Outdoor kitchens are often a sought-after addition to one’s yard or area surrounding the home. A popular type of outdoor kitchen mainly involves either a built-in barbecue or a wood-fired oven, but fully equipped kitchens featuring large dining tables and bars are often constructed by those with enough space and resources. For those spending a lot of time in their yard, an outdoor kitchen can make the experience of socializing with their friends and family more pleasant as it eliminates the need to constantly go inside the house when preparing meals.
The size of your outdoor kitchen should reflect the amount of people that will be dining there as well as the limitations of your budget. Outdoor kitchens should also be in harmony with the rest of one’s yard, not just in size but, when possible, in design as well. If you aren’t doing a lot of cooking, or are not cooking for many people, you can probably exclude some of the features that larger outdoor kitchens come with.
You will need to hire a contractor to plan your outdoor kitchen out – this person can also help you fit the kitchen inside your budget, as many aren’t aware of the cost of appliances and materials. An important factor that decides how much the whole project will cost is whether the kitchen is directly adjacent to the home, in which case it’s referred to as a perimeter kitchen, or away from the home and self sufficient, called a satellite kitchen. Satellite kitchens need several utilities running to it, like water and electricity, greatly adding to the overall cost of the project.
The outdoor kitchen should have a zone for food preparation as well as a separate zone for dining and socializing. The dining area should be sufficiently large to accomodate any people you might be thinking of inviting over. As long as you have enough space, you can always add more tables and seats to the kitchen should the occasion demand it.
Another important part and a factor when deciding the cost is the amount as well as the type of appliances that the outdoor kitchen will feature. The grill is often the central piece of an outdoor kitchen, and its cost should reflect the cost of every other part of the kitchen – an expensive grill in an otherwise cheap kitchen can seem out of place. If your budget permits it, you should also consider adding a television and speakers near the dining table, as those can greatly improve the entertainment factor.