Outdoor Kitchen Base and Paver Pad — Block Base for Grill and Counter
The island your grill drops into — a block base on a paver pad, cut for the grill, doors and drawers, ready for a countertop and the lines.
An outdoor kitchen base is a block island built on a paver pad, sized around the grill, a counter and your doors and drawers, with the countertop, gas and electrical by the trades. JMB Builders builds the pad and the base across the Twin Cities metro and north to St. Cloud: compacted class 5, pavers, a block base cored for the grill and utilities. Priced per project, quoted from your photos, reply within one business day.
- Priced per project: pad plus base
- Block base cut around your grill and doors
- Countertop, gas and electrical by the trades
- Quote from photos, reply within one business day
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Send photos and hear back within one business day — or book a free in-home estimate.
An outdoor kitchen is a grill set into a box with a counter on top. The box is block, and the block sits on a pad. Where it goes wrong is the same two places every time: the base is built on lawn or a thin pad and settles so the top cracks, or the openings are cut by eye and the grill does not drop in. We build the island from the grill's spec sheet, on a pad that is compacted for Minnesota frost.
The build: excavate, compact class 5 in lifts, bedding sand, pavers, edge restraint and polymeric sand. Then the island: block stacked plumb and glued in a straight run or an L, openings framed to the grill's cut-out sheet and the door sizes, cores left open for the gas line and the outlet to come up, a flat top course for the counter, and veneer on the faces. A long island or one with a stone top gets a footing below the frost line so it does not settle at one end.
Then the trades. A licensed plumber runs and tests the gas line through the chase we left. A licensed electrician sets the outlet for the fridge or the rotisserie. The countertop shop measures the finished base and sets granite, concrete or porcelain. We build the base flat and square so the top sits without shims and the grill lid clears the counter.
What you supply
- The grill, doors, drawers and any fridge, or the spec sheets for them so the openings are cut to size
- Paver and block or veneer choice from samples; we order and deliver
- The countertop: measured and set by a countertop shop once the base is built
- Gas line by a licensed plumber and any outlet by a licensed electrician, before the top goes on
What JMB supplies
- Layout of the island around the grill's cut-out and clearance sheet
- Excavation, compacted class 5 base, bedding sand, pavers, edge restraint and polymeric sand
- A poured footing under the island where its length or a stone top calls for it
- Block base stacked plumb, glued and cored, with openings framed for the grill, doors and drawers
- Chases left for the gas line and the outlet to come through
- Veneer on the faces and a flat top course ready for the counter
- Non-combustible lining at the grill cut-out where the grill maker calls for it
- Photos of the finished base in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Island length and shape: a straight run vs. an L or a U
- Number of cut-outs: grill, side burner, doors, drawers, fridge
- Veneer choice: block face as is, thin stone, or brick
- Whether the island needs its own footing for a stone top
- Pad size and whether it ties into an existing patio
- Gas line, electrical and the countertop, each by its trade and quoted as their own lines
Send the grill model and the doors you plan to buy, plus a photo of the patio or the spot. We lay the island out from the spec sheets.
How long it takes
Pad: two to four days. Block base and veneer: two to three days. Then the plumber and electrician, then the countertop shop measures and sets the top.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized reply within one business day. Prefer a look in person? A free in-home estimate is always an option.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Straight grill island
One run of block with the grill in the middle, a door below it and counter either side. The simplest layout and the easiest to fit on an existing patio.
L-shaped kitchen with a bar overhang
Grill on one leg, prep counter and a raised bar on the other, with stools on the patio side. The bar overhang is carried by the countertop shop's brackets set into the block.
Grill base on an existing patio
Pavers lifted where the island goes, base compacted or a footing poured, the island built, and the pavers relaid tight to it. Works on any paver patio that is still flat.
Base for a ready-to-assemble island
Some grill makers sell a frame-and-panel island. We build the pad it needs, set it level, and veneer or finish the panels when the kit allows it.
Outdoor Kitchen Base and Paver Pad — Block Base for Grill and Counter: questions, answered
Can you build an outdoor kitchen base for a grill I already bought?
Yes. Send the model number and we pull the cut-out sheet: the opening width, depth and the clearance the maker wants to combustibles. The island is laid out from that sheet so the grill drops in and the doors line up. Buy the doors and drawers before we start so the openings are cut once.
Does an outdoor kitchen island need a footing in Minnesota?
It depends on the weight. A short block base with a tile or laminate top can sit on the paver pad when the base under the pad is compacted in lifts. A long island with a granite or concrete top is heavy on a small footprint and gets a footing below the frost line so it does not settle at one end and crack the top. We tell you which at the estimate.
Who runs the gas line to an outdoor kitchen?
A licensed plumber. We leave a chase up through the block where the grill's gas connection lands, and the plumber runs the line, sets the shutoff and tests it before the countertop goes on. The same goes for a side burner or a gas fire feature on the island.
What countertop works outside in Minnesota?
Granite, concrete and porcelain slab all handle the freeze. The countertop shop measures after the base is built, cuts the grill and sink openings, and sets the top with an overhang for the bar side if there is one. We build the base flat and square so the top sits without shims.
Can you build an outdoor kitchen on an existing patio?
Yes, as long as the patio is still flat. We lift the pavers where the island goes, compact the base or pour a footing, build the island, and relay the pavers tight to it. If the patio has settled, we fix that while it is open.
How big does the paver pad need to be around an outdoor kitchen?
Big enough to open the grill lid without hitting anything, walk behind the cook, and pull out stools at a bar. A grill island wants a clear strip in front of it and a path around the end. We lay it out with you in chalk before the pad is dug so nothing is tight later.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners, builders and dealers. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed October 1, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All pavers pages
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