ConstructionDeal.com Update

It's a bit late in the season, but there's still time to think about an outdoor upgrade for your home. Two questions: Do you like to eat outdoors and do you hate to run back and forth for supplies while you're eating and cooking outside? Well, if you answered YES to both, it might be time to think about adding an outdoor kitchen to your house.

Some things to consider when planning your outdoor kitchen:
- How much do you want to spend?
- How much space do you have outdoors?
- How much will you use your outdoor kitchen?

Your budget will determine how far you go. Whether you'll end up with just a new grill and counter space or if you'll get a complete kitchen (with a grill, fridge, eating area, sink, gas & electric lines, and more.)

And, you might not have enough room for a full spread. Some may have to contend with a deck, a pool, or a small yard and cannot go all out. Careful planning by your designer can usually accommodate several options.

Finally, think about how much kitchen you need based on how much you'll use it. If you only plan on eating outside once a week or two weeks, you'd probably just want a grill and countertop/cabinet set up. But if you'd like to practically live outdoors, you can really add some value to your house with a second kitchen with all the amenities.

Outdoor Kitchen Options:

Custom Units
- Built-in to your specs to fit your space and your choice of materials, styles, and size
- You can match materials to your pool tiles or house colors
- Give you more flexibility for all the options you want
- Gives you the best upscale look
- Can be very expensive to have all the custom masonry installed
- Could increase your home's value

Prefabricated Units
- Less expensive semi-custom or prefab designs that come in specific sizes
- Choose from selected materials for the sides and counters (not as much selection choices)
- You provide sizes of your appliances (grill, fridge, etc.) and the pieces are manufactured and shipped to the home for installation
- Can possibly be moved with you when you leave
- May not require building permits, depending on application

Freestanding Units
- Not as much glamour but definitely less expensive (perfect for rare outdoor use)
- Very portable
- Come with limited counter space to accompany your grill and underneath storage
- Inexpensive
- Some have excellent options, like a built-in fridge or a umbrella for protection

Keep These in Mind when Building your Outdoor Kitchen:

Make sure your grill is not placed in a location that can send smoke into your home or through your eating area.

Keep it comfortable: make sure you can weatherproof the location. Add umbrellas or roofs to keep the sun off. Add portable gas heaters to extend the season. A firepit may be an option for additional heat.

Make sure you can move your refrigerator indoors if you have really cold winters. And if you run water lines, don't forget to winterize to prevent pipes from freezing.

Check on local building requirements - if you're going to add gas, electric, and/or water lines you may or may not be able to run those lines together to your kitchen. Or, you might be able to put them in the same trench be keep them separated.

Your desired outdoor kitchen options can ratchet up the prices: think about how you like to cook. Adding wood-burning or pizza ovens, woks, ice makers, or oven vents can add to your budget.

If you can, plan on adding an additional counter opposite the grill or even a u-shaped counter area to be able to continue the "work triangle" that you have in your indoor kitchen to the outdoors.

Start with the grill and build your kitchen around it.