Outdoor Kitchen Benchtop Costs SA 2026 - Get Free Quotes

Outdoor Kitchen Benchtop Costs in South Australia

Outdoor kitchen benchtops run $700 to $2,000 per square metre supplied and installed across South Australia, which puts a typical alfresco run at $2,500 to $8,000. Those rates sit above the indoor equivalent for the same material. Cutouts are larger and more numerous, support has to be purpose built rather than assumed, and access to a rear yard is worse than access to a kitchen.

The material question outdoors bears very little resemblance to the same question indoors. Heat resistance, scratch resistance and stain resistance all matter less than they do in a kitchen, since nobody chops or sears on an outdoor bench. Two things nobody thinks about inside become the deciding factors instead.

Ultraviolet exposure is the first, and it is what ruins outdoor benchtops more than any other cause. Adelaide records some of the highest summer ultraviolet levels of any Australian capital city. Anything relying on a resin binder to hold it together will yellow, chalk or break down under that exposure within years instead of decades.

That single fact rules out several materials people assume transfer straight from inside to outside without any change. It is also why a bench that looked perfect in a showroom can be visibly degraded three summers into its life. A north facing alfresco area in this state is a harsher test than most manufacturers design for.

Surface temperature is the second factor, and it catches people out physically. A dark benchtop in full February sun in Adelaide reaches temperatures that will burn a hand laid flat on it. No material choice avoids that outcome. The only two levers are a lighter colour and overhead shade, and both need deciding at design stage.

Two further South Australian factors deserve attention before anything is ordered. Bushfire prone areas cover much of the Adelaide Hills and a good deal of the metropolitan fringe. That makes non combustible materials the sensible default in those districts instead of merely a preference worth considering.

Coastal exposure is the other, and it affects the structure far more than the surface. Properties down the Fleurieu, along the Yorke Peninsula and around the Eyre Peninsula deal with airborne salt continuously. That salt attacks fixings, frames and appliances long before it does anything at all to a stone benchtop sitting on top of them.

Quartz is unavailable for an outdoor kitchen as it is for any other position, and it was never suitable outside in any case, since its resin binder degrades under ultraviolet light. Enforcement of the national prohibition in this state sits with SafeWork SA. The wider material comparison sits under benchtops, and indoor kitchen choices under kitchen benchtops.

Why Ultraviolet Decides Everything Outdoors

Everything that separates outdoor benchtop advice from indoor benchtop advice starts here. It is the reason materials cannot simply be carried from one setting to the other, however similar the two jobs look.

Ultraviolet light breaks down organic compounds over time, which is why paint chalks, plastics become brittle and outdoor timber greys. Benchtop materials divide neatly into two groups on that basis. Those containing organic binders sit on one side, and those made purely of minerals or metal sit on the other.

Natural stone, porcelain, sintered surfaces, concrete and steel contain nothing that ultraviolet light can attack. They are made of minerals, fired clay or metal rather than polymers. A hundred years of direct sun does nothing to their fundamental structure, which is why ancient stone buildings are still standing.

Anything held together with resin is the opposite case entirely. Engineered stone, acrylic solid surface and laminate all rely on polymer binders to hold the mineral content together. Those binders yellow, chalk and eventually fail under sustained ultraviolet exposure. It is precisely why the manufacturers themselves exclude outdoor use from their warranties.

Adelaide makes all of this worse than most Australian cities. Summer ultraviolet levels here are among the highest of any capital. A north or west facing alfresco area receives that exposure for hours every day across five months of the year, which is a harsher test than the same bench would face in Hobart.

Natural granite carries one complication worth knowing about before ordering. Many granite slabs are resin treated at the quarry or the factory, which fills microscopic voids and improves the polish.

That resin can yellow under ultraviolet light even though the stone beneath it cannot. The result is a bench that looks discoloured without the stone itself having changed at all. Put the question to any supplier directly, asking whether a particular granite is resin treated and whether it is rated for external use. Reputable stone suppliers know the answer for each of their ranges without having to check. A slab intended for outdoor use is either untreated or treated with a product formulated specifically for that exposure.

Colour behaves differently outdoors as well, which is worth factoring into the choice. Some pigmented and dyed stones fade noticeably across years of direct sun. The mineral colours in an untreated granite do not change at all, and neither does a full bodied porcelain, since the colour is fired into the material rather than applied to it. Detail sits under porcelain benchtops.

