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2024 Cal Flame BBQ Island Buyers Guide

You've made the decision to build an outdoor kitchen island to entertain friends and family.  As the top authorized dealer in the U.S., BetterPatio is your go-to source for the award-winning Cal Flame outdoor kitchen islands. Yes, it feels a little like cheating to be able to pick out the design, appliances and materials, only to have it custom built at Cal Flame's Pomona, California factory  (no contractors in your backyard!), delivered and ready to use, usually within an hour or two of delivery.

In this guide, we cover everything you need to know to build your own backyard oasis.  If you want to skip a few sections, feel free. Simply click on the header below and it will skip to the section you want to read. 

OVERVIEW

  • About Cal Flame
  • How to select the right size BBQ Island 
  • Understanding the differences between the Cal Flame LBK and Pavilion BBQ Islands
  • Understanding the differences between the Cal Flame Grill Models
  • Selecting the materials for your BBQ Island
  • Understanding the plumbing, electrical and gas / propane connections
  • What are the most popular Cal Flame BBQ Islands?
  • Understanding Preferred Delivery Options for your Cal Flame BBQ Island

Before we begin, you'll need to be able to answer a few basic questions about your dream outdoor kitchen: 

  • How much space (in feet) are allocating for your outdoor kitchen?
  • How much (if any) seating would you like for your BBQ Island? 
  • Do you plan on entertaining with your BBQ Island? 
  • What appliances (sink, fridge, storage) do you think you'll need for your BBQ Island?
  • Are you trying to match certain color palettes or hues with your current backyard space?

ABOUT CAL FLAME

Based in Pomona, CA, Cal Flame was a pioneer in the prefabricated BBQ Island market, launching their BBQ Island division more than 25 years ago. As trends and popularity have grown over the years, so has Cal Flame's award-winning design and performance. All Cal Flame products are ETL and CE listed for safety.

PRO TIP: Cal Flame is part of Cal Spas, the world-renowned hot tub and spa manufacturer.

BetterPatio.com is Cal Flame's top authorized dealer

How to select the right sized bbq island 

Cal Flame BBQ Islands come in wide range of designs and looks, so how do you know what design is best for you? Cal Flame features three basic designs. Linear, L-Shaped and U-Shaped. Out of these three basic designs, Cal Flame features 4 foot, 6 foot, 7 foot, 8 foot, 11 foot and 15 foot islands, depending on the model. 

Let's talk about your space. How much space are you working with? How many guests do you plan on entertaining?  These answers will help dictate the size and design of your Cal Flame BBQ Island.

If limited space is a factor, you'll need to consider the following factors: Will you need a countertop or a island without a countertop overhang? When your Cal Flame grill heats up, are there any combustable materials around the grill that might become hazardous? 

If space is not a factor, you'll have more flexibility with island designs and size. You'll want to run electricity to your Cal Flame unit (more on that later), but what about water? Will installing water to your island impact where you want to place it? 

Cal Flame LBK870 with Blue Pearl Countertops, Nantucket Stacked Stone Base

Cal Flame LBK870 L-Shaped Island:  (Materials: Blue Pearl Countertops, Nantucket Stacked Stone Base)

Understanding Cal Flame Islands

Cal Flame has two primary BBQ island product lines: The LBK (Luxury Backyard) and the Pavilion Island line. The major differences between the LBK Island line and Pavilion Island line is the ability to customize appliances.

The Cal Flame LBK Island designs are pre-packaged pricing kits designed to make your island purchase as easy as possible. They usually come with a grill, fridge, access door and standard side burner, but can include additional features. You can select the type of countertops and base materials as well.

The Cal Flame Pavilion Island designs are customizable and you can add or remove appliances and components as needed. Of course, you can select the countertops and base materials as well. For a list of all the storage, doors, grills and appliances available for Cal Flame BBQ Islands, click here. 

PRO TIP: BetterPatio is the only authorized dealer in the world with the ability to custom order LBK designs. If you like an LBK design and don't want an appliance (such as a sink or side burner), just let us know and we can custom quote it for you! 

