Building a BBQ island

Hi,

Planning a BBQ island with drop in grill, side burners.
I have good masonry skills and have dabbled in welding.
I have the Sunset book on planning/building grill islands, it's not a bad book although possibly a bit dated.

My island will be straight and about 10' long or so.

Is masonry block still the best approach for DIY?
I see some are done with metal framing but I don't how that works with stone or brick veneer, cement board?

Also for the top, I could care less about granite, are the solid surface tops the way to go and is there one that's best for this application in terms of durability? i suppose could also tile it but solid surface is probably easier to keep clean.

Thanks

 

What do you mean by solid surface? Corian or quartz? I'm with you about not liking tile but personally I'd go for granite or quartz. Granite has gotten quite cheap and it seems to be what everyone wants so at least for now it's good for resale.

I've seen nice islands done with block and built up with steel studs and covered with Hardi Backer and then with some type of stone. I think block is probably more long lasting and sturdy but the block takes up a lot of space that could be used for storage. I would go with whatever method you are more comfortable with.