Summer Series-Outdoor Kitchens and Grills
There is nothing more memorable during the summer season than spending time in your backyard cooking for your friends and family and enjoying company spent with them during the beautiful weather. Over recent years, exterior outdoor living spaces have become a popular remodeling option to take one’s home to the next level. For that reason, this article, a part of our summer series, is going to focus on outdoor kitchens and grill add-ons. Even though there are endless food opportunities to check out at the Jersey Shore, sometimes stay-at-home gatherings are what wins in the end, and what is better than having your own chef quality kitchen or top-of-the-line appliances in your own backyard.
What does your ideal outdoor kitchen space include?
There are a variety of different styles and designs one can choose from for their backyard to become their own personal oasis, a few questions to consider before making your overall decision should be:
– What are you going to utilize this space for? Big friends and family gatherings? Or more personal intimate get-togethers?
– What is the inspiration for your backyard or general vibe you want it to give? Such as tropical, modern, Mediterranean, the options are endless
-Would you want a full outdoor kitchen space or bar area, or just a top-of-the-line grill and some counterspace?
– If a grill is all you need, would you want a gas line connected to it, or just propane tanks?
– Seeking a full outdoor kitchen, what appliances would you want throughout the space?
– Would you want roof covering options over it? Such as a permanently fixed roof with shingles, or a pergola to offer some shade. There are even motorized options that can allow the sunshine to feed through and the shade when it becomes too warm.
– What exterior finishes would you like to add to your kitchen? Stone, wood, unique patterns of tiles
– What countertop finishes would you like to use? Tile, stone, granite, quartz?
– Endless aesthetic customizations from appliances, cabinetry, countertops, as well as patterns and textures in wood or stone
The endless choices when thinking about completing an outdoor kitchen can be very daunting because of the infinite customization possibilities, but that is also one of the positive things about wanting to embark on your own remodeling process to create your dream outdoor space. It is important to remember that if you are thinking about creating a dream cooking space, you can utilize a design build firm, like Baine Contracting, that can help you walk through all of these decisions and point you in the right direction to have a space that you can truly enjoy hosting relatives and friends for years to come. You may prefer having a designated space for a barbeque and some counterspace, aiming for the traditional outdoor cooking area. Enough for hosting and cooking on a grill every once in a while; or you may prefer a complete professional kitchen set up of top-of-the-line appliances, of which including a gas grill, gas griddles, side burners, vent hood, wine fridge, pizza oven, ice maker, warming drawer, which offers a wider range of entertainment options that the space can host because it can more comfortably feed more people perhaps then just a grill.
Outdoor Kitchens
Not only are outdoor kitchens a popular design and addition for homes along the Jersey shore, but the popularity of total backyard overhauls to create a complete chef quality professional cooking space has been even more relevant lately. An outdoor kitchen can be simple or a full- fledged entertainment space. For homeowners who love to spend their time outdoors or hosting parties, this is the ultimate remodeling choice for them that would be perfect for suiting their
lifestyles. A total start from scratch remodel can include focusing on having a designated bar area for guests to sit on high top chairs at a bar top counter. For example, if you enjoy hosting but always seem to be pulled away to the kitchen to do cooking or prepare things, having a designated sitting area outside not far from a kitchen would be a perfect way to still have the best of both worlds of getting everything done. Also, having ample counterspace outside would offer a great display area for food and snacks to be displayed while hosting guests.
Another perk of having an outdoor kitchen is their endless options for having extra storage for outdoor cooking accessories and materials you may need. For example, most homeowners like to have a separate wine fridge or freezer outside so that they can store beverages that they enjoy outside so that you don’t have to go in and out of the house frequently, of which possibly leaving dirt inside and letting bugs in. Also, by having a designated wine fridge, or freezer, will
keep drinks ice cold around the clock versus the length of time a cooler may keep it cold. If you are thinking about building a chef grade kitchen, then appliances that are of the same luxury level such as Lynx, Wolf or Sub-Zero appliances will be the favorable brands to utilize. Sub-Zero offers under counter refrigerators that are safe for outdoors, as well as a full standing ice maker that will always be full for gatherings. Whereas Lynx and Wolf offer options for grilling
and cooking, ventilation, and warming drawers. The options for luxury appliances are endless from having your own chef grade grill and burner, a wood stone pizza oven, or even having a kegerator tap. In recent years, smoking barbeque has become trendier and as such there are even customized options for those who enjoy that like installing an offset or pellet smoker, or a Green Egg. Another luxury design feature is installing a bar sink to alleviate more of the foot traffic frequently going in and out of the house to aid in making the cleaning process smoother.
Additionally, if the weather and temperature outside is a concern for your space, it would be worth the time to consider roof coverings for your space or ways to adjust the temperature. If you want to enjoy your outdoor kitchen in the cooler seasons, having a covered porch with outdoor heaters may be worth the splurge of added accessories. Whereas if you mostly want to enjoy your space during the warmer climate, the addition of fans on the roof or ceiling lighting may be important so that you can enjoy cooking outdoors at night when it may be cooler. However, it is still possible to have high-quality space if you don’t want to splurge on elite level appliances by making your grill the centerpiece of your design. Just the convenience of having your grill having a direct gas line attached to the grill so that you will never have to replace propane tanks. Gone are the days of getting ready to cook and forgetting that the grill has no propane left and having to pivot to a different idea for dinner or a last-minute run to the store. With a direct line connection, it’ll never be a fear of that again. It is important to remember that if your space does not already have an existing outdoor kitchen area, you will have to check with your town and will most likely need permits to complete the work, and engineering and zoning costs depending on how extensive of a kitchen design you are considering. Overall, the type of outdoor kitchen remodel really depends on your overall lifestyle.
With living by the Jersey shore, there’s nothing better than a beach day and then coming back to your home and cooking an amazing dinner for you and your family and friends. For that reason, an exterior kitchen might be a good addition to your backyard to elevate your space to the next level. There are many different kitchen design ideas, so it’s important to think about what upgrades would fit your lifestyle the best and what you think you would get the most out of these design features. If you are thinking about optimizing your outdoor entertainment space to suit your needs best, consider reaching out to Baine Contracting, Inc. to help you create your own luxurious outdoor kitchen space with all your wishes.
By Shannon Johnstone at Baine Contracting, Inc.