My wife and I designed this backyard project.  The back of the island and the Banco are designed to reflect the southwestern character of our Santa Fe style home. I built the 10′ x 10′ island using metal studs and backerboard covered with stucco. I used the metal studs for two reasons: first, I am comfortable working with wooden studs, and second, I have the tools to work with studs and backerboard, a circular saw and a jig saw equipped with metal cutting blades. The studs were set at 12″ centers except for the elevated eating area where they were set at 6″ centers. The backerboard was screwed and glued in place with liquid nails. The tile were cut with a tile saw. I added 4 low voltage lights for night time ambiance, a 120 volt Halogen light to see what I was burning on the grill, and 2 120 volt outlets on the top of the island. There is a small refrigerator for all your favorite beverages, and a Jenn-Air grill and side burner complete the island. 

 I built the Banco using fence blocks (a 4″x16″ concrete block), 1/2″ concrete board for the seat. metal lath, and stucco. The seating area is covered with 16″x24″ travertine pavers 1 1/2″ thick. I first cut the pavers into 8″x24″ pieces and then trimmed the individual pieces to fit the circular seating area as shown in the detail photo #5. I hired a crew to install the travertine pavers in the Versailles pattern on the patio areas. I think I used over two thousand screws to hold these two projects together, a lot of liquid nails and stucco.