Adding an Outdoor Kitchen During Your Pool Build Is the Smartest Thing You Can Do | Stono Outdoor Living

Why "we'll add a kitchen later" almost always backfires

The desire to wait makes sense, initially: finish one project, start the next. Less chaos, more time to plan. But a pool build isn't like painting a room. When your pool goes in, your backyard gets rebuilt from the ground up. Gas lines get run. Electrical gets routed. Plumbing moves. When the deck goes down, all of that gets buried under several inches of concrete or stone.

Adding an outdoor kitchen after the deck is finished means cutting into that deck to run gas. It means calling your utility contractors back for a second visit: separate scheduling, separate invoicing, separate disruption. It means settling for a placement that fits around what's already there instead of one designed for how you actually want to use the space.

Blue Haven Pools & Spas covers this from the pool builder's side in their guide on adding an outdoor kitchen when you build a pool. The construction reality is the same from every angle: once the hardscape is finished, the cost and complexity of adding a kitchen go up significantly, and the design freedom you had before the deck was poured is gone.

The homeowners who call us with the most frustration are the ones who waited, watched the deck get poured and realized six months later what they'd given up.

What's actually happening under your pool deck right now

Before your deck goes in, your backyard is open. Gas can be stubbed to wherever the kitchen will sit. Electrical can be run to the exact location you want for outlets, lighting and an outdoor refrigerator. If you want a water connection at the island, the line can be buried cleanly with no visible infrastructure when the project is done.

A pool build already requires a gas specialist, a plumber and an electrician on site. The same utility runs that serve the pool equipment can be extended to an outdoor kitchen location with the same crew on the same visit. The incremental cost of adding a kitchen utility stub while those contractors are already at your house is a fraction of what it costs to bring them back later.

Once the deck is down, the gas line that should run under it becomes a line that runs on top of it: visible, exposed, requiring cover or conduit. The clean look that a properly planned outdoor kitchen space has come entirely from infrastructure buried before the concrete was poured.

If your pool build is already scheduled, the time to have this conversation is now. Not at the final walkthrough, and not after the first summer without a kitchen.

How a Stono kitchen fits a pool build without adding a construction phase

A Stono engineered outdoor kitchen doesn't add a construction phase because there's nothing to construct on site. Each island arrives as finished sections, fabricated in advance at our facility, ready to be set in place. No frame to build. No masonry. No tile installation. No waiting three weeks for a countertop slab to cure.

Once the deck is finished and the utility stubs are in the right location, the island goes in. A homeowner and a helper can place a Stono island themselves. Most of our customers who use a contractor for installation do so because they want the appliances connected and tested on the same day, not because the process requires professional labor.

"I tell people the same thing on every design call: don't wait until the deck is poured to think about the kitchen. Get the gas line stubbed while the ground is already open. The island itself doesn't go in until your pool and deck are finished. Planning early costs you nothing. Planning late costs you a second visit from every contractor you just paid to leave." – Xavier Meier, Founder, Stono Outdoor Living Co.

In practice, you're not adding a masonry crew to your pool project. You're adding a delivery and a half-day installation after the pool crew finishes. For most builds, the Stono kitchen is in place before the landscaping crew starts on the finishing work.

Our standard delivery timeline is six weeks from line drawings, per Stono Outdoor Living product specifications. Order during the construction phase and the kitchen arrives right as the deck is being completed.

Why poolside is one of the hardest environments for an outdoor kitchen, and what material actually holds up

Not all outdoor kitchens belong next to a pool. Most of them aren't built for it.

Pool chemistry is hard on materials. Chlorine off-gassing. Salt if you have a saltwater system. Elevated humidity year-round, and for coastal homeowners, actual salt air on top of that. The condensation cycle next to a body of water is different from what a kitchen on a covered patio 40 feet from the house experiences.

Powder-coated stainless steel, the material used by higher-end outdoor kitchen brands in this category, is three times heavier than aluminum and three times more expensive. It can still rust in poolside and coastal environments, because the powder coating doesn't make the steel corrosion-proof. It makes it corrosion-resistant until the coating is compromised. A scratch, a chip, a pressure washer hit at the wrong angle and the rust process starts underneath.

