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Wednesday, November 15, 2006

bbq island made simple step 1: framing


Ever saw these bbq islands in the store or during home and garden shows? Sure liked them a lot, but never quite agreed on the price ($5000-$9000). Was visiting County Fair not a long time ago and saw them again: stainless steel, extra outlets, CD player and .... very low quality materials on the sides. Actually, only top was OK, but still it was tile which breaks easy and not tough enough for NW. So, after walking around several of the islands I've decided to build one myself.

Started with adding extra deck and running conduit before building deck. Good idea to run your low-voltage wiring at this time as well. Frame was done with PT 2'x4' after I've selected BBQ (Vermont Castings), refrigirator, doors and sink.

Tips about selecting BBQ: get one with straight corners all around (it will be easier to frame). Also get to eBay and buy some 10%-20% off coupons for Lowe's or Home Depot. Sure I could get built-in BBQ, but consider this: bbq head itself is around $800, plus side-burner for $400, and then door-kit will be another $400. Instead I've got top quality bbq from Vermont ($649 on sale plus 20% coupon from eBay, total $519) with side burner already.

About SS doors: do not order this kit, even thou any BBQ manufacturer will sell it to you (for $400). Instead go to your local HDepot or Lowe's and look at Weber' bbq on display. Decide which doors are good enough for you (to accomodate your mini-fridge, tools, etc.), write down bbq model and call 1-800 number. Place order for as many left/right doors you need (about $38 each), select sing and faucet, measure your new bbq and start buying PT wood. This is how it looked like after initial framing.

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