04 — Articles
A Custom Outdoor Kitchen: How the Project Actually Runs
A custom outdoor kitchen project is decided almost entirely up front: site visit and survey, certificate of location, underground utility locate, dimensioned plan, grill locked in, permit, order, delivery, installation, commissioning. What governs the calendar is the decisions and the supply lead times, not the week the crew is on site.
Where does a custom project actually start?
With a site visit, not a catalogue. On a typical South Shore suburban lot — rectangular back yard, existing patio, one usable side yard — the shape of the kitchen is dictated by physical constraints nobody can guess remotely.
What we measure on site
The patio door threshold, the grade of the yard, the position of the gas meter and the panel, vents and exhaust outlets, the downspout drain, the clear width of the side yard, the gate height, mature trees and their roots. We also note orientation and prevailing wind: that is what decides which side the grill goes on so smoke does not blow back over your guests.
The certificate of location and the servitudes
We ask for the certificate before drawing anything. It shows the setbacks, the servitudes and the real lot lines — and many lots built as part of a development carry a public utility servitude across the back of the yard. A permanent kitchen sitting on a servitude gets resolved with a jackhammer.
Why locate the underground utilities before digging?
Because there is always digging — footings, gas trench, electrical conduit, water line — and because this is the one step in the project whose delay is published in black and white. The locate request is free, through Info-Excavation.
Two official numbers circulate, and they do not agree. Info-Excavation's FAQ states you must "expect a 3 business days delay before planning to start any kind of work," not counting the day the request is placed. The Régie du bâtiment du Québec tells contractors instead: "Déposez votre demande de localisation au moins 4 jours ouvrables avant le début des travaux" — file it at least 4 business days ahead. We plan on the more conservative of the two. The request stays valid until the work end date written on it — the RBQ notes a 180-day maximum — and a notice goes out 7 days before it expires. In practice: a request filed Friday does not let you dig on Monday.
What must a plan show before anyone can quote it?
A drawing you cannot price is not a plan, it is a picture. Before a price means anything, the drawing carries plan and elevation dimensions, finished counter heights, the exact cut-out size for every appliance, the gas run with the shut-off valve located, every receptacle, door and drawer swing, the slab build-up and the drainage slope.
The plan is also what surfaces conflicts while they are still free: a drawer that hits the corner of the house, a grill placed under a vent, a receptacle required where the electrician cannot run a circuit. Our outdoor kitchen planning guide covers the configuration and material choices that come before this plan.
When does the grill model have to be locked?
Before the island is built. A built-in grill's cut-out is model-specific: width, depth, height below the bezel, clearances to combustibles, gas inlet position. Those values come from the manufacturer's spec sheet, not from a standard. Changing model after the cabinet is fabricated means rebuilding the cabinet. We work through that logic in designing an outdoor kitchen around the BBQ, and the built-in requirements for a premium grill in our Twin Eagles article.
An appliance decision is a civil works decision
The model fixes the cut-out, the cut-out fixes the width of the cooking module, that width fixes the length of the island — and therefore the footprint, the slab, the excavation and the volume of trench.
Who is allowed to do what, and in what order?
Several trades on this site are reserved. Québec's Building Act requires a Régie du bâtiment du Québec licence for anyone who performs or has construction work performed for others — and the licence must carry the right subcategory.
| Work | Reserved to | RBQ subcategory | When on site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excavation | Licensed contractor | 2.5 — Excavation et terrassement | After the locate |
| Slab and footings | Licensed contractor | 3.2 — Petits ouvrages de béton | Right after excavation |
| Stone or tile cladding | Licensed contractor | 4.2 — Maçonnerie non structurale | After the structure |
| Natural gas supply | CMMTQ member | 15.2 — Brûleurs au gaz naturel | Trench open |
| Propane | CMMTQ member | 15.6 — Propane | Trench open |
| Water line and drain | CMMTQ member | 15.5 — Plomberie | Same trench |
| Circuits and lighting | Master electrician (CMEQ) | 16.0 — Électricité | Same trench, then final wiring |
The CMEQ is unambiguous: only master electricians may perform or have performed electrical work of any kind, and it publishes the penalty — a fine "allant de 5 000 $ à 200 888 $." On the gas side, the CMMTQ states that all work relating to a gas installation or a gas-fired appliance must be entrusted to a specialized contractor who is a CMMTQ member. It does not publish a fine range of its own: the RBQ amounts are what apply.
What the RBQ publishes as fines
In its 2026 schedule, the RBQ publishes two ranges under section 197.1 of the Building Act. Holding a licence but not the right subcategory: $7,051 to $35,244 for a natural person, $21,148 to $105,734 for a legal person. Holding no licence at all: $14,098 to $105,734 and $42,292 to $211,465. Doubled on a first repeat offence, tripled after. The wrong subcategory is an offence in itself.
When do you file for the permit?
As soon as the plan is dimensioned, and before you order. A permanent island founded on the ground is an accessory structure: most South Shore cities require a permit or certificate of authorization, and the review looks at siting, setbacks and back yard coverage.
Here is the uncomfortable part: none of the three cities we checked publishes a numbered processing time. Saint-Lambert only states that "en raison de la forte demande, les délais de traitement des permis sont plus longs qu'à l'habitude" — processing is slower than usual. Longueuil points to its online portal without quoting a duration, and neither does Brossard. The only numbered municipal delay we found is Saint-Lambert's for temporary occupation of the public domain: "prévoyez un délai de 10 jours ouvrables avant le début de l'entrave" — 10 business days, which matters the day a truck or a crane has to block the street. So we will not invent a number of weeks: we call your city with the plan in hand.
