Whether you’re a whizz with a grill or don’t have much experience in this area, it pays to have an external cooking and dining area you can use to enjoy more outdoor times with your family and friends. Here are some tips for developing such a space for your place.
Set a Budget in Advance
Your first step should be developing a total budget you feel comfortable with and can afford to spend on your outdoor kitchen. There are all sorts of appliances and features you could invest in if you wanted, but you likely havelimited funds at your disposal. Coming up with this number right away will help you stay on track as you investigate contractors, materials, and products and ensure you don’t waste money on things you don’t need or can’t afford.
Consider How You Want to Use the Space
Next, make a list and then order it of your goals for your outdoor kitchen space. Think about how you want to use it now and in the future and the features you’ll need to get the outcomes you desire. For example, do you want to set up a patio or other all-weather cover of some type for the external cooking area so you can use it no matter what? Will this roofing need multiple outdoor ceiling fans to help you stay cool in summer? Plus, do you want to bring in some gas or other heaters to help keep you warm in winter?
You might want your outdoor kitchen to be just through a window of your internal kitchen for indoor-outdoor dining needs, or you could prefer to set up the external chef’s zone well away from the house, so you get a feeling of escaping from the everyday. You could require a dishwasher, large sink, and built-in wine and storage fridge, or you might want a more simple setup that doesn’t take up too much room and merely includes a decent grill and some seating. Clarify what’s most important to you to concentrate on these factors as you develop your outdoor kitchen.
Look Into Regulations In Your Area
Next, learn about what rules and regulations are relevant in your local areabefore you start building a kitchen of some type outside. Checkwith the permitting department in your area to determine what building codes you must adhere to and if you need any permits to create an outdoor kitchen. Some departments are much stricter than others, so don’t just assume you don’t need to worry about this side of things.
You may need, for example, to go through a permitting process if you’ll be running electrical, water, and gas lines to an outdoor kitchen or if you’re building a patio to cover the cooking and dining area. Plus, some structures that adjoin theprimary residence may need zoning clearance, or you may need to get a local council or other officer to sign off on the safety of any building work completed.
Choose the Right Location
There’s no point starting on the work to install an outdoor kitchen until you know you’ve found the right location for it. This element isn’t always as straightforward as you might think. These entertainment zones need a dry, stable base underneath them, typically made from concrete, ground-level or floating decks, masonry or stone patio pavers, or gravel or lumber patios. You have to do some due diligence to ensure you can lay such foundations in the area you’ve earmarked.
There could be issues such as utility lines, easements, property boundaries, or septic tanks in the way. Pools, hot tubs, fences, flower beds, trees, and other things can pose problems, too. Investigate your options but remember that it’s more affordable to locate your outdoor kitchen relatively close to your home if you plan to run water, electrical, and gas lines from the house out.
To get a quality outdoor kitchen built, carefully plan the whole layout before work begins, hire professionals such as builders or carpenters, electricians, and plumbers to get things set up, and ensure you’ll have enough lighting. An outdoor kitchen can be as basic or luxurious as you like, so create a zone that works for you and your needs and budget.