DIY grill hack: Build a platform for your grill

We live in a house built loooong before there was such a thing as a gas grill or any other other consumer grill to speak of, so we were perfect candidates for our own outdoor living grill hack: A grill platform made from wood you can build yourself.

Because our house was designed with porches rather than a deck, our summer outdoors-ing is centered around our pergola where we have a nice place to sit and hang out—but no place (other than sinking into the lawn) to place our grill. So it made sense for us to keep the grill close to that area. We sized it wide enough for one person to cook and long enough for the grill, grill master, and a small table or cooler—4-feet x 8-feet.

To get it level, the first part of this grill hack was to remove some soil. To help keep it stable we dug out a little extra and placed a few inches of pea gravel in as a base.

Next, we framed and squared the box. The two long outside pieces are 8-feet long. The two sh0rter end pieces are 44-inches. Cutting them 45-inches is an exact fit for a 4-foot deck board. Cutting them a little short enables you to have a 1/2-inch over-hang on the decking and gives you a little wiggle room in case boards or cuts aren’t surgically precise.

You know the box is ‘square’ (all the corners are 90-degrees) when you ‘pull diagonals.’ When both tape measures—hooked on one end the same way and read from the same edge of the blade on the other—show the same number.

With the box square, we placed a joist in the center. That’s 93-inches long. Note: If it doesn’t fit exactly, knock 1/8-inch off. We used a miter saw to build this grill hack, but a circular saw will get the job done too. Forcing it in because the math works doesn’t actually work. It just bends the box and will probably knock it out of square.

So, square box set, we then install the end deck boards. This pretty much holds it square. Then—while it still weighs less than a metric ton—we move it into place, double check level in both directions, then start installing deck boards (Note: we made the whole thing out of Western Red Cedar). Measure periodically to make sure you maintain the 1/2-inch overhang on each side.

With your grill hack complete, it’s time to hit the heat and grill me up some burgers! Yeah and yummy.

Mark

A licensed contractor, tool expert, wood and outdoor enthusiast, and elite Spartan Race competitor, he writes about home improvement and tools for national magazines and websites, and teaches hands-on clinics for other remodeling professionals. Check out his book, The Carpenter's Notebook.

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