Hell, you give me a welder and I’ll burn my house down. Of this I have no doubt.
Nope, I know when to rely on the professionals to melt that metal together.
I can burn some hickory and make it taste right, but I will f- the dog if I try to weld.
Trust me on this, I know when I am over my head.
Best wishes with your project. It is worthy of a gentleman. And you will learn many things along the way.
Just remember that screwing up is the only way we learn.
/johnny
My experience is go with the older models, real heavy iron from the 70s or 80s, and build around them. The new stuff is paint-heavy and iron-light.
You can park a smoker and a griller, stone/granite/countertop around them, in a corner of the back yard and achieve the heat potential and esthetics your wife is looking for.
Make it simple and find this on sale (twice a year) for 299.00 (10 times cheaper than Tejas). The infrared can’t burn nothing and everyone will think your a chef.