johnliu, I am trusting my GC on the ventilation issue. Since it is under a covered roof, code & sense requires it be vented. I have been so obsessively focused on the indoor stuff, that this has been on the back burner. I need to clarify with him about what this ventilation will look like. I trust his integrity and knowledge, but I hadn't thought about how it would look exactly. Good question! Upon further thought on this whole space, I think all I really need out there is the grill and the sink. Maybe a stainless steel cabinet under the sink, a set of drawers for grilling equipment and kebob sticks, and a cabinet for trash. I think most of the designers are talking about a true "outdoor" kitchen, which I don't need. I just need an outdoor grilling area with counter space. We are big homebodies and have small get togethers with friends and family, so I don't need all that extra stuff for my lifestyle. Thanks for the extra gas stub idea. I think that's an ideal solution!

I’ve heard Granite is the best option. We are building a house in Florida with an outdoor kitchen and our builder says Granite is the way to go. Also, I’ve been told by many sources, neighbors and even appliance salespeople, those very expensive icemakers are almost guaranteed to break within a year. We originally wanted with an outdoor icemaker, now we decided against it.

Maybe if you live in the foothills of Los Angeles, place them under a porch roof and they won't get rained on, then they might last a couple of years. Any other climate/location and it will be a really bad idea. Can you use them in a basement or garage for extra storage?

@mtvhike the pool builder and bricklayer. They've since stated they could not have cut out the existing patio (there was concrete in the covered area) to have the conduit hidden. They also just confirmed they are going to pay for the extra bricks/labor to cover it. Here is the solution I came up with. Nice of them to fix it.