Adelaide Heat and Surface Temperature

Nobody mentions this in a showroom, where every sample sits at room temperature under artificial light. It is the complaint most likely to surface in the first summer after installation, and by then nothing can be done about it.

A dark stone benchtop in full Adelaide sun becomes dangerous to touch, not merely uncomfortable. On a forty degree February afternoon a black granite surface in direct sunlight reaches a temperature that will burn a hand laid flat on it. It also stays that hot for hours after the sun has moved off, because the mass holds the heat.

Test this before committing if you can, by putting a hand on a dark stone sample left in the sun for an hour. Colour is the single largest factor here, and the easiest one to control. A pale surface reflects far more of the incoming energy than a dark one, which absorbs it. A light grey or sand coloured bench in the same position therefore sits substantially cooler. It also remains usable right through the afternoon, which is exactly when an outdoor kitchen is wanted.

Shade is the other half of the answer, and it matters more than material choice does. A roof also makes the space usable on the days when it rains, which extends the season at both ends. A bench under a solid roof or a well positioned pergola never reaches those temperatures in the first place. The structure also protects the bench and the appliances from rain, hail and falling debris. Options are covered under pergola builders.

Prevailing wind matters as well, since smoke from a barbecue placed on the wrong side of an alfresco area will find the seating every time. Orientation deserves real thought at design stage. A south facing alfresco area receives almost no direct sun on the bench through summer. A west facing one takes the worst of a South Australian afternoon for hours on end. That happens at exactly the time people want to be using the space, which is the frustrating part.

Thermal expansion is a secondary consideration and it is entirely manageable. A large stone bench moving from eight degrees on a winter morning to seventy in summer sun does expand and contract measurably across the year. That is why flexible bedding and a little allowance at any join matter more outdoors than they do inside a climate controlled kitchen.

Stainless steel is the worst offender on surface temperature despite performing well on every other measure. It absorbs heat readily and conducts it very efficiently. An unshaded stainless bench in an Adelaide summer therefore becomes unusable faster than anything else on the list, which is worth knowing before choosing it for an open position.

Consider where people will stand and lean while the barbecue is running. The bench edge nearest the appliance takes both solar heat from above and radiated heat from the side. That combination is worth thinking about when choosing the colour for that particular run, since it is the hottest place on the whole bench.

Materials That Work Outdoors

Four materials handle South Australian outdoor conditions properly across a long working life. Each suits a different priority, so the right answer depends on budget, appearance and how exposed the position is.

The technical best answer outdoors is porcelain or a sintered surface, at $1,000 to $2,000 per square metre. Both are fired at extremely high temperatures and contain no organic binder at all. Porosity is effectively zero, so neither ever needs sealing across its entire life. Ultraviolet light, frost and anything spilled on them all have no effect whatsoever, which is not true of any alternative.

Thickness outdoors tends to run heavier than indoors as well, since a twenty millimetre slab over a long unsupported span is asking for trouble in the weather. Full bodied porcelain is worth specifying rather than accepting a surface decorated slab. A full bodied piece carries its colour and pattern through the whole thickness of the material. A chip on an exposed outdoor corner therefore shows the same material instead of a pale body under a printed surface. Dekton, Neolith and Laminam all produce ranges suited to external use, and a supplier should know which is which.

Sitting below that on price is granite at $700 to $1,400 per square metre, which is the practical mid market answer outdoors. It is igneous rock that formed under enormous heat and pressure, so nothing about an Adelaide summer troubles it in the slightest. It does need sealing more often outdoors than indoors, and the resin treatment question below applies to it, as covered under granite benchtops.

Concrete performs unusually well outdoors and looks at home there. It is unaffected by ultraviolet light and handles the temperature swings without complaint.

It can also be cast to fit an irregular alfresco layout, including an integrated drainer or a moulded edge that stone could not deliver. Casting methods and finishes are covered under concrete benchtops.

Its outdoor weakness is the same as its indoor one, namely that it is cement based and porous. Sealing therefore matters considerably more outside than in. Rain, sunscreen, marinade and dropped food all attack the surface in an outdoor kitchen, and there is nobody wiping it down between uses the way there would be in a kitchen. Resealing every couple of years is the price of the look, and it is a homeowner task.

Stainless steel is the commercial answer and it is thoroughly practical for a working outdoor kitchen. It is impervious to weather and very easy to clean down after use. A pressed sink or drainer can be formed as part of the bench. Marine grade is also available for coastal properties, though the material shows every fingerprint and gets extremely hot in direct sun.

