Outdoor Kitchen Construction
Cooking outside is how the Upstate spends its evenings. Southern Pavers designs and builds custom outdoor kitchens — built-in grills, stone islands, and bar seating — on engineered paver patios made to last through South Carolina's heat, humidity, and rain.
An outdoor kitchen turns a patio into the place everyone ends up. Instead of running back and forth to the indoor stove, you grill, plate, and pour right where your guests are. We've built outdoor kitchens for homeowners across Greenville, Greer, Simpsonville, Spartanburg, and Anderson — from a clean built-in grill island to full setups with counters, a bar, refrigeration, and a sink.
The difference between an outdoor kitchen that lasts and one that sags, cracks, or rusts out comes down to two things: the foundation underneath it and the materials it's built from. We build ours on an engineered paver patio with proper drainage, then frame and clad the island in weather-durable stone chosen for the way Upstate SC summers behave. That's what keeps it looking sharp and cooking strong for the long haul.
What We Build
Stainless built-in gas grills, side burners, and smokers set into a masonry island — no more wheeling a cart around. We frame the cutouts to spec and run the gas safely.
Custom islands clad in natural stone, travertine, or stacked-stone veneer, topped with sealed granite or porcelain counters that handle prep, plating, and serving.
Raised bar tops and overhangs that turn the island into a gathering spot — pull up stools and the cook is never stuck working alone.
Outdoor-rated fridges, ice bins, and plumbed sinks so you're not running inside mid-cookout. We coordinate the water, drain, and electrical lines.
Every kitchen sits on a compacted, well-drained paver patio sized to carry the masonry load — so the island never settles or cracks on our clay soil.
We tie the kitchen into the rest of the yard — patios, fire pits and fire features, pergolas, and seating walls — so it all feels like one designed space.
Materials We Trust
An outdoor kitchen lives through everything our climate throws at it — 90-degree humidity, sudden thunderstorms, pollen season, and long stretches of sun. We build with materials chosen to take it: proven paver lines like Belgard and Tremron for the base, natural travertine and stacked natural stone for the island surround, and sealed granite or porcelain for the counters. Every surface that needs sealing gets sealed.
For appliances, we use outdoor-rated stainless steel built to resist the corrosion that humidity causes, and we design ventilation and clearances correctly around the heat. The result is a kitchen that still looks and cooks like new after years of Upstate summers — not one that mildews, fades, or rusts after a season.
How It Works
Joe meets you on-site to learn how you cook and entertain, measures the space, and talks appliances, layout, and budget. Want a head start? Use our AI visualizer to show us the kitchen you're picturing.
We map out the gas, water, and electrical runs and handle permit coordination with licensed trades — so the gas line, circuits, and any plumbing are inspected and code-compliant. More on outdoor kitchen permits.
We build the engineered paver patio or pad, then frame and clad the island in stone, setting cutouts for every appliance to exact specifications.
We set the grill, burners, fridge, and counters, seal the surfaces, connect and test everything, and clean up — leaving you a kitchen ready to fire up that night.
Upload a photo of your backyard, describe the kitchen you want, and our AI design visualizer shows you a concept of the finished island — stone, counters, layout, and all. It's free, takes a minute, and there's zero pressure.
Remix My Yard — FreeWhere We Build
Proudly serving homeowners throughout the Upstate. Explore our work in your area:
Common Questions
Most outdoor kitchens in the Greenville and Upstate SC area run from around $8,000 for a compact built-in grill island up to $30,000 or more for a full setup with stone counters, a bar, side burners, refrigeration, and a sink. The price depends mostly on the appliances you choose, the size of the build, the surround material, and the utilities that need to be run. After a free on-site visit, Joe gives you a clear written estimate.
Often, yes. The masonry island itself usually doesn't trigger a permit, but the moment you add a gas line, electrical circuits, or a plumbed sink, most jurisdictions in Greenville and Spartanburg counties require permits and licensed trade inspections. We handle that coordination for you and pull what's needed so the build is safe, code-compliant, and won't cause issues at resale.
For our hot, humid, rain-heavy Upstate climate we favor sealed granite and porcelain countertops, which shrug off moisture, UV, and temperature swings without fading or staining. For the island surround, natural stone, travertine, and stacked-stone veneer all hold up beautifully outdoors. We steer homeowners away from materials that absorb water or mildew, and we seal everything that needs it.
Sometimes — it depends on the base. A masonry kitchen is heavy, so we first assess whether your existing patio has the depth, compaction, and footing to carry the load without settling or cracking. If the base is solid we build right on it. If it isn't, we'll either reinforce a section or build a properly engineered paver pad so your investment lasts on our shifting clay soil.
A typical outdoor kitchen takes 1 to 3 weeks once we break ground, depending on size, the patio or pad work underneath, the stone surround, and how many utilities have to be run and inspected. Builds that combine a kitchen with a new patio, pergola, or fire feature take longer. We give you a realistic timeline before we start.
The case for cooking and entertaining outside in the Upstate.
Blending stone, planting, and natural light into the design.
What gas, electrical, and plumbing actually require.
Tell us how you like to cook and entertain, and Joe will personally follow up with a free, no-pressure estimate. Most homeowners hear back within 24 hours.