Planning an Outdoor Kitchen for your Home

Having an outdoor living area in your home adds not only to the design but to the overall functionality of your home as well. An outdoor kitchen will be very much used especially when you make wood-fired oven pizzas, bake bread, and have barbecues or when you simply want to gather round with your family and friends. When planning for your outdoor kitchen, make sure that you always consider the functionalities that you want and the essential features that you would actually use.

The good thing about planning your outdoor kitchen is you and your family have full reign over the design and the functionalities that you want to include. However, do not forget to remember your do-it-yourself limits especially when you are not an architect or an engineer. Building your second cooking space will of course require the need to install new flooring, an outdoor sink and connect power and water lines. Determine which of these requirements you can do yourself and also know when it might be time to call in a professional to complete the job. Furthermore, it would be best if you have a discussion with your family regarding the amenities that you all would want and realistically use. Outdoor kitchen amenities usually include a brick or an adobe oven, large grill, outdoor refrigerator and freezer, stone or granite countertop, bar or an island for having drinks and mixing cocktails, fire pit or fireplace, meat smoker and storage cabinets. As you discuss these amenities with your family, list down the items which you can afford, which you can build yourself and which you would need professional help with.

Do-it-yourself projects are good ways to save you money. Therefore, do not shy away from asking the help of other family members, relatives and friends who might know a thing or two about your outdoor kitchen. Do not also rush into buying power tools as you can simply borrow some tools from your friends or neighbors. If there are amenities that you and your family totally want but are somehow out of budget, try to find some areas in which you can cut down some of your costs. For example, you can decide to build your outdoor kitchen out of cost-effective wood and Ipe Floor Decks instead of concrete so you can afford the very large grill that you want or you can forego the outdoor refrigerator so you can add more storage cabinets.

Now, being cost-effective does not mean that you should compromise the quality. When buying the items you need for your kitchen, you need to keep in mind that cheap doesn’t always mean the best. Therefore, when shopping, always think about how you will be able to benefit from the items and reflect on whether they are going to be worth it or not. As with any home improvement project, you do not have to buy and install every amenity that you want right away. If money is a little tight, you can start with the basics first like a gas or charcoal grill and patio table and gradually buy the other amenities that you want when your budget allows it.

Once you have everything sorted out, make sure that you visit different stores which specialize in patio furniture and accessories, home improvement and décor. Take your time when canvassing for the different prices so you can buy the items from stores which offer you the best deals. Do you like the idea of having an outdoor kitchen? What do you imagine your outdoor kitchen to be? Share your designs and inspirations with me in the comments below!