen gets used rather than admired. Pick the height first, because the knee overhang follows from it: a raised bar at 42 in (107 cm) needs 12 in (30 cm) of overhang and a 30 in (76 cm) stool, while a table-height ledge at 30 in needs 18 in (45 cm) of overhang and an ordinary dining chair. A raised bar also screens the working counter and the grill mess from the seated side, which is why it is the common choice outdoors. Each seat needs 24 in (60 cm) of counter width, and if people also walk behind the stools you need 44 in (112 cm) from the counter edge to whatever is behind them, not 36 in. Place the stools at true size in the plan and count the width; a bar that seats four on paper often seats three in reality. Keep the whole bar outside the grill clearance zone so nobody is seated inside it.
A built-in grill throws heat sideways, backwards and upwards. Keep 36 in from unprotected combustible construction to the sides and rear, and never site a grill under a combustible overhang without either a proper hood or the clearance the manufacturer states. If you do fit a hood, mount it 36 to 42 in above the cooking surface and make it wider than the grill by about 6 in on each side, or the smoke rolls out at the ends. Then plan the services. Gas, water, waste and power all have to arrive at a fixed island, so its position is effectively permanent. A sink needs 18 in of landing on one side and 24 in on the other. An enclosed island holding a propane cylinder needs ventilation openings at the bottom, because propane is heavier than air and settles. Mark the island position on the plan early so the trenching is drawn, not improvised.
Draw the slab the kitchen sits on and the house wall behind it, with every door and window in place. The grill position depends on what is combustible behind it and which window the smoke drifts toward.
Draw the island or the L as a real object at 30 in deep, then mark where the grill cutout falls along it. SpacePlanner labels the run length live, so you can see whether the counter either side of the cutout survives before you commit to a shape.
Draw the bar overhang for the height you chose, put stools in at true size 24 in apart, and confirm the route behind them is still 44 in. Keep the cook standing zone off the route between the house door and the dining table.
Measure from the grill to the house wall and to anything overhead. Add the dining table and its chair pull-back so the cook is not standing in the walkway. Switch to 3D to see how the counter reads against the house.
Outdoor kitchen figures come from two sources that rarely appear on the same page. Bar heights, overhangs and stool spacing come from furniture and seating practice. Cutout widths and heat clearances come from the appliance manufacturers, and they vary enough that the numbers below should be treated as planning figures rather than a substitute for the installation sheet. The weather details, the fall across the top and the drip edge, are the ones no indoor kitchen drawing will ever tell you. Draw the run with these dimensions, then check the model you actually buy before the masonry goes up.
| Measure | Imperial | Metric | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raised bar counter height | 42 in | 107 cm | Screens the working counter and the grill from the seated side. |
| Island depth for a built-in grill | 30 in | 76 cm | Deeper than the 24 in of an indoor base cabinet. |
| Built-in grill cutout width | 30, 32 or 36 in | 76, 81 or 91 cm | Confirm against the exact model before building. |
| Fall across an outdoor worktop | 1/8 in per ft | 10 mm per m | Runs rain off the front instead of standing at the grill flange. |
| Shortest workable grill island | 6 ft | 1.8 m | Grill cutout plus working counter on both sides. |
| Sink landing counter | 18 in and 24 in | 45 cm and 60 cm | The wider side is where wet things get stacked. |
| Accessible work counter height | 34 in max | 86 cm max | Usable range is 28 to 34 in (71 to 86 cm) above the paving. |
| Bar knee overhang at 42 in height | 12 in | 30 cm | Uses a 30 in (76 cm) seat height stool. |
| Bar knee overhang at 30 in table height | 18 in | 45 cm | Uses an ordinary dining chair at 18 in (45 cm) seat height. |
| Counter width per seated stool | 24 in | 60 cm | Measured along the bar, elbow to elbow. |
| Route behind seated stools | 44 in | 112 cm | 36 in (90 cm) only lets someone edge past sideways. |
| Grill clearance to combustible construction | 36 in | 91 cm | Sides and rear, unless the maker states otherwise. |
| Vent hood above the cooking surface | 36 to 42 in | 91 to 107 cm | Hood should be 6 in (15 cm) wider each side than the grill. |
| Outdoor refrigerator width | 24 in | 60 cm | A beverage or ice drawer unit is 15 in (38 cm). |
| Toe kick at the base of the run | 4 in high, 3 in deep | 10 cm and 7.5 cm | Lets you stand at the counter without stubbing a toe. |
| Counter overhang at the working front edge | 1 to 1.5 in | 25 to 38 mm | Sheds drips clear of the cabinet face. |
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Add up the parts rather than picking a length. A 36 in grill cutout with working counter on both sides is already about 6 ft (1.8 m). Add a sink with its 18 in and 24 in landings and you are near 10 ft (3 m). A 24 in outdoor refrigerator adds another 2 ft. Draw each element at true size along the run in the planner and the total length reads off the dimension label.
Keep 36 in from unprotected combustible construction to the sides and rear as a planning figure, and treat anything overhead as the bigger risk. Do not build a grill under a wooden overhang or a low pergola beam without a hood or the clearance the manufacturer specifies. Draw the house wall and any roof edge on the plan so the distance is measured rather than assumed.
Point the cook toward the guests, which usually means the counter backs onto the house and the bar faces the yard. That also keeps the gas and water runs short. Draw the doors on the house wall, because a grill positioned in front of a door blocks the one route everyone uses when carrying food.
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