@Ray Flores This is so funny! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks!

Thank you! Cheers!

Thank you!

@davi tietjen Obrigada!

Thank you! I wish I had more videos too. I recently purchased some rural property and I’ll likely embark on some projects there worthy of filming.

Thank you very much!

Thanks! I used composite decking. www.lowes.com/pd/Trex-Select-16-ft-Saddle-Composite-Deck-Board/1000709698

@Scott Tillman. The fireplace is an Isokern Magnum 42”. earthcore.com/the-magnum-series/

@Rhett Rathbone. Thanks! The initial plan was to make the countertop out of cement. Like nearly everything else in the project, a DIY concrete countertop would have been a first for me. I’ve learned over the years that I rarely hit my quality target on anything I do for the first time. To get around this, I make mistakes in practice runs. So for the timber frame, I screwed up tons of mortises, tenons and housings on cheap wood before I attempted anything on more expensive timbers. To prepare for the concrete countertop, I’d have had to do trial runs using smaller forms and it wouldn’t have been an apples to apples comparison. I wasn’t sure that I could get the final countertop right. I figured I’d end up with air bubbles and that I’d screw up the tint somehow and that there would be hairline cracks and on and on. Moreover, the effort to rip out and redo a rebar reinforced concrete countertop seemed high. After ruling out the concrete countertop I considered ordering a stone slab and cutting and installing it myself. After a bit of research it was clear I’d need a bunch of tools I didn’t have, which was enticing, but the return on investment just wasn’t there. I sourced the heavy timbers from Lucas Cedar, and the tongue and groove pine decking from Bayou City Lumber.

@Tracy Johnson Thanks! www.earthcore.com/fireplace/the-magnum-series/. 42”.

I rented the one I used. The lift brand is Genie which is owned by a company named Terex. Here's the Genie website. www.genielift.com/en/material-handling-products/material-lifts

@Michael Nufrio. Thanks. Yes all wood for the chimney framing is treated.

@@LouisStorms Also, what did you use to attach the stone veneer to the scratch coat? Thinset or some kind of mortar? Any brand?

@@michaelnufrio1100 113780 / Quikrete Veneer Stone Mortar Mix (Type S Commercial Grade Veneer Stone Gray 1800 psi). quikrete.com/productlines/mortarveneerstone.asp

The fireplace is an Isokern Magnum 42”. www.earthcore.com/the-magnum-series/

~85 days - Fireplace dry stack stone veneer ~35 days - Complete grill station including framing, scratch coat, stone veneer, etc. ~65 days - Everything else (fireplace assembly, firebrick, framing, water barrier, metal lath, scratch coat, tile, chimney crown, mantle, landscaping, electrical, log lighter, etc.) The work in the video was full time. The dry stack natural stone veneer on the fireplace is currently the most laborious thing I've ever done. I estimate that if I’d gone with grout, I’d have shaved off ~60 days. Stucco would have eliminated ~80 days on the fireplace alone.

@@LouisStorms You might have saved some time but the results look like it was worth it. I built a masonry brick pizza oven/ fireplace and knee wall around my patio and it took the best part of two summers. I'm planning a timber frame structure similar to yours to finish the project. I built a copy of your George Strait jig to help finish off a set of saw horses and to prepare for the project next spring. Thanks for the inspiration.

@The Coach Your comment made my day yesterday. I was relieved to hear that I’m not the only person who took a long time to complete a stone project, and I love that you made a copy of the drill guide jig.

The slab upon which I built the pavilion was originally the foundation for a pergola, and was installed by the original builder of the house. Presumably it would have been subject to inspection at the time. In any case, I’m in Houston, TX, where the water table is too high for residential basements. So basement flooding is not a concern. But flooding in general certainly is, which is presumably why the house slab is up so much higher than anything else, including the pavilion slab.

@Steve Roof I used composite decking (link below). I’d seen it done in other grill station videos I watched, and it seemed like a good idea to keep the steel studs up off the ground to avoid possible contact with standing water. Additionally, I extended the composite decking just enough past the outside edges of the base plates to rest the cement board on it and keep the cement board off the ground. If you look closely, you might be able to notice that there’s also a slight gap between the floor tile and the veneer stone as well. I once watched a video by a custom shower pan installer who showed various problem installs by other “pros” that he had been called out to repair. He called for keeping the bottom of the cement board 1” higher than the shower floor to avoid wicking. I figured it couldn’t hurt to apply the same principles to a grill station. www.lowes.com/pd/Trex-Select-16-ft-Saddle-Composite-Deck-Board/1000709698

10" Timber Screws www.strongtie.com/strongdrive_exteriorwoodscrews/sdws-db_screw/p/strong-drive-sdws-timber-screw-exterior-grade

@@LouisStorms thanks for the fast response. You do amazing work and all by yourself. I'm glad to see you using a hard hat when lifting things overhead! Safety is always key. Love the work and thanks for posting videos!

Louis, how did you get around hurricane straps on your rafters?

@Mikhail Zelster. www.strongtie.com/strongdrive_interiorwoodscrews/sdwc_screw/p/strong-drive-sdwc-truss-screw. I'll admit that if I wake up one day to news indicating that a direct hit from a category 4-5 is likely, I'd seriously consider adding straps in addition to the truss-screws. I'd also strap the plates to posts and ties to king posts. The posts are already anchored to the slab.

@SS Crew. I designed and built the grill counter steel frame from scratch.

@Dan Harshburger. Thanks. My slab is 12’ x 24’.

Cement board.

The structure adjacent to the outdoor kitchen is a garage apartment. There's a kitchen setup immediately through the french doors, with a counter, sink, and a place for a full-sized refrigerator. If the garage apartment hadn't been there, I'd have put a sink and beverage fridge in the outdoor kitchen.

@Leo Skipper. Thanks. The fireplace is an Isokern Magnum 42”. www.earthcore.com/the-magnum-series/

@@LouisStorms what was the price of the fireplace. Thanks in advance!

$3.4K excluding tax for the Isokern components. Bought from a distributor.

@Aaron Syman. The slab is 12’x24’.

Thanks Steve.

@Jonathan Wolf. The stone is natural (ie not manufactured). It’s just cut thin for use as a veneer. I didn’t want to incur the added cost and deal with the added weight and bulk (dimensions) of solid stone blocks.

I used three different species of wood. Cedar, Doug Fir and Yellow Pine. The cedar was “clear” and lacked much grain to begin with. The Doug Fir (plates) and Yellow Pine (roof deck) grain shows through nicely. Impossible to get a uniform color match across those three species without some tint in the stain. Why didn’t I use all cedar? One Doug Fir 8”x12”x27’ plate was $800, cedar was $4K. Why didn’t I use all Doug Fir or Pine? I’m in Houston with termites and significant rain. I didn’t want to use treated timbers so cedar was a better choice for the posts and ties.

the place is super looking

@@erniepease thanks!

Im glad you told me it was painted. I will rest easier that way. Thank you

As I recall from my initial research on this, both the IRC and UPC allow galvanized pipe for natural gas. I think the historical issue with it had to do with impurities in natural gas that now get removed before distribution. I'm not sure I was even required to paint and wrap the galvanized pipe but I did it anyway.

@@LouisStorms very impressive your outdoor living space. I'm trying to get my wife to let me build her one. Would be a great place for our kids and grandkids to gather