South Africans entertain outside, so the built-in braai area is one of the most common home projects in the country — and one of the most reliably over-budget. Bricklaying, a countertop, plumbing to a sink, an electrician for lights and plugs, and a roof over the whole thing: it is four trades and a project manager for what people imagine is a weekend job.
The delivered alternative is a single unit that arrives complete. Here is what it costs and where the money goes.
What a delivered outdoor kitchen costs
| Length | Price ex VAT | Approx. weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 m | Price ex VATR 154 400 | Approx. weight±500 kg | NotesThe compact entertainer |
| 2.9 m | Price ex VATR 164 500 | Approx. weight±600 kg | NotesExtra prep space |
| 3.5 m | Price ex VATR 183 700 | Approx. weight±700 kg | NotesTakes the double grill and kettle grill |
| 3.9 m | Price ex VATR 196 800 | Approx. weight±750 kg | NotesThe largest, for serious entertaining |
All four are 0.8 m deep and 2.4 m high, in a wide range of custom colours. Every one arrives with the same core specification: a remote-controlled motorised lift-up roof, a quartz stone countertop with a water-barrier edge, a stainless-steel sink with a pull-out faucet, embedded plumbing and electrical with an outdoor distribution box, recessed lighting and an adjustable LED ambient strip.
The frame is corrosion-resistant galvanised steel with an aluminium-alloy shell, and the interior panels are aluminium honeycomb — high-temperature resistant and wipe-clean after the braai. It is built to live outdoors permanently rather than to be covered up in winter.
Building versus buying
A masonry braai area is genuinely the better answer in some cases — if it has to match existing brickwork, tuck into an awkward corner, or form part of a larger renovation already underway. What it is not is quicker or more predictable.
- Trades. A built braai area needs a bricklayer, a plumber, an electrician and someone for the countertop and roof. The delivered unit needs a level base and two connections.
- Price certainty. You are quoted a figure for a finished unit rather than a rate against a scope that grows.
- Time. Weeks of site work versus a delivery, positioned and connected.
- It can move. A built braai stays with the house. The unit does not have to.
- Layout. This is where building wins — a delivered unit comes in four lengths and one depth, and that is that.
Which extras are worth it
The unit arrives with the countertop, sink, plumbing, electrics and lighting already in. What it does not arrive with is anything to cook on — that is a deliberate choice, because how South Africans cook outside varies enormously.
| Extra | Price ex VAT | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Single gas grill | Price ex VATR 9 300 | Worth knowingThe default choice on any length |
| Double gas grill | Price ex VATR 14 100 | Worth knowing3.5 m and 3.9 m only |
| Kettle grill | Price ex VATR 8 200 | Worth knowing3.5 m and 3.9 m only — for charcoal |
| Induction flat-top stove | Price ex VATR 4 500 | Worth knowingPans and sides, not braai duty |
| Extractor fan | Price ex VATR 3 400 | Worth knowingMatters most under a closed roof |
| Bar fridge | Price ex VATR 3 300 | Worth knowingSaves the trip inside |
| Stainless-steel countertop | Price ex VATR 7 800 | Worth knowingOver the quartz, for heavy use |
| Extra cabinet module | Price ex VATR 3 100/m | Worth knowingStorage is the thing people underestimate |
| Outdoor speaker | Price ex VATR 1 900 | Worth knowingLow cost, high use |
| Starry-sky ceiling | Price ex VATR 4 700 | Worth knowingPure theatre, and it works |
The constraint worth planning around: the double gas grill and the kettle grill are only available on the 3.5 m and 3.9 m units. If you braai over charcoal as well as gas, that decides your length before anything else does. Choosing the 2.9 m to save money and then wanting a kettle grill is the one regret this product reliably produces.
How to choose a length
- Start with how you cook. Charcoal as well as gas means 3.5 m or larger, because of the kettle grill restriction above.
- Then count the people. Prep space is what runs out when you are feeding twelve, not cooking surface.
- Then check the wall. 0.8 m deep and 2.4 m high, so you need the run of space and the height clearance for the roof to lift.
- Then add storage. Extra cabinet modules at R 3 100 per metre are cheap next to the unit and get used every single time.
If the outdoor kitchen is going in alongside a guest unit or a rental cabin, it is worth pricing them together — an Apple Cabin or nature cabin with a proper entertainment area beside it is a materially better letting proposition than either on its own.
Configure a length with the extras you want and see the price update as you go.
See the outdoor kitchensQuick answers
Ours run from R 154 400 ex VAT for the 2.5 m up to R 196 800 for the 3.9 m, delivered ready to use with the motorised roof, quartz countertop, stainless-steel sink and embedded plumbing and electrics included. Cooking appliances are extras, from R 9 300 for a single gas grill.
Building can be cheaper on materials alone, but it needs a bricklayer, a plumber, an electrician and a countertop installer, and the final figure is not known at the start. A delivered unit is one quoted price, needs a level base and two connections, and can move with you. Building wins when the area must match existing brickwork or fit an awkward space.
The kettle grill (R 8 200 ex VAT) and the double gas grill are available on the 3.5 m and 3.9 m units only. If charcoal braaiing matters to you, that sets your minimum length.
The plumbing and electrics are embedded in the unit, including an outdoor distribution box with leakage protection, but water and power still have to be brought to where it stands. Arrange both, plus a level base for a unit weighing 500 to 750 kg, before delivery.
Sources
Figures we quote from outside our own price list, and where they came from. Prices for our own units come from the same catalogue the product pages use.
- SANS 10400 — the application of the National Building Regulations — sans10400.co.zaThe building regulations for any type of structure, drainage included (Part P). They do not cover electrical installations: for wiring, the site refers you to SANS 10142.Checked on
- What it costs to build a house in South Africa — ooba Home LoansContext for the conventional building rates a masonry braai area is quoted against.Checked on
Price one, or come and see one
The quote builder prices a specific configuration in a couple of minutes. Or book a free viewing and walk through the units at our showroom in Centurion — no deposit, no obligation.