Outdoor Kitchen Guides & Tips | Stono Outdoor Living Co.

Around $20,000 buys a real, engineered outdoor kitchen from Stono, not a starter cart. This guide breaks down three actual builds at that price: a linear layout with dual grills for $19,147.55, an L-shape with a bonus counter run for $20,982.45, and a galley layout with a separate bar island for $19,884.74. It also covers what actually moves the price (dimension, not layout) and why the marine-grade aluminum holds up the same at every budget.

Around $10,000 buys a real engineered kitchen, not a scaled-down one: the Morris island, a full-size TrueFlame grill, and one supporting appliance. The layout and island are fixed at this budget. The only real decision left is where the last $1,500 goes.

Most complete Stono kitchens run $15,000 to $25,000, but the number swings on three things: how much island you buy, what storage you upgrade, and which appliances you add. This guide breaks down island pricing, storage costs, TrueFlame appliance prices, and two full sample builds so you know exactly what moves your total.

Coastal outdoor kitchen failure starts where you can't see it, not on the exterior surface. This diagnostic guide walks through a five-step inspection: assessing the exterior finish correctly, opening every door and drawer, testing hardware under physical load, checking the base and utility penetrations, and making an informed repair-or-replace call.

The five-mile marine-grade rule is a starting point, not a hard cutoff. This guide breaks down what actually changes at 1, 5, and 10 miles from the coast, and why wind exposure, elevation, and proximity to tidal water can matter more than the mileage number itself when specifying materials for your property.

Salt air works slowly and invisibly until the damage is obvious. This guide lays out a coastal maintenance routine by proximity to the water: weekly rinses, quarterly deep cleans, safe products for marine-grade aluminum, hurricane season prep, and the signs that tell you when a kitchen has moved from needing maintenance to needing replacement.

Wondering what installation day actually looks like once your Stono kitchen ships? This guide walks through the full process, from prepping your patio surface and utility rough-ins to placement, leveling, and connecting utilities. Learn what you handle yourself, what requires a licensed trade, and what to expect in the first 30 days.

Written for trade partners handling a Stono installation, this guide covers the full scope of the job: pre-delivery rough-ins and permit requirements, the section placement and leveling sequence on delivery day, how to route utilities into the cabinet, and what to confirm at close-out before handing the kitchen off to the client.

The six weeks between ordering and delivery are prime site prep time, not downtime. This guide walks through exactly what to handle each week: confirming your surface is cured, getting your contractors the right connection specs, measuring your delivery path, and scheduling licensed trades so delivery day is a celebration instead of a scramble.