Creating an outdoor living space that is beautiful, inviting, and comfortable is important to most homeowners in Northeast Ohio and Erie, PA. Outdoor kitchens can help you make your living space one that you can’t get enough of. Outdoor kitchens are very popular and, not surprisingly, are the top outdoor living space project planned in 2021, with 76% of homeowners planning to add or improve their outdoor kitchen space this year. We are going to review some things you should consider to help you create the outdoor kitchen of your dreams.
What is an Outdoor Kitchen?
To put it simply, an outdoor kitchen is a place on the outside of your Northeast Ohio or Erie, PA home where you can cook, prepare a meal, and easily clean up afterwards. Some outdoor kitchens include seating and entertainment areas as well. In an outdoor kitchen, there is some type of heating element in the area; these may include: a stove, cook-top, grill, smoker, or even a pizza oven.
What Should you Consider When Creating the Outdoor Kitchen of Your Dreams?
While you may know that you want an outdoor kitchen, you likely don’t know what that fully entails. What appliances do you want to add? Do you want running water? Do you already have a grill or smoker that you want to incorporate? We are going to review some things you should consider that will help you create the outdoor kitchen of your dreams.
- Overall Use of the Outdoor Kitchen: If you plan to use your outdoor kitchen for entertaining purposes, you likely want to include an area for seating and serving meals. If you don’t plan to have guests over, you may not need the extra area. Also, if you intend to host larger amounts of people, the size of appliances should be factored in. A small grill, cook top, or other appliances, could be impractical.
- Frequency of Kitchen Use and Weatherproofing: Our weather in Northeast Ohio and Erie, PA can impact your decision on the appliances, cabinets, and other items you wish to have in your kitchen. Because we know we can not control the elements and sudden changes in the weather, you will want to select items for your kitchen that are weatherproofed or can easily be covered.
- Location: You will want to create an outdoor kitchen that is in the best location in your outdoor space. If your outdoor kitchen is not going to house all elements of your indoor kitchen, you will want to be able to easily get to your inside kitchen to have access to things you need (i.e. refrigerator, sink, microwave, etc.).
- Functionality: Having a functional outdoor kitchen is key. Arrange your kitchen in a way that makes sense to you. Before getting started, consider the functionality of different appliances. If you are going to have a sink and need running water, ensure you have access to it in location you place it in your design. This also goes for if you are using gas or electric appliances. Can you access the gas or electric where you selected to place the grill or refrigerator?
- Storage: Most indoor kitchens have walls; outdoor kitchens usually do not. This means that you will need to find storage to house items you want to keep outside. You can add shelving in the lower half of your kitchen, use rolling storage, install hanging storage, amongst many other creative storage solutions.
- Coverage and Protection: We know that our weather is unpredictable and can change in an instant, so you will want to consider having your outdoor kitchen covered and protected. Nothing is worse than starting to cook or eat and having rain ruin your meal. Keep in mind, if adding a roof, you should avoid one that is combustible, because you will be using surfaces that can get extremely hot and produce flames.
- All the Bells and Whistles: Your outdoor kitchen will not be complete if you don’t give it some design and entertainment elements of your own. Think about adding lighting, speakers for music, TVs, etc. Create the outdoor kitchen of your dreams by adding things that will allow you to make the most of the space.
There are a lot of options when it comes to creating an outdoor kitchen. At Litehouse Pools & Spas we inspire to create an outdoor kitchen of your dreams for your Northeast Ohio or Erie, PA home. We bring you the most creative designs in complete outdoor kitchens. We are passionate about designs, quality, service, and proving the best value to our customers.
Schedule a free consultation today to start creating an outdoor kitchen that can be the centerpiece of your outdoor living space.