Tiled benchtops deserve a brief mention as the budget option outdoors. A tiled surface laid over a masonry base is inexpensive and entirely weatherproof, and it has been the traditional Australian barbecue bench for decades.

The grout lines do collect grease and food in a way a single slab does not. Detail sits under outdoor tiling.

Materials That Do Not Belong Outside

Being direct about all of this saves money and disappointment in equal measure. Several materials that perform perfectly well indoors fail outdoors for reasons that are not obvious from looking at a sample, and salespeople do not always volunteer them.

Laminate is unsuitable outdoors, and this is not a marginal judgement. The board underneath swells the first time water reaches an exposed edge, which outdoors is a matter of when, not if. The surface layer degrades under ultraviolet exposure, and the printed pattern fades alongside it. A laminate bench in an open alfresco area has a short and disappointing life.

Acrylic solid surface fails for the binder reason set out above. The material is roughly two thirds mineral and one third acrylic resin by composition. That resin fraction yellows and chalks under sustained ultraviolet exposure, taking the appearance with it. Manufacturers exclude external installations from warranty for exactly that reason, which tells you what you need to know.

Engineered stone was never suitable outdoors even before it was prohibited nationally. Its polymer binder degrades under ultraviolet light exactly as acrylic does, and the manufacturers said so plainly in their own literature.

Anyone offering leftover quartz for an outdoor kitchen is therefore wrong on two separate counts. Supplying or installing it is also unlawful now regardless of the position.

Timber is the difficult one, because it looks so good and so many people want it outdoors regardless of the advice. Adelaide's ultraviolet levels grey and check exposed timber within a few seasons rather than years. The temperature swings open up the joints between boards. Maintaining a good finish outdoors means recoating far more often than most households actually sustain.

Timber also carries a fire consideration that none of the other materials do. In a bushfire prone area, a combustible benchtop attached to a structure near the house is a poor choice regardless of how it has been finished. Where the warmth of timber is wanted, using it for screening or the structure while keeping the bench itself non combustible is the sensible compromise, as covered under timber benchtops.

Marble sits somewhere in between and is best avoided outdoors in this state. It is calcite based and therefore vulnerable to acid of any kind. Outdoors that means rain carrying dissolved pollutants, bird droppings and fallen leaves left sitting on the surface. All three mark and etch marble over time, and none of them can be prevented in an open position.

Where marble is wanted purely for appearance, there are two straight substitutions. A honed granite in a pale veined variety reads similarly at a glance.

A porcelain reproducing marble veining does the job even more convincingly and is immune to everything. Either substitution costs nothing extra and removes the problem entirely, with detail under marble benchtops.

Bushfire Prone Areas and Non Combustible Choices

This matters more in South Australia than in most other states. Bushfire prone mapping covers a substantial area of the Adelaide Hills and a good deal of the metropolitan fringe, along with large parts of the regions.

Properties in mapped bushfire prone areas are subject to construction requirements that increase with the assessed risk level of the site. Those requirements are set out in Australian Standards published by Standards Australia. They apply to building work instead of to loose furniture, which is where the difficulty with outdoor kitchens begins.

An outdoor kitchen sits in an uncertain position between those two categories. Where it is a built structure attached to or close to the house, the material choices reasonably follow the same logic as the rest of the building. A builder who works regularly in these areas will advise on where the line falls for your specific property and design.

The practical answer is simple regardless of where the regulatory line happens to sit. Stone, porcelain, concrete, masonry and steel are all non combustible materials. Choosing any of them removes the question rather than leaving it open to interpretation later. That certainty is worth something in itself.

Timber is the material that raises the question. A timber benchtop, timber cabinetry or a timber framed alfresco structure adjacent to a house in a high risk area adds fuel exactly where you would least want it. That is worth weighing on its own merits, quite apart from any regulatory obligation that may or may not apply.

Ember attack rather than direct flame is the mechanism people consistently underestimate. Embers travel well ahead of a fire front and lodge in gaps, under structures and against combustible surfaces. That is why detailing and material choice around an outdoor structure matter as much as its distance from vegetation does. Most losses in a bushfire begin that way instead of with a wall of flame.

Bushfire risk information and preparation guidance for South Australians is coordinated through SAFECOM. Whether a specific property sits within a mapped area is a planning question rather than a building one. It is worth checking before designing anything permanent outdoors, since the answer may change what you build as well as what you build it from.

