Santa Clarita Outdoor Kitchens: Project example: an old prefab BBQ island swapped for an 8-foot modular island with a new built-in grill in Saugus — what it looks like and what it costs

The scenario

The house is one of the single-story ranch homes off Bouquet Canyon Road, with a covered patio along the back and a small BBQ island left by an earlier owner. The island is a prefab unit about 7 feet long with a tile top, and it has not aged well: the grill's burners have rusted through, two tiles have popped, the access door hinges have corroded, and the frame flexes when someone leans on the counter. The gas line is already stubbed up inside the old island with a shutoff valve, and it works.

The owners do not need a big kitchen. They want a reliable grill, a little more counter, and an island that looks better than the old one, without trenching the yard or pouring concrete. A modular island fits that brief: it arrives as finished sections built on a steel frame, it sits on the existing patio, and it can line up with the gas stub that is already in place, so the job is mostly removal, setting and connection.

What the first look at the old island turns up:

• burners and heat plates rusted beyond replacement parts
• cracked and loose tile on the countertop
• a frame that flexes under load at one end
• a working gas stub and shutoff valve inside the island
• a level, sound patio slab under the footprint

What the job involves

1. The gas is shut off at the island valve and the meter, the old grill is disconnected and lifted out, and the old island is broken down and hauled away, leaving the gas stub and the valve in place and capped.
2. The patio under the old footprint is cleaned and checked for level; small low spots are shimmed so the modular sections sit flat and the countertop seams line up.
3. The modular sections are set and bolted together, with the grill section positioned so the existing gas stub enters the grill bay from below without bending the line.
4. The countertop sections are placed and sealed at the seams, and the end panels and access doors are fitted and adjusted.
5. The new 32-inch grill is set into its cutout, connected to the stub with a new flexible connector rated for outdoor gas appliances, and leak-tested at every joint; the burners are lit and adjusted for a clean blue flame.
6. The ventilation openings in the island are checked against the grill maker's requirements, the patio is swept, and the old grill and island debris leave the property.

Hardware and materials

• 8-linear-foot modular island on a steel frame, with a stone-look finish and a granite-look or tile top, depending on the line
• 32-inch built-in gas grill with stainless access doors below
• New flexible gas connector rated for outdoor appliances, with leak-test solution
• Shims and construction adhesive for leveling the modular sections
• Vent panels as specified by the grill maker if the modular line does not include them
• Removal and haul-away of the old island and grill

Add-ons often paired with this job

• Side burner — +$400–$900. A modular line often has a matching side-burner section that bolts to the end of the island.
• GFCI outlets and lighting — +$700–$1,800. Adding a GFCI outlet and under-counter lighting to an island that never had power is a common upgrade at the time of the swap.
• Granite or quartz countertop upgrade — +$1,500–$4,000. Some modular islands accept a custom granite or quartz top in place of the factory top.

Why it is done this way

A modular island is the right answer here because nothing about the site needs to change. The patio is sound, the gas stub is in a usable place, and the brief is a grill and some counter rather than a full kitchen. A custom block or steel island would cost more per foot for a result this brief does not need, and a modular unit sets and connects in a fraction of the time.

Reusing the stub is what keeps the price low, but the connector is replaced rather than reused because flexible connectors age and the new grill's inlet may be in a different position. Checking the ventilation openings matters even on a factory island: gas that leaks into a closed island has nowhere to go, and the vents let it escape and let air reach the burners.

Prefab compared with custom, in the terms that matter for this yard:

• Prefab: fast, predictable, lower cost per foot, limited sizes and finishes.
• Custom: any shape and finish, built around the appliances, more cost and time.

What would change the price

• The gas stub turns out to be in the wrong place or undersized for the new grill — a short reroute or a larger line adds to the gas line item.
• The patio is cracked or out of level under the footprint — patching or a small pad changes the site condition.
• A longer modular island, for example 10 or 12 feet, adds feet at the same base rate.
• Removing an old island built in block rather than a prefab unit takes more labor and haul-away weight.
• A refrigerator section or a sink section is added — each needs power or water and moves the job toward a custom build.