A beautifully designed outdoor kitchen and dining area can liven up your backyard, add functional space to your home, and enhance any entertaining event. Dress up your pool deck or patio with a luxurious outdoor kitchen that will amaze friends and neighbors and get your family closer to the outdoors.
Outdoor kitchens can also significantly up the value of your home or draw in potential buyers if done correctly. Follow these simple tips and tricks while you get started on building the outdoor area of your dreams.
DO: GIVE YOURSELF AMPLE SPACE
Building your ideal outdoor kitchen can be a pricey endeavor, but one area that shouldn’t be skimped on is the counter space. Be sure to plan for 3 feet of countertops, which will ensure enough room for platters of food coming from the grill or space for food and drink prep. Keep sinks and grills or cooktops toward the center or at least 1 foot away from the end of the counters. Mini fridges or beer taps should be placed away from the grill in order to prevent overcrowding while the flames are hot.
DO: LOOK OUT FOR LIGHTING
A commonly overlooked detail is providing enough light to make your kitchen workable after the sun goes down. If you’re building your kitchen with a roof, integrate lighting above the kitchen to get the maximum effect. You can also incorporate light posts and built-in flooring lighting at the base of cabinets. Be sure that your light sources properly illuminate the grill even when the hood is open.
DO: BUILD FOR FUNCTION
Much like their indoor counterparts, outdoor kitchens should be as functional as they are enticing. To optimize your backyard kitchen, consider shade for those hot summer days. Retractable awnings work well if you prefer a more open design with the option of coverage. If your kitchen patio is covered, ceiling fans offer a nice breeze and discourage flying insects.
DON’T: LET PUDDLES RUIN YOUR KITCHEN
Even covered kitchens risk accumulating water from windy storms or hurricanes. Angle your counters slightly to allow runoff or cut drip edges to their undersides to prevent water damage to both the counters and cabinets. Ensure easy drainage with a slightly sloped floor or drain pipe on the floor.
DON’T: IGNORE DINING AREAS
Allowing for multiple dining areas at your outdoor kitchen is a great way to splurge. Having a bar top or tall table along with a sit-down outdoor table gives your kitchen dimension and gives guests more spaces to spread out. But be mindful of the weather when you arrange the kitchen and dining areas; putting a table downwind of the grill might leave your guests sitting in a smoky cloud.
Get started designing your dream outdoor kitchen with the remodeling experts. Markley Construction has the experience to take your backyard project to the next level. For full remodeling from start to finish give us a call today.