Gas appliances add their own requirements and their own licensing. Connecting a built in barbecue to natural gas, or installing a fixed cylinder arrangement, is licensed work in this state administered by Consumer and Business Services. Clearances around the appliance also affect the benchtop cutout, so the two trades need to talk to each other before anything is cut.

Coastal Salt, Frost and Rain

South Australia covers an unusually wide range of conditions for a single state. An outdoor bench in Victor Harbor faces quite different problems from one in Clare, and both differ again from one in Coober Pedy. Coastal salt is the first of them, and it damages the structure. Airborne salt in a beachside suburb, or anywhere on the Fleurieu, Yorke or Eyre Peninsulas, attacks fixings, frames, hinges and appliances relentlessly. Stone and porcelain benchtops themselves are largely indifferent to it, which is why the problem gets overlooked until something underneath fails.

Specify marine grade stainless for anything metal in a coastal position, without exception. Standard stainless fixings will rust within a few years anywhere within a kilometre or two of the water. Replacing corroded brackets under an installed stone bench is harder than choosing better ones at the outset, and it costs a great deal more.

Check the fixings themselves once a year, since surface rust on a bracket is the early warning that the grade was wrong. Rinsing matters more than cleaning in those coastal locations.

A freshwater rinse across the bench and the frame every few weeks removes accumulated salt before it has time to do its work. It costs nothing beyond a hose and five minutes, and it materially extends the life of every metal component.

Frost is the second condition, and it applies through the Adelaide Hills, the Mid North and the Far North on winter nights. Water absorbed into a porous material expands as it freezes. Across many cycles that expansion can damage a poorly sealed surface from within. Porcelain with effectively zero porosity is immune to the problem entirely, which is one more argument for it in those districts.

Rain and hail are the third condition, and both argue for cover regardless of which material you choose. A roof or a substantial pergola over an outdoor kitchen extends the life of everything beneath it. That includes the appliances, which frequently cost more than the benchtop does. Options are covered under outdoor living areas.

Drainage across the bench surface deserves a mention because it is so easily overlooked. A benchtop that ponds water after rain will show mineral deposits as it dries and eventually stain in those spots.

A very slight fall to the front edge solves it completely. That is a detail worth asking a fabricator to build in rather than assuming they will.

Hard water compounds the marking in this state as it does indoors. Rinsing with a hose leaves its own mineral deposits behind as the water evaporates, and hardness figures by supply zone are published by SA Water. Drying a stone bench with a cloth after washing keeps it looking considerably better than leaving it to dry in the sun.

Support, Slabs and Ground Movement

Outdoor benchtops are heavier than indoor ones and almost never sit on standard kitchen cabinetry. That makes support a design question to be answered early instead of an assumption to be made late.

Whichever you choose, the base needs to be square and level before the benchtop is measured, since stone will not correct a base that is out. Masonry bases are the traditional approach and the most robust of the three options. A rendered blockwork or brick base carries any benchtop weight indefinitely and tolerates weather without deterioration of any kind. It also provides a thoroughly solid fixing point for everything sitting above it. The trade off is permanence, since it commits you to that layout for the life of the structure and moving it later means demolition.

Steel framing is the common modern alternative and it is faster to build than masonry. A properly designed and coated steel frame carries the load well and allows a lighter looking structure underneath the bench. The coating and the fixings both matter enormously in a coastal position, since corrosion rather than load is the failure mode there. A frame that would last decades inland can fail in years within sight of the water.

Purpose made outdoor cabinetry has improved considerably in recent years and is now a realistic option. Marine grade materials or powder coated aluminium carcasses tolerate weather in a way ordinary kitchen joinery simply does not. Standard kitchen cabinets should never be used outdoors under any circumstances, whatever a builder may suggest to save money.

The slab beneath the whole arrangement deserves more thought than it usually receives. An alfresco area or patio slab is frequently laid to a lighter specification than the house footings alongside it. On the reactive clay soils common across metropolitan Adelaide, that slab can therefore move independently of the building it adjoins.

That independent movement is what cracks outdoor stone benches, and it is rarely diagnosed correctly. A rigid slab bedded hard onto a base that is itself sitting on a moving patio slab concentrates stress at the weakest point available. On any benchtop that point is the internal corner of a barbecue or sink cutout, exactly as it is indoors.

