Remodel
Outdoor Kitchen Remodel
Most tired outdoor kitchens are sound underneath. If the frame and footings are good, this is a resurfacing job, and it costs a lot less than starting again.
10 years building in Meridian
70+ outdoor kitchens completed
RCE-69511 Idaho registration
Reviewed by Janine Burrows Outdoor Kitchen Designer and Erica Jensen Office Manager, Outdoor Kitchen & Patio Last checked September 2026
If the frame and the footings are sound, you are looking at a resurfacing job rather than a rebuild, and it costs a lot less than starting again.
Most outdoor kitchens that look finished are not. They are tired on top of a structure that is still perfectly good underneath.
The Decision
Should you remodel or rebuild?
Remodel if the footings and the frame are sound. Rebuild if they are not. That line runs underneath the kitchen rather than across the top of it, which is why every visit starts by looking under it.
What a remodel covers
Everything above the frame, replaced or refinished, with the structure left where it is. New counters, new doors and drawers, new cladding, a different grill, better lighting, and the sink or fridge that got skipped the first time.
What it does not cover is moving the run, changing its shape, or correcting footings that were never deep enough. Those are rebuilds, and you deserve to be told so plainly rather than sold a refresh that leaves the same problem in the ground.
What Changes
Can you update one without replacing it?
Usually yes, and the parts that date fastest are the cheapest ones to change.
Five things come off without touching the frame
The counter, the doors and drawers, the cladding, the appliance and the lighting. All five lift off and go back on with the structure untouched.
That is the remodel most people actually need, and it is why it costs a fraction of starting again.
- The counter surface, especially anything porous that was never sealed.
- Doors and drawers, particularly indoor rated stainless that has rusted through.
- The cladding, where the style has dated faster than the material has failed.
- The appliance, which is the shortest lived part of the whole thing.
- The lighting, usually because there never was any.
Find out what your yard allows
We come out and tell you what you are allowed to build before anything is drawn. On site, at no cost.
Or call (208) 856-3233Modernizing
How do you modernize a dated outdoor kitchen?
Change the surfaces and the hardware. Leave the shape alone unless it genuinely does not work.
A run built fifteen years ago usually reads dated for three reasons, and none of them is structural.
The counter
Heavy speckled granite dates a kitchen faster than anything else. A quieter stone or porcelain resets it.
The cladding
Orange toned stone is the giveaway. Re-cladding the same frame changes the whole run.
The appliance
A small grill sitting in a large opening reads wrong. Fill the cut-out and it looks deliberate again.
Lighting
Almost always missing. Task light over the cook line is the cheapest change with the biggest effect.
The skipped sink
The most common regret from the first build, and a remodel is the moment to fix it.
The hardware
New hinges and runners in the right grade, so the doors stop seizing every spring.
Where the shape genuinely does not work, changing it is a rebuild rather than a remodel. Reusing the appliances and starting the structure again is often the better answer, and it is cheaper than paying twice to refinish something you were always going to move.
What We Do
What we build
Keep what is good, replace what is not
A remodel borrows from every other job we do. These are the pieces that usually get called on.
- Full rebuildsWhen the footings moved and nothing on top can fix it.
- Design and layoutReworking the shape before anything comes off.
- RepairsThe smaller job, where one thing has failed rather than the whole run being tired.
- Adding a coverThe single change that most extends how much you use it.
- Bars and seatingAdding the seating the original build left out.
- Pizza ovens and smokersOnly where the existing footings will carry the weight, which we check first.
Send us a photo of the run and a close-up of any cracking. That is usually enough to tell you which way this goes.
The same frame, read as new
New counter, new cladding, new hardware. The structure underneath is the one the original builder poured.
This is why a remodel is the best value work we do, when the thing under it is sound.
The Check
What do you check before quoting?
The same six things, every visit, and they all live below the counter.
| What we find | What it means |
|---|---|
| Cracks running through the counter and down into the frame | The ground moved. Rebuild. |
| The run is visibly out of level | The footings were too shallow. Rebuild. |
| Surface cracks in the counter only | Resurface. |
| Doors rusted, frame sound | Remodel. |
| Cladding tired, mortar still tight | Re-clad. |
| You want it somewhere else | Rebuild, and reuse the appliances. |
Footings that went in too shallow cannot be corrected from above ground. A run built that way keeps moving every winter whatever you put on top of it, and refinishing it is money spent on a countdown.
Common Questions
Common questions
Less than building new, and how much less depends entirely on how much of the structure you keep. There is no honest single figure, because a remodel is priced by what comes off rather than by how big the run is. Counters and doors on a sound frame is a small job. Re-cladding and a new appliance on top of that is a bigger one.
A basic grill island runs $6,000 to $15,000 here, and a full custom build with refrigeration and a pizza oven runs $25,000 to $50,000. Where yours falls depends mostly on whether it needs a roof, how far we run gas and water, and what the ground under it is like. We give you a real number after we have seen the space.
Usually not, as long as the structure does not change. Replacing counters, doors, cladding and appliances is maintenance rather than construction. Three things change that: electrical work needs its own permit whatever the size, gas work is inspected whether or not the run is new, and adding a cover moves you into a different category entirely.
Yes, but it means opening the frame, so it belongs in a remodel rather than as a standalone job. If the original build left capped stubs behind the wall it is straightforward. If it did not, the water and power have to be run from scratch, and that is the part that costs.
Usually one to two weeks, against four to six for a new build. There is no groundwork and no waiting on footings, so most of the time is the counters being templated and the material arriving.
If the structure is sound, it is the best value work we do. The expensive half of an outdoor kitchen is under the ground and inside the frame, and you already paid for it. Keeping that and changing everything you touch gets you a kitchen that reads new for a fraction of the price.
Get a price for your build
One call, one visit, and a quote that names what it covers.
Or call (208) 856-3233Next Step
How do you get a quote?
We come out, look under the counter and along the frame, and tell you honestly whether this is a remodel or a rebuild. No charge for the visit, and no interest in selling you a refresh on a structure that is going to keep moving.
If it turns out to be a rebuild, that is outdoor kitchen construction. If one thing has failed rather than the whole run being tired, start at outdoor kitchen repair.
Get a quote for your outdoor kitchen
We measure the space, tell you what your yard allows, and build it so nothing shifts on you in winter. One visit, and a quote that names what it covers.
Get a Free Site Measure