quote" We want to do this right w/stone facing, granite counter tops, refrigerator, grill, side burner, sink, and an umbrella holder to name a few "quote With your granite countertops this will be a breeze. All you'll need to decide is the length and width necessary for your drop ins. My biggest time consumer on new kitchens is determining my cabinet width for the chosen tile and the tile belt. Your granite man will cut the slab to fit your decking. Make sure and use a piece of quality 3"4" plywood decking, I like sanded birch. It's always the flattest. 36" is the normal countertop height you can also go 42", you'll need 33 3/4" or more tall and 22" or more wide for an under cabinet fridge. Purchase your drop-ins in advance so you'll have your cut-out dimensions on hand for the grill, side, and sink. If you'll post what rock your using and what Mfg and the Model numbers of the drop-ins I'll probably be able to give you your dimensions necessary. I save this info in a special file called "very useful useless info". 9 times out of 10 I can build my cabinets without the appliances on hand because I always save the dimensions on drop-in appliances by Mfg and Model number. If you'd like to know which ones you should use just let me know if you want the highest quality name brands or are willing to take a more affordable product. FWIW, I used the affordable ones on my summer kitchen instead of the better name brand Mfg's. IMO, stainless steel grills are just that, and I can't justify spending twice the coin to BBQ my yardbird. I'd be more inclined to buy a name brand fridge to keep my beer cold, LOL!!! See ya, Kelly

Pavers are designed to be a flexible, moveable system. Set your island on pavers and you'll most likely crack your countertop and whatever you put over the concrete board. Pour a min. 4" slab, 6 is better.

Fiberglass reinforced cement board is a backer board for vertical and horizontal tiled surfaces. It will not deteriorate when wet like gypsum and wood backer materials. But it has little structural strength and should be supported every 16" on a vertical surface and fully supported on a horizontal surface. Basically the object would be formed with a structural material and the cement board would then be put over the surface of it so what is used for the base is very important. The issue with porous surfaces in a cooking area is bacteria. In an age of increasing drug resistance of bacteria (23,000 people died of it last year) I would want something very dense and very smooth in order to reduce the chance of cross contamination. Meat is rarely an issue if it gets thoroughly cooked but it can contaminate uncooked foods if you prepare them at the same time on the same surfaces or with the same utensils.

I've had granite on my outdoor BBQ counter for 8 years. I'm in So. CA and the 12 ft run of counter faces west and south. It gets sun year round and gets baked in the summer. No issues with the counters other than they get very dirt and it is one more outside chore. We had a built up bullnose edge and some of it came unglued after a few years in the sun. I had a GC fix it last year when he was here for another project and he said they probably didn't use the right "glue". I would skip any built up edges if I was doing this again. If you have a real quartzite, then I would think it would be fine outside. I think you have to be ok with it getting some stains since you might not always clean up after cooking outside. My counter has some oil/marinade stains right next to the grill. I have cleaned the stains up before, but it takes lots of scrubbing. I just never think to go back outside and wipe it down after eating dinner!