Flexible bedding and radiused cutout corners are the two answers, and neither costs anything extra to specify. Silicone bedding instead of rigid adhesive lets the bench shift slightly with its base. A curved internal corner spreads stress that a square corner would concentrate into a single point. Both are ordinary practice for a fabricator who works in this state.

Keep the installation manual after the job, because those clearances matter again when the appliance is eventually replaced. Cutouts for appliances need their clearances confirmed against the actual model rather than a generic dimension. Built in barbecues specify minimum clearances to combustible materials and to the surrounding bench in their installation instructions. Those dimensions vary between manufacturers by more than people expect. The appliance should therefore be on site, or fully specified in writing, at templating.

What Affects the Cost

Material sets the band as it does on any benchtop job. Granite at $700 per square metre and premium sintered surfaces at $2,000 differ by nearly three times over, before cutouts or support are counted at all. Cutouts drive the fabrication cost more than the bench area does on an outdoor job. A built in barbecue, a side burner and a sink each need their own opening at $250 to $600. Outdoor cutouts cost more than kitchen ones as a rule, because the openings are larger and the cut edges are visible from below in a way a kitchen sink cutout never is.

Support is a separate trade and therefore a separate quote. Masonry bases, steel frames and outdoor rated cabinetry all sit outside the benchtop price entirely. Coordinating the two is usually the homeowner's job, unless a single builder is running the whole project and taking responsibility for the sequence.

Access costs more outdoors than it does indoors, which surprises people who assume the opposite. A rear alfresco area reached through a side gate, along a narrow path and up a step takes more hands and more time than a kitchen reached through a front door. Send photographs of the route with your first enquiry.

Weather protection is worth budgeting as part of the project rather than treating as a later addition. A roof over the bench extends the life of everything beneath it and solves the surface temperature problem at the same time. It usually costs more than the benchtop does, so it belongs in the plan from the start, as covered under outdoor entertaining builders.

Gas and electrical work are both licensed trades and are priced separately from the benchtop. Both are commonly needed on an outdoor kitchen, since a built in barbecue usually wants a gas connection and the area wants lighting and power.

Regional travel applies as it does on any stone job in this state. Heavy outdoor pieces make it a larger component of the total than it would be on a laminate kitchen, since the freight is charged on weight and distance together. Dust control obligations during cutting and polishing rest with SafeWork SA.

Outdoor Benchtop Costs Across Adelaide

Pricing holds steady across the metropolitan area, and what varies from job to job is the site itself. Access to a rear yard, the support structure required and the degree of sun exposure all move the figure more than the suburb does.

Position in each range comes from the material, the number of appliance cutouts and the support structure required. Three local points are worth knowing before you start. Households in the Adelaide Hills and along the metropolitan fringe should check whether the property sits in a mapped bushfire prone area before choosing anything combustible, since that decision is easier made at design stage than revisited later. Coastal suburbs through the west and south should specify marine grade fixings and frames as a matter of course, because the bench will outlast standard brackets by decades. And homes in the newer growth corridors frequently have a purpose built alfresco area with a roof already in place, which widens the material choice considerably and reduces the surface temperature problem to a non issue.

Outdoor Benchtop Costs in Regional SA

Outdoor entertaining is more central to how houses are used across regional South Australia than it is in the metropolitan area. The conditions those benches face are also harsher, which makes material choice matter more instead of less.

Riverland and Far North properties face the most extreme sun exposure anywhere in the state. Summer temperatures well above forty degrees combine with long clear afternoons and very little cloud.

Surface colour and overhead shade therefore matter more in those districts than anywhere else. A dark unshaded bench in Renmark or Port Augusta is close to unusable through January.

Frost applies through the Adelaide Hills, Mid North and Far North on clear winter nights. Porcelain with effectively zero porosity handles freeze and thaw cycles indefinitely without any deterioration. A poorly sealed porous surface in those same districts will break down faster than the identical material would in coastal Adelaide, where frost is rare.

Bushfire risk is a live consideration across much of regional South Australia. Non combustible materials for an outdoor kitchen attached to a rural house are the sensible default. Guidance available through sa.gov.au covers property preparation more broadly, and it is worth reading before finalising any outdoor structure.

Freight is a larger component on outdoor jobs because the pieces are heavy and the distances involved are long. Bundling an outdoor bench with an indoor kitchen order is worth pursuing for exactly the same reason it works on any small stone piece. One set of trips serving two jobs is always cheaper than two sets serving one each.