Cal Flame GPV3100 with Emperador Dark, Nantucket Stacked Stone

Cal Flame GPV3100 with 30 Inch Drop In Bar Center (Materials:  Emperador Dark, Nantucket Stacked Stone Base)

EXPLAINING G-SERIES and P-SERIES GRILLS

Cal Flame has two primary BBQ Grill product lines: The G-Series Grills and the P-Series Grills.

The Cal Flame G-Series grills are constructed of 430-stainless steel and double-layer walls. They come in 3-burner, 4-burner and 5-burner configurations and all ship with the signature V-Grates, a Cal Flame staple.  

The Cal Flame P-Series grills are constructed from 304-stainless steel and feature LED knobs, independent ignitor switches and the signature V-Grates. Additionally, the P-Series grills all ship with a grill cover, Rotisserie Kit, Smoker Box and Griddle Tray. 

For a more in-depth look at the differences between the Cal Flame grill models, check out our Grill Breakdown here.

Cal Flame P-Series P4 Four Burner Grill

Cal Flame P-Series P4 Four Burner Grill

CAL FLAME MATERIALS and COLOR SELECTIONS

One of the unique features of ordering a Cal Flame BBQ Island from an authorized dealer is the ability to select the Countertop materials and Base materials for your island.

For countertops, Cal Flame offers three options: Porcelain Tile, Natural Granite Stone Tile and Earth Tone Granite Slab. Natural Granite Stone is an upgrade and does come with additional costs.

PRO TIP:Granite Earth Tone Slab is only available on a handful of models. 

Additionally, you can add a trim to either the porcelain tile or the Natural Granite tile. BetterPatio doesn't offer trim on our product listings, but you can request it during the checkout process in the "Notes" section, or speak to a sales specialist to put together a quote for you. 

Cal Flame P-Series P4 Four Burner Grill

Materials: Emperador Light Natural Granite Tile with Emperador Dark Natural Granite Tile trim

For your base materials, Cal Flame also offers three options: Ameristone Stucco (standard), Natural Stacked Stone and Synthetic Wood Panel.

PRO TIP: Synthetic Wood Panel is new for 2021 and only offered on a few models.

Cal Flame P-Series P4 Four Burner Grill

LBK870 L-Shaped Island (Materials: Blue Pearl Natural Granite Stone, Pearl Haze Stucco Base)

GAS, WATER AND ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS

All Cal Flame Islands are designed to make connecting water, gas and electrical as easy as possible. The islands are built hollow and without floors. This allows flexibility for stubbing utilities to your BBQ Island. For specific questions about utility access, Cal Flame has footprint diagrams for their designs you can find here.

Electrical:All Cal Flame BBQ Islands sold by BetterPatio come with an internal 120 volt electrical outlet box that will need to be connected to power. Please consult with a licensed electrician to connect your electrical.

Plumbing:For BBQ Islands with plumbing requirements, please consult Cal Flame's delivery guide to better understand how to connect the sink to your existing lines. 

Gas Requirements: All Cal Flame BBQ Grills ship as Liquid Propane ready. This means that you can attach a liquid propane tank to your grill as soon as you receive and can be up and running within minutes. If you want to run Natural Gas, a Natural Gas Conversion Kit will be included with your purchase and usually takes around 15 minutes to convert. You can learn more about the conversion process here starting on page 32.

PRO TIP:For those that don't want to deal with running plumbing lines to your outdoor kitchen, Cal Flame sinks can also connect to garden hoses. A convenient access door strategically placed under the sink can accommodate a 5 gallon bucket for sink water drainage.

Understanding Betterpatio's Preferred Delivery

As you can imagine, many of these BBQ Islands can be very difficult to move and deliver without additional assistance. On average, these BBQ Islands weigh around 800 to 1,000 LB per island piece (more if ordered with cultured stone) and can span anywhere from 30 to 60 inches in width, so proper planning, coordination and additional equipment may be necessary.

BetterPatio recognized the need for last mile delivery support and created the BetterPatio Preferred Delivery program to assist with your delivery and setup needs. BetterPatio has built a national network of reliable, professional last mile service providers who assist in the unloading, delivery and set up of your BBQ Island (where applicable, restrictions apply). Here's more information regarding the Preferred Delivery program.