Basic Outdoor Kitchens

One of the hottest new renovations you can do to your home is the outdoor kitchen. Over the years it has evolved from the basic outdoor grill and side tables to an array of designs with appliances and stylish accessories. On those days when the weather is nice, more families move outdoors to take advantage. Nothing beats spending your meal times, eating and preparing, in your own backyard custom kitchen. The following are some areas to consider when deciding on how to customize your outdoor kitchen.

First area to consider is, what the purpose is for your outdoor kitchen and what you want the general design to be. For instance, is your focus to entertain a larger group of people or do you want a more intimate family set-up. What types of foods do you want to cook; large barbeque pig-roast style or a gourmet fare? The main style of food that you will be cooking, is a big determining factor for your overall kitchen. The design of your outdoor kitchen should be built around this purpose with other areas such as staying in line with themes in your home and backyard. The climate should also help determine the build of your kitchen; will you want shade, some wall placements to block wind, or a fireplace for colder climates.

The second area to consider is where you are planning on placing your outdoor kitchen. You will want to perform a site survey of this area outdoors and as your idea of a style emerges, you will be able to start visualizing the perfect placement. Usually a gazebo or patio are the primary places. Some have even put theirs out in the middle of a garden landscape. Some factors to help you in this decision process are: where will everyone sit; what are great visual areas that the kitchen can be focused around outdoors; and how accessible do you want to be to the main house.

The third area, and sometimes the limiting factor on what type of outdoor kitchen you will decide to build is what is your budget. There are plenty of sites on the internet to assist you in researching products and ideas. Be sure to set a budget for not only the costs of the material but also for the labor. If you are skilled in this area, you can save plenty of money by being the project manager. One word of advice, it is best not to go with the cheapest materiel you come across, you want to make sure it has durability and will last, such as a quality grill. Future maintenance will also need to be considered in the overall cost and budget.

The final area to determine is what types of accessories and appliances will you need. These can be as much of a choice as what you have in your inside kitchen, but most will need to be weatherproof. Refrigerators, cabinets and more are different things you can put in the outdoor kitchen. For these appliances, you will of course need electricity and plumbing, so be sure to check how easily it will be to install.

An outdoor kitchen can be the most enjoyable part of your entire house. Plan carefully to make sure it is what you want in the end to meet all of your needs. With careful planning and researching the different options, you should be confident your ideas will become a successful reality. Consider the above areas in your planning and you will be on your way to creating a customized and private cooking oasis in your own backyard.


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