Brick BBQ's

Just looking into possibly building one while I'm re-doing the whole garden.

I know it'd look nice when its all freshly built but what are they like after a while, are they easy enough to keep clean. I don't really fancy something that's going to look like its been blown up after been used a few times.

They are really great if you give some thought to your personal requirements in the design regarding size, multi grill positions & dead space etc as part of the brick structure; also build in storage cupbords for all the BBQ carp underneath. I’ve had mine for 20+ years & wouldn’t be without it. It has had a facelift in that time but an anual pressure wash keeps it looking good & the burnt bricks just adds character. If you don’t want to be messing around with laying bricks, you can even build a circular column BBQ without any cement at all; my brother in law has had one for just as long & just moves it around when he fells the need.

Thanks

I don't suppose you have any pics of it all do you?

Ah well, you’ve sort of caught me out there; the BBQ I referred to in my post is actually still at the house we moved out ofa couple of years ago but it was 20 years old when we moved, honest; it was part of a brick walled patio area but I don't have any easily available photos.

I’m still internally rebuilding the old house we bought here so I haven’t actually got around to building a new BBQ but it will happen, probably later this year! We cook outside a lot & I've even been know to do one in the snow but I’m currently using a 25 quid, steel kettle special from our local hardware store .

This one;
http://www.gardeningdata.co.uk/construction/barbeque/barbeque.php

is almost identical to the one I had but as well as the storage bit at the side (which on mine was larger), I installed a 10mm steel plate below the grill supports & layed a brick base over the top to carry the ash pan so I could have storage underneath the BBQ as well. I also cut the sideways grill support bricks with a grinder so they didn’t protrude on the outside. Buy a quality grill & ash pan kit BEFORE you start; I found the grills OK but the ash pans are far too thin & rubbish which only last a couple of years at most. I ended up getting a local engineering shop to bend me one up to the same pattern in 4mm steel; cost me about 10 quid but lasted 10 years before I had to replace it!

I included a damp membrane in the base to keep the cupboards a little drier, lined the openings with timber battens & fitted some purpose made doors. I also piped & pulled in some cable for lighting facilities at the back but the regulations have changed somewhat now & DIYing garden electrics is no longer straight forward & professional installation can be expensive.

Thanks a lot, it gives me something to work off