That split also means two quotes to compare instead of one bundled figure, which usually works in your favour. Local trades handle the support structure well across regional centres, which helps a good deal. Masonry bases and steel frames are ordinary building work, not specialist fabrication. A local builder can therefore prepare the base and have it ready, leaving only the benchtop itself to travel out from Adelaide.

What to Look Out For

Ask what the manufacturer warranty actually covers outdoors, since several exclude external installation altogether while still selling the product for it. Establish whether the material is rated for external use, and get that answer in writing. Several materials that perform well indoors are excluded from warranty outdoors by their own manufacturers. A supplier who is vague on the point is one to avoid entirely.

Raise the resin treatment question specifically on any granite. It is a fair question and a good supplier will answer it without hesitating.

The stone itself is entirely unaffected by ultraviolet light, while a factory applied resin can yellow over years in the sun. Reputable suppliers know which of their slabs suit outdoor positions and which do not.

Choose a lighter colour unless the bench will be permanently shaded by a solid roof. Mid greys and sand tones cover most design intentions without the heat penalty. Surface temperature in an Adelaide summer is a real usability problem on dark stone rather than a theoretical one, and colour is the cheapest way to manage it, since a pale slab costs no more than a dark one in most ranges.

Have the base built and cured before templating day, since a fabricator cannot measure what does not exist. Confirm the support structure before the benchtop is ordered, not afterwards, since masonry, steel or outdoor rated cabinetry all need to be in place before templating can happen. Standard kitchen carcasses must not be used outdoors at all, whatever the saving looks like at the time. Joinery options sit under custom kitchen joinery.

Check whether the property sits within a mapped bushfire prone area before finalising anything. Councils hold that mapping and will confirm it, and the answer affects the structure as much as the bench. That answer should inform the material choice for the bench and for the structure around it. Establishing it at design stage is far easier than revisiting the question once something has been built.

Salt reaches further inland than people assume, particularly on an exposed western aspect. Specify marine grade fixings anywhere near the coast, and put it in the quote rather than assuming it is covered. Standard stainless corrodes within a few years in salt air, sometimes sooner on an exposed site. Replacing brackets under an installed stone bench is difficult and expensive work, and it means lifting the bench off. Nobody enjoys that job, least of all the person paying for it a second time.

Allow for the barbecue to be removed and replaced without dismantling the bench, since appliances outlast neither the structure nor the surface. Confirm gas and electrical licensing through Consumer and Business Services, and get the whole scope in writing before work begins.

Appliance clearances should also be checked against the actual model. Where a dispute cannot be resolved directly, SACAT hears building work matters in this state.

What to Look for in a Quote in SA

An outdoor benchtop quote worth comparing names the material and confirms in writing that it is rated for external use. It states the finish and the thickness. Every appliance cutout should be listed along with the model it has been sized for. It should describe the bedding method, and state clearly what support structure is and is not included in the price.

State whether the area is fully open, partly covered or roofed, because that single fact changes which materials a supplier should be quoting. Give every supplier the same brief, or the numbers coming back will not be comparable. Send the dimensioned alfresco plan along with photographs, including the whole access route from the street. Include the barbecue and sink models you have chosen. State the orientation of the area and whether it is roofed, partly covered or fully open, since that changes the material advice considerably.

Four questions separate a supplier who works outdoors regularly from one who mostly does kitchens. Is this material rated for external use, and is the granite resin treated. How will you allow for movement in the patio slab, and what surface temperature should I expect from this colour in February. Confident, specific answers to all four are a good sign, and hesitation on any of them tells you something useful.

Lighting and power belong in the same conversation, since chasing cables into a finished masonry base afterwards is difficult work. Price the roof alongside the bench instead of treating it as a later stage.

Shade transforms both the usability and the lifespan of an outdoor kitchen, and it removes the surface temperature problem entirely. It usually costs more than the benchtop does, which is exactly why the two decisions belong together rather than a year apart.

Budget the whole project instead of just the surface on top of it. Support structure, appliances, gas, electrical and weather protection together typically exceed the benchtop cost several times over. The benchtop is realistically the last decision in the sequence rather than the first, even though it is the one people start with. Posting the job on The Quote Yard puts the same brief in front of several South Australian suppliers, and structure builders sit under alfresco builders. The protections that apply to both the product and the installation work are explained by the ACCC.