At this home in Sudbury, MA we are hired to build an outdoor fireplace and cooking area along with a set of granite stairs. For the fireplace we use a pre-cast option to save on costs, and custom build the surrounding counters and storage compartments. The fireplace will be veneered with a stacked stone style veneer in the full color blend. And the counters/hearth/caps/stairs will be made from Blue Mist Granite, which is a dark grey/blue type of granite.

Prep

To begin we install concrete foundations for the fireplace and stairs. We pour an 8″ thick pad to ensure the structure has a stable base and will not move or settle over time.

The fireplace is a pre-cast product which comes already formed and bricked on the inside. At times this can be a good option to speed up the process and save costs, but does limit design options. We set the pre-cast fireplace on the base and start blocking up the surrounding counters and compartments. On either side we build a 2′ deep counter space with 1′ raised shelf at the back. There is also a wood storage compartment to the right, and a set of drawers to the left. Lastly we build in a space for a regular grill so the owners can wheel their existing grill into place instead of building a whole new built-in grill.

Veneer Installation

We finish the blockwork and then start installing the veneer. We use a thin sawn veneer in the stacked stone style full color blend. This is a natural stone product that is sawn down to about 1″ thick. We lay the stones level, and follow the same rules that would apply to full natural stones to mimic an authentic look.

Capping + Completion

The veneer work is complete and we start to install the granite caps. We use 2″ thick blue mist granite to make the hearth, counters, and fireplace caps. 7″ thick blue mist granite is also used for a set of wrap around stairs to enter the house.