HOW TO HIRE · GARDEN & OUTDOOR

How to hire an outdoor kitchen builder in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register covers outdoor kitchen builders — but gas needs a Gas Safe engineer and electrics need certifying. Check both.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an outdoor kitchen builder in five steps

  1. Decide on gas, electric or charcoalMains gas means a Gas Safe engineer; bottled gas appliances follow their own instructions.
  2. Plan the powerSockets, lights and a fridge need certified wiring.
  3. Check the roof and heightA roofed kitchen is a garden structure under Class E in England.
  4. Agree the base and worktopsLevel, drained, frost-proof materials.
  5. Get every trade on the quoteBuilder, electrician, gas engineer — and who is in charge.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

There is no licence or statutory register for outdoor kitchen builders in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. TrustMark, the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme, is optional. The law reaches the gas and electrics, and the structure's height under planning. For work on your home, CDM 2015 (the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations) moves the client's legal duties onto the contractor, or onto the principal contractor on a job with several trades, according to HSE.

Ask for references from recent jobs and check any scheme membership on the scheme's own search. On a job with several trades, ask which firm is acting as principal contractor. trustmark.org.uk →

Gas Safe registration for any gas

The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations make registration a legal requirement for anyone paid to do gas work, in all four nations.

Ask for the engineer's Gas Safe licence number and check it on the register. gassaferegister.co.uk →

Electrics

Power to sockets, lights and a fridge in an outdoor kitchen is electrical work, usually by an electrician rather than the outdoor kitchen builder. It has to meet the Building Regulations in England and Wales (outdoor work is notifiable in Wales), and a Registered Competent Person Electrical electrician can self-certify it.

Ask who does the wiring and which certificate you will get. electricalcompetentperson.co.uk →

Planning limits for garden buildings (England)

In England a garden building is permitted development under Class E of the 2015 Order only within limits: not forward of the house front, one storey, eaves up to 2.5 metres, a maximum height of 2.5 metres within 2 metres of a boundary (4 metres dual-pitched or 3 metres elsewhere), no more than half the garden built over, no verandah or platform over 0.3 metres, and not at a listed building.

Ask the outdoor kitchen builder for the ridge and eaves heights and plan the position against the boundary. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

Building an outdoor kitchen is standard-rated at 20%. An outdoor kitchen builder turning over more than £90,000 a year must register, charge it and list the 20% separately on the written quote.

Ask for the builder's VAT number and check the 20% is a separate line below the itemised units and appliances. gov.uk →

“Who connects the outdoor kitchen gas, and what is their Gas Safe number?”

A good answer: A named engineer with a number you can check.

“Who wires the outdoor kitchen, and what certificate do I get?”

A good answer: A registered electrician; an Electrical Installation Certificate.

“Is the outdoor kitchen roof within planning limits?”

A good answer: Height and position checked against Class E.

“What are the worktops and units made of?”

A good answer: Frost-proof, weatherproof materials named.

“How will water drain from the outdoor kitchen?”

A good answer: Base laid to falls, any sink drained properly.

“Who manages the trades?”

A good answer: One contractor in charge of the whole outdoor kitchen.

“What guarantee covers the outdoor kitchen?”

A good answer: Workmanship plus the appliance makers' guarantees.

Getting the quote right

  • Layout, units and worktops named
  • Appliances listed
  • Gas work by a Gas Safe engineer
  • Electrical work and the certificate
  • Base, roof and drainage
  • Who actually attends each trade (build, gas, electrics), and whether they are employed or subcontracted
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% shown apart from units, appliances and labour

Walk away if

  • Gas connected by someone not on the Gas Safe Register
  • Wiring with no certificate
  • A tall roofed structure on the boundary with no planning check
  • Large deposit before design is agreed
LOW
£2,000
TYPICAL
£6,000
HIGH
£20,000

What an outdoor kitchen builder costs: £2,000–£20,000 per project

Outdoor kitchens are priced by the project; the appliances, worktops, any roof and the gas and electrical work make up the cost. Outdoor Kitchen price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Outdoor kitchen builders near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. DesignLayout, appliances and services planned.
  2. BaseBase laid to falls, ducts for cables and pipes.
  3. BuildUnits, worktops and any roof built.
  4. ServicesGas by a Gas Safe engineer, electrics by a registered electrician.
  5. Test and hand overAppliances tested, certificates handed over.

Gas Safe Register
The legal register of gas engineers.
Isolation valve
A valve that shuts off gas to an appliance.
Electrical Installation Certificate
The certificate for new electrical work.
Weatherproof socket
An outdoor-rated socket.
Duct
A pipe laid in the base for cables or gas pipe.
Class E
The planning rights for garden structures in England.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the certificatesGas safety paperwork, the electrical certificate and appliance guarantees.
Test everythingBurners light cleanly, sockets work, sink drains.
Learn the shut-offsWhere the gas isolation valve and the electrical isolator are.
Your reviewOnly booked jobs get reviews on Locufy. Raise anything unfinished with the outdoor kitchen builder through the make-it-right step, then review.

STEP 1Raise it with themKeep it in writing: what was agreed for the outdoor kitchen, what was done, and what you now want from the outdoor kitchen builder. Work done without reasonable care and skill breaks the contract under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
STEP 2Let Locufy follow it upBelow four stars, you choose whether the outdoor kitchen builder sees the problem before your review does; we follow it through, then the review goes live.
STEP 3Unsafe gas or electricsReport gas work by an unregistered person to Gas Safe Register. For advice, or to have Trading Standards told, ring Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Claim the money backFor an outdoor kitchen builder who ignores a fair request, the small-claims limits are £10,000 (England and Wales), £5,000 (Scotland, simple procedure) and £5,000 (Northern Ireland).

Hiring an outdoor kitchen builder: questions people ask

For mains gas, yes: anyone paid to do gas work must be on the Gas Safe Register, in all four nations.

An open kitchen usually not; in England a roofed structure must meet the Class E limits.

£2,000–£20,000 a project is the usual range and £6,000 the typical figure. The outdoor kitchen price guide has the factors behind it.

An Electrical Installation Certificate, or a Minor Works Certificate for a small addition.

No licence or statutory register applies to the builder; the gas and electrical trades are controlled.

With frost-proof materials and covers, yes; drain any water supply.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in garden & outdoor

How to hire: Pergola & GazeboHow to hire: Patio LayingHow to hire: Decking ConstructionHow to hire: LandscapingHow to hire: Garden DesignHow to hire: Summer House InstallationHow to hire: Water Feature InstallationHow to hire: Log Cabin InstallationAll 701 hiring guides →

Outdoor kitchen builders near you

Outdoor kitchen builders in LondonOutdoor kitchen builders in ManchesterOutdoor kitchen builders in BirminghamOutdoor kitchen builders in GlasgowOutdoor kitchen builders in BelfastAll outdoor kitchen builders on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 3
  2. Gas Safe Register
  3. Registered Competent Person Electrical register
  4. gov.wales — building regulations: electrics
  5. Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2 Part 1 — outbuildings and hard surfaces
  6. HSE — CDM 2015: domestic clients
  7. TrustMark — the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — what you can ask for when a service falls short
  9. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track (England and Wales)
  10. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money (simple procedure)
  11. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  12. Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708) — 2.1 Construction services: work to an existing building is normally standard-rated
  13. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  14. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register