Built-In vs. Freestanding Grills

Every grill we sell comes in two forms: a built-in head that drops into a cutout, or a freestanding grill on a cart. Same cooking performance either way. The difference is what it takes to install, what it costs all-in, and how it fits your life. Here is how we help customers pick.

What a built-in grill actually is

A built-in grill is just the head. No legs, no cart, no doors underneath. It drops into a cutout in an island, sits on the island's frame, and the island hides everything else. The gas line, the ignition power, the storage and the trash all live inside the island.

A Coyote C-Series 34" built-in, for example, is the same grill as the C-Series 34" on a cart. Coyote sells the cart separately. That is true across Coyote, Fire Magic, Alfresco, Lynx, Blaze and Bull: the head is the product, the cart is an add-on.

What a freestanding grill actually is

A freestanding grill is the same head mounted on a stainless cart. The cart has wheels, side shelves, usually a door or two below and a spot for the propane cylinder. You roll it off the truck, hook up the tank and cook that night.

The cutout and the island

This is where the real cost difference lives. A built-in grill needs an island. Someone has to build it: steel or wood frame, cement board, stone or stucco or siding, a countertop, and a cutout to the manufacturer's spec. Every brand publishes cutout dimensions for each size. Get them wrong and the hood hits the counter or the grill rocks in the hole.

The island can run more than the grill itself. We build them, and we also fit grills into islands other contractors built. Either way, budget for the island before you fall in love with a 42" head.

Insulated jackets in combustible islands

If your island is framed in wood or anything else that burns, the grill needs an insulated jacket. It is a stainless sleeve that wraps the grill body and keeps heat off the framing. Manufacturers require it in combustible construction, and inspectors look for it. Coyote sells a jacket for the C, CL and SL-Series gas grills, a separate one for the 50" Combo, and one for the pellet grills. Steel-framed islands with non-combustible sheathing usually do not need one. We confirm which you need when we see your plans or your island.

The jacket adds width to the cutout. Order it with the grill so the cutout is sized once.

Built-in vs freestanding, side by side

• Install: Built-in needs an island, a cutout, a gas line or propane compartment, and often an electrician. Freestanding needs a flat spot and a propane cylinder.
• Cost all-in: Built-in is the grill plus the island plus the install. Freestanding is the grill plus the cart.
• Fuel: Built-in is almost always natural gas run to the island. Freestanding is usually propane, but can be plumbed to natural gas with a quick-connect.
• Storage: Built-in gives you doors, drawers, a fridge and a side burner in the same run. Freestanding gives you a cart cabinet and side shelves.
• Moving it: Freestanding rolls. Built-in stays. If you sell the house, the island goes with it.
• Resale: A finished outdoor kitchen is permanent and shows well. A cart grill is personal property.
• Upgrading later: A built-in head can be swapped if the new one matches the cutout. Stick with the same brand and size and it is usually a one-hour job.

Who should pick built-in

• You are building or redoing a patio, deck or pergola and want the kitchen designed in.
• You want a side burner, refrigeration, doors and drawers in one clean run.
• You cook outside most of the week and want natural gas so you never run out.
• You plan to stay in the house.

Who should pick freestanding

• You want a serious grill this season without a construction project.
• You rent, or you may move in a few years.
• Your patio layout is not final yet. Buy the cart now; the same head drops into an island later. Coyote's carts are built for exactly that.
• Your budget is the grill, not the grill plus an island.

A middle path

Several customers buy the built-in head and the matching cart together. They cook on the cart for a year or two, then we build the island and move the head over. You pay for the cart, but you do not buy the grill twice.

What we need to know

Tell us the fuel you have or can get, whether the island exists or is being built, what it is framed with, and what else you want in the run. From there we size the cutout, pick the jacket if needed, and give you one quote for grill, components and install.

Talk to us

Call (616) 610-4235 or request a quote. We install within about 50 miles of Holland, MI, and ship across Michigan. Browse built-in grills, freestanding grills, or outdoor kitchen components, or price a full Coyote kitchen with the package builder.