Outdoor Kitchens

Summer is in full swing and everyone loves a backyard barbeque. One trend that is taking off is dropping the lonely grill in the corner and having a full service outdoor kitchen. Outdoor Kitchens can run anywhere from $3000 all the way to upwards of $15,000 depending on how elaborate you want your to be. The higher end outdoor kitchens have all the appliances of an indoor kitchen. It is highly recommended that your space include spaces for preparation and storage. However, you do not necessarily need a refrigerator and sink outside, but if you do include them you may increase the value of your home by qualifying your outdoor space as a second kitchen. The downside of this is that your value increase may be the same as the cost of your project.
Deciding what to include in your outdoor kitchen is completely up to you, but you should ask yourself a few simple questions before you get started. How often do you entertain outdoors? How many people typically? How large of a grill would you like? What appliances do you want in your outdoor kitchen? Do you want a serving or bar area? Where in your yard would you like the area?
The placement of your grill is very important to your long term satisfaction with your space. The grill should be place in a spot where the smoke will not be blowing into the faces of your guests and making them uncomfortable. Also make sure that the grill is close to the edge of your shade structure so the smoke does not get trapped by the roof. Most outdoor kitchens are built around the grill, so finding the perfect place for it is imperative. If you are lucky enough to have an existing patio, they make great foundations for outdoor kitchen. Decks, on the other hand, need a lot of additional support be added to them.
When designing your outdoor kitchen, strive to make the layout functional. Think about how you cook and how you want traffic to flow. Try not to have the preparation area adjacent to the eating area. Be sure to include as much open counter space for food preparation as you can. It is recommended that you leave space for serving platters between each appliance, usually 16 inches. And last but not least, make the size of your outdoor kitchen appropriate to the size of your back yard. A large kitchen that looks over a very small garden might look a little silly.