How to Create the Outdoor Kitchen You’ve Always Dreamed Of

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If you’ve been following home design trends, you’ve probably come across the very popular outdoor kitchen concept. Outdoor kitchens may not be traditional, but these outside cooking spaces can be a great addition to your home and a perfect add-on to your backyard.

Outdoor kitchens are an especially nice feature when it comes to entertaining in your backyard. The mouthwatering smells and the homey atmosphere of a kitchen can go a long way to making your outdoors a premium space for entertainment and relaxation.

There are many good reasons to install an outdoor kitchen, from saving money on utility bills to increasing the resale value of your home. Here’s a few things you should be thinking about as you’re installing an outdoor kitchen.

Check the Permit Process

Before you start breaking ground for your outdoor kitchen, check first with your authorities regarding building codes and permits. Most localities will have regulations about where you can build, such as how close a fire source can be to a residential dwelling. Assuming that your space meets local regulations, you’ll also likely need to apply for permits to be able to build on the land you want and put in the equipment that you want.

Sketch Out Your Plans

You may think of sketching out your plans as a no-brainer, but it’s an important first step. Don’t go straight to looking at different layouts, materials, and researching functionality. It’s important to take a look at your backyard space first. Being aware of the contours and confines of your space will help you plan a better kitchen. Not every layout will work for every space, and even certain materials may be a better fit for some backyards than others. Fortunately there are many outdoor kitchen designs to choose from, so you’re sure to find something that suits your fancy.

Choose Your Appliances

Now onto the fun part! Once you’re clear about local regulations and have a rough idea of what you want, you should consider what materials you want to use to build your outdoor kitchen. You should also think about which appliances you want to include in your kitchen. Many times the appliances you include will be determined by the size of the kitchen space. If you can only reasonably design a kitchenette, for example, you may not want to include both a full oven and a gas grill. If you’re working with a large space, however, including both of these items may be no problem. Wood-fired pizza ovens are also popular as an outdoor kitchen appliance that you may want to consider adding.

Start Laying the Groundwork

Once you’ve thought about materials and appliances, you can start building your outdoor kitchen. Concrete is a popular material to work with, especially for flooring, but it can also be used for cabinetry. Using concrete is usually cheaper than a hardscaping project in your backyard. If you’re going to be building the outdoor kitchen yourself, you’ll probably want to start by building the frame and going from there. Be aware of supply chain issues, keeping tabs on the materials you’ll need to build and their availability at your local stores. Or, if you’ve hired a contracting company to do the work—sit back and relax as you watch everything come together!

Ensure Plumbing and Electricity Access

One thing you’ll also need to be sure of is access to sources for plumbing and electrical needs. Depending on what appliances you’re planning to install in your outdoor kitchen, you may need access to both. Electricity access is important for the oven and even sometimes the grill, and any lighting fixtures that you’re planning to install. You’ll need plumbing access if you want to install a sink. It’s probably a good idea to have a sink handy if you’re planning on doing any serious cooking. Though, if you don’t have direct access to plumbing or electricity, that doesn’t mean the whole project is a wash. Most of the time connection lines can be piped or wired through.

Account for Storage Space

One thing you’ll want to make sure of in your outdoor kitchen is to have enough storage space. While it’s important to make sure that you have enough counter and island space for cooking, don’t forget to account for storage needs. You’ll need to have enough space to store dishes, utensils, and small kitchen gadgets and appliances. It may be tempting to just rely on the storage space you already have indoors, but once you begin cooking outside it’s unlikely that you’ll want to make back-and-forth trips into the house to get everything you need. 

Shelter Your Outdoor Kitchen

You’ll also want to figure out how you’re going to protect your outdoor kitchen from the elements. Even though it’s outdoors, you still want to plan for how you’re going to protect your appliances, furniture, stonework and wood from weather damage and the routine wear and tear.

There are lots of options out there, from simple patio covers and awnings to a full wood and metal overhead structure. A lot of it will depend on your climate and what sort of weather you’ll be dealing with the most. So think about what sort of weather you can reasonably expect to encounter and go from there.

Add an Outdoor Bar

One popular addition to outdoor kitchen spaces is an outdoor bar. Most of the time it is a fairly logical add-on. You’re already adding kitchen appliances and plumbing fixtures, so why not add space to enjoy the fruits of your labors? Outdoors bars can be especially good when it comes to entertaining and keeping company happy.

Building an outdoor kitchen may not be something you’ve thought about doing before, but there are lots of options out there to help customize the design to your liking. And once you’ve settled on a design that you like and seen how feasible it can be, it’ll be hard not to move forward with the build. It’s unlikely to be something you regret!

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