Custom Outdoor Kitchens in Charleston, SC

Cooking outside here is a year-round habit, not a summer one — which is why an outdoor kitchen earns its keep in a Lowcountry backyard in a way it wouldn't further north. The trade-off is that the same climate is hard on appliances, cabinetry, and counters, so how the kitchen is built matters as much as how it looks.

We build outdoor kitchens throughout Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Daniel Island, the barrier islands, and the surrounding Lowcountry — from compact grill stations on a Mount Pleasant patio to full kitchens beside a pool.

Grill station. The anchor of most builds — a built-in grill with landing space on either side so you're not balancing platters on the rail.

Countertops and prep space. Enough surface to actually work on, in materials chosen for sun, humidity, and salt exposure.

Storage. Weather-rated cabinetry and drawers so tools, charcoal, and serving pieces live outside with the kitchen.

Refrigeration and sinks. Where utilities allow, these are what stop the constant trips back into the house.

Seating. A bar overhang or island seating keeps guests with the cook instead of across the yard.

Cover extends the life of everything underneath it and makes the kitchen usable in a downpour or through the hottest hours of an afternoon. Most of our kitchens are designed together with the structure above them rather than added later.

Under a pergola you get filtered shade and an open feel. Under a pavilion or cabana you get a solid roof and full rain cover on a freestanding structure. Under a covered patio the kitchen attaches to the house and works as a true extension of the indoor one. Beside the pool, it often becomes part of a pool house.

Heat, humidity, salt air, wind-driven rain, and storm season all take a toll on an outdoor kitchen. Cabinetry, counter surfaces, fasteners, and finishes are chosen for how exposed your particular kitchen will be — a kitchen fully under a pavilion roof can be specified differently than one open on a deck near the water.

Drainage, ventilation, and clearances around heat sources are worked out during design, not on site partway through the build.

A good outdoor kitchen layout starts with traffic. Where do people walk, where does the cook stand, where do guests end up? We plan so the grill isn't in a walkway and the person cooking isn't cut off from everyone else.

From there it's prep space on both sides of the grill, a logical path from fridge to prep to grill to serving, seating that doesn't crowd the heat, and lighting that makes the space work after dark. Proximity to the house matters too — closer means simpler utilities; further out means a proper backyard destination.