Creating a Grill Caddy for Your Portable Grill: Part 1

Have you ever wanted one of those beautiful outdoor kitchens you see on TV? It’s probably unaffordable to the average working class individual. If you already own a portable gas grill, you can create your own caddy island for your existing gas grill! With a weekends worth of work and a few bucks you can have the look of a $1000 outdoor kitchen for 90% less money. If you have a little skill and imagination, you can easily do this project with a little advice from this simple tutorial.

Step 1: Choosing your needs

What you want and what you need are two very different things. You may want a sink but is it something you really need? The price for those extras does add up. A sink will require digging a trench to a water supply, adding water lines, tying into a water supply line, adding valves and the sink itself. You also need to consider do you have the space for extras. A sink may be nice for washing up, but do you have the space for an extra burner?

Another important factor is climate conditions. Do you live in a windy area? You may need to build a windbreak to prevent your chicken from being blown into the dirt. Is your grill going to be exposed to the sun, wind, or rain? You might want some of that space to hold an umbrella or canopy. Always factor in the weather when drawing up your blueprints.

2. Choosing a budget.

A budget can easily be over done when you’re looking at extras at your local home improvement center. The choices are infinite when selecting extras for your grill caddy. Set up a budget before you draw up any plans or blueprints. Stick to your budget! Factor in all the costs of tools you may need, materials, and labor. Labor is a difficult thing to price. Just remember, can you do it yourself or will it be quicker and easier to hire someone to build a slab or patio? Digging a trench may be easy enough, but can you install plumbing? Factor in all costs as best as possible and choose the best alternative for your capabilities.

3. Materials.

The list of materials for the exterior of your caddy are endless as the list of materials for your counter top are. Do you choose a stone exterior and a tile top, or do you pick a wood finish and slate counter? Go to your local building supply store and price all the materials. This will give you an idea of what combinations are possible before getting your hopes up on a design. In this tutorial, I’ll be explaining how to install a tile counter top with cedar sides. This may be the easiest to install and probably the cheapest. You can use just about any materials you want with this design, just remember to keep it within your budget and skills.

4. Measure, measure, and measure again!

When measuring your grill caddy you should keep in mind you will need a 24-inch clearance between all wood products. That’s why you will need to purchase metal studs or your block. In this tutorial, we will be using metal studs. This particular design will be an L-shaped caddy, but it is only limited to your imagination, skills and budget. I suggest making your caddy on a patio or slab, but you can use pavers or hard packed gravel for a base. The storage area and counter top will be 30″x30″x the height of your grill opening minus one inch. This will ensure your grill is 1 inch higher than your caddy so food and debris will fall onto your caddy and not into it, making it easier to clean. If your grill has extending counter top sides, you may want to make your caddy at that height. The front of the grill caddy should be as long as the grill itself and the adjacent box either added to the right or left side of the grill depending on your preference.

Onto part two of the series: Creating a grill caddy for your portable grill!