Just like your home’s interior, the backyard should reflect your lifestyle personality and can be elevated to tell a story about who you are. Adding an outdoor kitchen, which entwines cooking with entertaining, offers that chance to personalize and engage with an often-overlooked part of many properties.
Would it work in my yard?
Unless you only have a balcony, then yes, it will. The size of your backyard does not matter much. Essentially you are creating a permanent outdoor space where you can simultaneously cook and entertain. So just like in the tiniest of studio apartments, you can almost always find space for carving out a kitchen area.
As for price, it’s incredibly reasonable. According to some basic internet research, you can DIY an outdoor kitchen with a sink, all-weather countertop, bar seating, and storage for under $2,000. Now that’s assuming you already have the grill. Because otherwise, you just have an outdoor bar. Even if you have a grill, though, and you’re going whole hog on your outdoor kitchen, then you might want to think about a replacement.
Built-in grill
Why invest in a built-in grill for your outdoor kitchen? Well, first, they’re made to fit perfectly into the work area, allowing for counter space to run right up to them. Think of all that surface within arm’s reach for spices, tools, plates, and your beer. Besides, standing alone on a patio doesn’t do a grill justice, particularly when it can become the heart of your new outdoor kitchen, surrounded by handy warming drawers, prep areas, and fridges.
The grill’s placement in your kitchen depends on your preference. Do you want to be in the center of the action or off to the side, thus allowing other appliances to shine? (More on those later.) The access to drainage, water mains, and electrical outlets may limit your choice.
As for which built-in grill to purchase, that will be your own quest. Thousands of websites devote screen upon screen talking about the classics and the season’s new reveals loaded with style, options, and technology. Read the user reviews. They will serve you well.
Ventilation & insulation
Ventilation and insulation—nothing sounds more boring as you’re dreaming about sleek, powerful grills and shiny appliances for your kitchen. But those two safety factors could make the difference between a working outdoor kitchen and one that goes up in flames.
For ventilation, your built-in grill, whether gas or charcoal, needs a vent in front or behind it to let out excess gas and prevent heat buildup. If your outdoor kitchen sits under a solid roof of some type, then the grill also needs a ventilation hood overhead to carry the smoke above the roof. Insulation in or around any heat sources is just as critical, especially if those appliances sit near combustible components, such as wood.
Cabinetry & Counters
Cabinetry elevates the look of—and adds your particular distinction to—your outdoor kitchen. Neutral colors that blend with the outdoors or your interior remain popular, as does the timelessness of stainless steel finishes. But bolder colors are garnering interest as well. Some sports fanatics, who can spend whole seasons entertaining in their outdoor kitchens, incorporate their team colors throughout the space. It’s your space, so let your imagination run wild.
For work surfaces, as with your indoor kitchen, you need areas to prep and places to serve your creations, so plan your counters where they do the most good. Don’t scrimp, either. Scrimping on counter space leads to angst in the future as you scramble to find a free surface. You can never really have too much.
As for your counter composition, concrete and granite have been the go-to options for years, but those choices have now evolved to include UV-stable quartz. None of the options are painless or maintenance-free, however.
UV-stable quartz composite resists stains and scratches, and requires lower maintenance, though. It comes at a higher price point, but it offers something different. Or a luxury-level choice might be Porcelanosa, a Spanish ceramic that has the look of Calcutta marble.
Be sure installers pay attention to the pitch of your counters, so any liquid, including rain, pours off but not into the person who just tipped all the beef juice off the platter. If scored properly, fluids should run through those grooves and splay out so as not to get into the cabinets.
Refrigerators & Specialty Drink Coolers
Having self-serve beverage stations keeps any gathering flowing. But with beverage refrigerators in your outdoor kitchen, you’re relieved from continually stocking and icing the coolers. Add in kegerators, wine coolers, and beverage centers that dispense a choice of concoctions, and it’s hosting heaven.
Choose wisely and think through the flow to and from each appliance. Activity will never cease around the outdoor drink stations. Therefore, from a design perspective, you want some distance between your grill and any beverage appliance. You may even want more than one refrigerator, dedicating one to food closer to the grill and prep areas and one for drinks. Or stock one with adult libations and the other with beverages for the under-21 set.
Whatever you choose, pay attention to the capabilities of the refrigerator. Can it maintain a safe temperature for food, even when the sun hits it throughout the day? Is it made for outdoor use? Sure, a cheap dorm-style refrigerator might fit your space and cost less, but it will fail you in the long run.
Extra! Extra!
Now comes the embellishments. Outdoor kitchens can be built with all the indoor kitchen amenities, including dishwashers manufactured for outdoor use. But as alluring as easy cleanup is, other extras are more likely to elevate your fun and enjoyment.
Televisions. If your intention is to marry watching sports or movie nights with al fresco dining, add a television to your budget. Sure, you could keep running back inside to catch a play, but you know the crowd will ultimately spend most of the party in front of the TV, leaving you cooking alone in your outdoor kitchen. Fortunately, outdoor TVs abound that can withstand the elements and even adjust to sun glare or retract into protective casings. Shop carefully and pay attention to care and maintenance.
Fire-baked pizza ovens not only add a unique outdoor delight to your menu, but can let the cook off the hook. Whether hosting game days or kids’ parties, the guests, including kids, can assemble their own pie, leaving you to savor a cold one while simply popping pies in and out of your wood-fired oven.
Warming drawers also help ease your stress and provide a touch of luxury, since you can prepare everything ahead of time and still serve it up warm at the nearby table. Or food needing different temps or cook times can be kept warm until all the dishes are ready to be served at once.
Ice maker. No need to keep hauling ice to the patio from your indoor freezer. Instead, invest in an outdoor ice machine. Ironically, when the weather turns cold, your ice machine will need to be winterized.
Live fire. If you plan to entertain outside during cooler times of the year, include a fire source for your guests to gather around for warmth and a cozy ambience. You can always build a big hearth, which exudes style and class, or your guests can gather around the soothing, flickering flames of a fire pit.
Cool down. On the other side of the spectrum, a portable air cooler will be a plus in balmy and sometimes sweltering weather. Your outdoor space can also be cooled with ceiling fans, if you have any kind of support overhead.
Before you begin anything, though, plan. Think of your entire outdoor entertainment space, including your yard, as part of a single, functional space to be designated into dining, cooking, playing, and lounging areas. Or think of these as outdoor rooms to help you picture the flow of traffic between them as part of your design. By creating opportunities for interaction and conversation within your outdoor space and kitchen design, you’ll inspire memories that last a lifetime.