Why ordering in February is not the same project as ordering in June
Because in February the supply queue is yours alone, and in June you share it with the whole province. Custom cabinetry, built-in appliances and counter surfaces are made or imported to order. We will not publish a generic lead time: it varies by manufacturer, by finish and by season, and a number invented here would become your disappointment in July.
The rest can be said without numbers: the order does not go out before the grill is locked, which does not happen before the plan is approved, or before the certificate of location. Every week lost at the front is paid in full at the back. And you do not excavate frozen ground.
The chain of dependencies
| Decision | What it unlocks | What stays frozen without it |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of location | The siting | The plan, the permit, everything |
| Layout and heights | The shop drawing | A firm price |
| Grill model | The cut-out and module width | Cabinet fabrication |
| Fuel type | The trench route | Excavation, the gas quote |
| Municipal permit | The right to dig | Any equipment mobilization |
How do delivery and site access work?
This is the part plans forget. A loaded module, a monolithic countertop or a built-in appliance will not go everywhere: we measure the side yard, the gate, whether the ground carries a pallet jack, and where the truck can stop.
The classic suburban constraint is a side yard narrower than the finished module. Three answers: deliver cabinets flat and assemble on site, take down a section of fence, or crane over the house — which brings you back to the public domain notice. A modular approach helps a lot here; see modular outdoor kitchen units.
What does the install week look like?
A relay, not one crew. The order does not change: valid locate in hand, excavation and trench, footings and slab, the gas fitter, the plumber and the electrician while the trench is open, backfill, cabinets set and levelled, countertop set with the cut-outs already machined, appliances dropped in, final connections, cladding, commissioning. The friction point is always the same: someone backfills before every trade has been through. Reopening a trench after the slab costs more than the trench did.
The frost question
Chapter I of the Québec Construction Code adopts the National Building Code of Canada 2020 with Québec amendments. The requirement is performance-based: the foundation bears below the frost line or is otherwise protected against frost action. There is no single depth valid everywhere in Québec — it depends on the soil and the municipality. We confirm it with the city. A badly founded slab heaves the first winter and throws the island doors out of alignment.
What is commissioning, and why the leak test?
Chapter II of the Québec Construction Code incorporates CSA B149.1, the Natural Gas and Propane Installation Code, by reference. The installation is verified and tested before it is fed: leak test on the piping, purge, joint inspection, supply pressure checked at the appliance, then lighting and flame check on every burner. The gas contractor performs it and answers for it.
This is not optional: section 38 of the Building Act provides that the distributor must refuse to supply an installation that is defective or presents a known risk of accident. Commissioning also covers the electrical side — polarity, grounding, protection of outdoor circuits — and the water.
From the field
The certificate of location is our first reflex, not our last. More than once we have seen a project that was drawn, loved and nearly signed move a metre and a half because a rear servitude showed up on the certificate. Found in February, that costs a plan revision; found after the slab, a demolition.
We refuse to give a firm price on a plan without cut-outs. Until the grill is locked and the manufacturer's spec sheet is in the file, any number will move. This is not a commercial posture: the cut-out governs the island, and the island governs the volume to be excavated.
The trench is where the surprises live. Rock, an old drainage pit, the roots of a mature maple, an unrecorded line in a 1970s development — you only find out by digging. Hence the rule: gas fitter, plumber and electrician on the same day, trench open, before any backfill.
Common questions
Can I connect the gas to my BBQ myself?
Not for a fixed installation. The CMMTQ is explicit: all work relating to a gas installation or a gas-fired appliance must be entrusted to a specialized contractor who is a CMMTQ member. The consequence goes beyond the fine — a non-compliant installation can be refused supply by the distributor under section 38 of the Building Act.
How long does a project take, from first call to first meal?
The only published, reliable duration in the whole chain is the locate: 3 business days per Info-Excavation, at least 4 per the RBQ. Everything else — permit review, fabrication, delivery — depends on your city, the manufacturer and the season. We set the calendar once those three answers are in.
Can an outdoor kitchen go on an existing wood deck?
Sometimes, but it is a question of load, not taste. A solid masonry island exceeds the capacity of a typical residential deck; a lighter modular build can work if the structure is verified and reinforced. We assess joist spans and post condition before deciding.
What is the homeowner responsible for afterwards?
Seasonal maintenance, essentially: purge and shut the water line before the first freeze, clean surfaces and grates, have gas connections and burners inspected annually, cover according to the finish, and keep de-icing salt off the stainless. Keep the spec sheet for every appliance and the licence number of every contractor who worked on the project.
The realistic calendar for a kitchen you can use by Saint-Jean-Baptiste
You work backwards from 24 June, the only fixed date. Commissioning precedes the first meal, installation precedes commissioning, delivery precedes installation, the order precedes delivery, the permit and the locked grill precede the order, the dimensioned plan precedes the permit, and the certificate of location precedes the plan. A project that starts its plan in April is asking every one of those steps to hold at once; a project started the previous autumn is asking nothing of anyone. The difference has nothing to do with budget.
If you are still at the choosing stage rather than the scheduling stage, start with our planning guide and the layout tips that change daily use. For how cabinetry survives our winters, see the aluminum of Urban Bonfire and the wood finish of NatureKast. To start a survey on your lot, write to us through the contact page.