Stono builds its islands from 3003 aluminum with architectural-grade powder coating. Aluminum doesn't rust. The 3003 alloy is the marine-grade designation, rated for boats, coastal decks and pool environments. The powder coating carries a 7-year warranty, the longest finish warranty in the outdoor kitchen category.

The hardware spec is built to the right grade for each component. Door pulls and handles are 316 stainless steel, the marine-grade designation for contact-point hardware that sees direct handling and water exposure. Drawer slides and hinges are 304 stainless, the correct grade for enclosed, protected components inside the cabinet.

That spec is what you need if the kitchen is going to look the same in year seven as it does in year one, sitting six feet from your pool coping.

What the four Stono models look like in a pool context

Every Stono island is built to order and ships in one of four platform sizes. The right size depends on how you use your pool space: how many people you typically host, whether the kitchen sits on a dedicated pad or shares the deck surround and whether you want the grill as the centerpiece or full counter space on both sides.

The Morris 77" is the right fit for a pool deck where square footage is tight. It runs a 32" TrueFlame 4-burner grill with storage on one side. For a homeowner who wants a real outdoor kitchen without dedicating 10 feet of deck space to it, this is the most common choice.

The Sullivan 98" adds counter space on both sides of the grill and includes a 21" Coyote outdoor refrigerator. It's the most popular configuration for pool builds because it handles a full hosting setup without requiring a large dedicated kitchen zone. Cold drinks available, prep space on one side, clean space on the other.

The Wando 119" fits serious entertainers who need the grill plus a dedicated side burner or accessory station alongside a full refrigerator. It's the right size when the kitchen is the center of the backyard experience, not an add-on to the pool.

The Cooper 140" is the full-length island: counter space on both sides, multiple appliance bays, the largest build we offer. This is for a homeowner designing the backyard around the kitchen and pool equally.

Every model is available in three base finishes (Bronze, Charcoal or White) with Concrete, Granite or Graphite countertop options. Grill location can be set left, center or right at order time. All models run on LP or natural gas. If you're early in your pool planning and haven't settled on a layout, our design consultation team can walk through how the kitchen fits into the deck plan before anything is finalized. That conversation is free.

How to get your outdoor kitchen into your pool project before ground breaks

The earlier this conversation happens, the more options you have. Here's how most of our pool build customers approach it.

Step one: Get the utility stub in the plan. Before your pool contractor finalizes the excavation and utility layout, let them know the outdoor kitchen location. Ask them to stub the gas line to that spot. Electrical can be run to a nearby junction. If you want a water connection at the island, that runs now or not at all. Adding it while the ground is open costs very little.

Step two: Schedule your Stono design consultation. Consultations are done by video call. You share your deck plan, even a rough sketch or contractor drawing, and we walk through the right model size for your layout, configuration options and how the island will be positioned relative to the pool and house. We'll also confirm the utility rough-in requirements so you can get them to your pool contractor in time.

Step three: Order during the construction phase. Our delivery timeline is six weeks from line drawings, per Stono Outdoor Living product specifications. For most pool builds, ordering as excavation is being completed puts the island arriving right as the deck is being finished.

Step four: Ask about bundled financing before anything breaks ground. Most homeowners don't realize a pool loan can often be structured to cover the outdoor kitchen too. When both are bundled into a single loan before construction starts, you're working with one lender, one approval process and one payment. The total project value gives you better leverage on rate and terms. Finance the kitchen separately after the pool is complete and you're back to square one: a smaller loan amount, less favorable terms and a separate monthly payment. The window for bundling closes when the pool contract is signed. Ask your pool designer or financing officer specifically about adding the outdoor kitchen to the project scope before you commit to the pool-only number.

Stono works directly with trade partners including landscape designers, pool builders and general contractors. If your pool builder wants to coordinate the delivery timing or be involved in installation, we can work with them directly. The partner program is at stonooutdoor.com/partner-program.

Last updated: July 7, 2026 | Published: June 24, 2026