Buncombe Custom Countertops is Buncombe County's trusted specialist in outdoor kitchen countertops in Asheville, NC, specializing in granite grill islands, soapstone patio tops and quartzite outdoor bar counters. We offer grill openings and outdoor sink cutouts.
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Or call (828) 470-1105. Calls only, we do not receive text messages.
Our team provides stone selection for sun, rain and frost, delivering weather-ready countertops for homes and hard-wearing outdoor surfaces for both residential and commercial projects. We walk the deck or patio before the slab arrives, checking the carry path down steps and across the yard, and the grill opening is cut in our shop to the grill maker's published cutout size.
From an opening sized to the grill's insulated jacket to the last joint on a covered porch bar, our team handles every detail. Serving Asheville, Fairview, Weaverville and Black Mountain, we choose the stone for the weather your deck actually gets.
Why Buncombe Custom Countertops
The crew that measures your kitchen is the crew that sets the tops.
Outdoor kitchen countertops in Asheville need stone that absorbs very little water, because the damage outdoors comes from water freezing inside the stone. Asheville sits at about 2,130 feet, its average January low is 28.6 degrees Fahrenheit, and it averages 49.6 inches of rain and melted snow a year, so a patio top here gets soaked and then frozen many times each winter. When water freezes, its volume increases by about nine percent. Geologists call the result frost weathering: water in pores and cracks expands as it freezes and pries the rock apart, and it is most active between roughly 27 and 18 degrees Fahrenheit where water is present. Porous rock such as sandstone sheds grains from its surface this way. Dense rock that holds little water has little to expand.
Granite has poor primary permeability, meaning intact stone lets very little water in, and its compressive strength is high. Its weak point is any crack or fissure, which is why we look the slab over for fissures before it is cut for outdoors.
Soapstone is dense, heat resistant and stores heat well, and several surviving medieval buildings in northern Europe are built of it. It softens in look with age and weather, which suits a rustic deck.
True quartzite is hard and resists stains better than granite. Some softer stones are sold under the name, so the slab is tested before it goes outside.
Marble is soft and porous and etches under acids, which makes it a poor choice for an uncovered grill station.
Standard engineered quartz should not be used for an outdoor kitchen, because the resin that binds it is not fully UV stable. Engineered stone is roughly 90 to 93 percent silica held in a polyester resin, and that resin is why reference sources state it should not be used in outdoor applications. It is also less heat resistant than natural stone, which matters right beside a grill.
This is the one place on a Buncombe County job where we steer people away from the material they may already have inside. A quartz top that looks perfect in the kitchen can change color over seasons of sun on a south-facing deck, and a covered porch still gets low-angle sun in the mornings and evenings.
At least one quartz maker now sells a separate outdoor line it describes as UV resistant and tested for weather. That is a distinct product from its indoor slabs, with its own color range. If you want the quartz look outside, that line or a natural stone is the choice, never an indoor slab.
The grill opening is cut to the size the grill maker publishes, not to the grill itself, so the grill model has to be chosen before we template. Built-in grills set into a framed island often sit in an insulated jacket, a metal sleeve that lets the grill sit safely next to combustible framing, and the island is built to the jacket's cutout and overall dimensions. Cutout sizes differ from one grill to the next by an inch or more, so we work from your model's installation manual.
An outdoor top is only as sound as the frame under it and the deck under that. Granite is dense, at around 2.65 to 2.75 grams per cubic centimeter, so a long grill island puts real weight on a small footprint.
Deck builders and landscape contractors building the island can send the plan and the appliance list, and we return the cut layout before fabrication.
An outdoor kitchen top is typically estimated at roughly $5,000 to $15,000 in Buncombe County, a service-ticket-bank estimate rather than a quote. What moves a job within that range is mostly the stone, the openings and the site.
All of these figures are estimates and subject to change with stone prices and your final design. The written quote after your free on-site measure sets the final price.
Natural stone outdoors should be sealed, and newer impregnating sealers are rated to last roughly five to ten years on most materials before reapplying. Granite and quartzite outdoors should be sealed before their first winter, and at handover we point out what to watch for, chiefly any hairline crack where water could collect and freeze. Soapstone needs no sealer and is simply allowed to weather.
Drag the handle. The cabinets stayed; only the top changed.
BeforeAfter
BeforeAfterThe process
We come to the house, look at the cabinets, the walls and the way in from the driveway, and talk through materials and edges.
You get the slab, the edge, the cutouts, the seam plan and the dates in writing. Nothing is cut until you sign off.
Once the cabinets are set and level, we template them, then cut and finish the tops in the shop to that template.
We set and join the tops, then walk the finished kitchen with you before we call it done.
Questions
No. Standard engineered quartz uses a resin that is not fully UV stable and is not meant for outdoor use. An outdoor-rated quartz line or a natural stone such as granite is the right choice.
Sound granite absorbs very little water, so freezing does little to it. The risk is an existing fissure that lets water in, which is why we inspect the slab before cutting it for outdoor use.
Yes, or at least choose the exact model. The opening is cut to that model's published cutout and jacket size, which varies from grill to grill.
No. Gas piping is licensed separately in North Carolina and is done by a licensed gas contractor. We cut the openings and set the stone.
Most outdoor tops are typically estimated at roughly $5,000 to $15,000, depending on stone, length, openings and access. Your written quote sets the final price.
Yes, once your deck builder has confirmed the framing can carry a stone-topped island. We flag it at the walk so it is settled before the stone is cut.
Yes. A roof blocks rain but not low-angle sun or freezing air, so the same material rules apply under cover.
Yes. We measure and install outdoor tops across Buncombe County, including Fairview, Weaverville, Black Mountain and the Candler side.
Free measures across Buncombe County. Builders, cabinet shops and property owners can send drawings for a bid.
Licensed, bonded & insured. Calls only, we do not receive text messages.
