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A few materials are most commonly used when it comes to building a frame for an outdoor kitchen: wood, steel, and concrete or brick. While there’s no best option overall, each material is better suited to different needs. Concrete and brick are typically more customizable than other options, but aren’t as resistant to inclement weather as steel. Wood is the most affordable pick, but it is more susceptible to rot, mildew, and heat than the others.

Yes, you need a hood for an outdoor kitchen. A ventilation hood is required over each cooking appliance, including grills, griddles, and woks. If these cooking surfaces are all in the same area, you can consolidate the hood to one single ventilation unit above the grouping of cooking appliances. A single ventilation hood may require custom fabrication, which may increase the cost compared to mass-produced options.

Whether or not it’s cheaper to build a pizza oven depends largely on what style you opt for and which tools and materials you already have. For example, having a surplus of leftover fire bricks from another DIY project will reduce the amount you need to build a new pizza oven and cut costs to boot. On the flip side, if you don’t have any of the required materials, buying a pre-made option will be cheaper and require far less work to set up—between just $300 and $1,000 for the best versions.

You can choose a few different options for outdoor kitchen sink drainage. You can install a dry well about 10 feet away from your home or patio or install a French drain closer by. You can also drain into your home’s plumbing system, but it is more costly versus using a dry well.