In central Mississippi, the backyard is where a lot of living happens: cookouts, game days, family dinners and cool evenings around a fire. Madison Planting & Design Group designs and builds outdoor kitchens and fire pits as part of complete outdoor living spaces, with the patio, seating, planting and lighting planned together. If you’re looking for an outdoor kitchen in Madison, MS or a fire pit anywhere in the Jackson metro, we’ll help you create a space that works as well as it looks.
Outdoor kitchens
An outdoor kitchen can be as simple as a built-in grill station with counter space or as complete as a full cooking and serving area. One of the projects in our portfolio shows a built-in grill station under a wood pergola, steps from a stone fireplace and a dining area, all set on one patio. That’s the idea: the kitchen is part of the outdoor room, not an island in the yard.
When we plan an outdoor kitchen we think about:
- Workflow: room to prep, cook and serve, and a short, easy path to the back door.
- Shade and weather: a pergola or covered area makes cooking in a Mississippi July far more pleasant.
- Smoke and wind: placing the grill so smoke drifts away from seating and the house.
- Utilities: gas, water and electrical needs are identified early in the design. Some of this work may call for licensed trades and permits, so it’s planned before construction starts.
- Surfaces: a patio and counters that stand up to heat, grease, rain and humidity.
Fire pits
A fire pit is the easiest way to pull people together outside. It works in a smaller space than a fireplace and invites everyone to sit in a circle. Central Mississippi’s fall, winter and early spring evenings are often just cool enough to make a fire the best seat in the house.
- Placement: a safe distance from the house, trees, overhangs and fences, with the prevailing breeze in mind.
- Seating: built-in stone seating walls around the pit, or a patio sized for chairs.
- Surface: a natural stone or paver patio that surrounds the fire with a non-combustible surface.
- Style: the fire pit’s shape and materials are chosen to match the patio, walls and house.
Check with your city and any neighborhood association for rules that apply to outdoor fire features before you build.
Prefer a taller, chimney-style focal point? See our outdoor fireplaces.
Designing the whole outdoor room
A kitchen or fire pit is only as good as the space around it. Because MPDG designs, builds and maintains landscapes, we plan all of it together:
- Patio size and shape to fit cooking, dining and lounging zones
- Seating walls that add seats and define the space
- Landscape lighting for cooking and conversation after dark
- Planting for privacy, shade and softness around stone. See landscape installation.
- Drainage so the patio sheds heavy rain; central Mississippi’s clay soils make this especially important
If a pool is part of the picture, an outdoor kitchen nearby can make the pool area the center of summer life. See pool landscaping.
Build it all at once, or in phases
Not everyone wants to build the whole backyard at once. A single plan lets you start with the patio and fire pit, then add the kitchen or pergola later, without tearing anything out. For larger or sloped sites, our licensed landscape architect can lay out the entire outdoor living area as part of a site plan.
Our process
- Conversation and site visit: how you cook and entertain, how many people, sun and shade, views and access.
- Design: layout of the kitchen or fire pit, patio, walls, lighting and planting.
- Proposal: a written scope, including any coordination with other trades.
- Construction: our crews build the hardscape and finish the landscape around it. See our design/build process.
Frequently asked questions
Do you build outdoor kitchens and fire pits?
Yes. We design and build outdoor kitchens and fire pits as part of patios and outdoor living spaces.
Can you add a fire pit or outdoor kitchen to my existing patio?
Often, yes. We’ll look at the patio’s size, surface and surroundings and recommend what fits. Sometimes the best answer is expanding the patio at the same time.
Which areas do you serve?
We build outdoor living spaces in Madison, Ridgeland, Canton, Gluckstadt, Flora, Jackson, Clinton, Brandon, Flowood and Pearl. See our landscaping FAQ for more.
Start planning your outdoor kitchen or fire pit
Call (601) 859-5915, Monday–Friday 8:00–5:00, or request a quote online. Tell us how you like to spend time outside and we’ll take it from there.
