Every home today has a kitchen, of course, but a regular kitchen is the one found inside the home. There is nothing wrong with that, but some homeowners who love the outdoors and often host parties may have another idea in mind when there is a party being held outside in fair weather. An outdoor kitchen or even an outdoor living room or dining set acts as a sort of landscaping that can host an entire party, and with an outdoor kitchen, any enthusiast can grill or cook any meal for a party and serve them on a patio or deck. Landscape design varies widely, and for homeowners who both love to cook and love their patio, and outdoor kitchen is just the thing they may want. Even outdoor refrigerators, electric stoves, and more are possible if a high quality outdoor kitchen is built. Often, building an outdoor kitchen is a lot of work, and homeowners are advised to hire contractors who can get this job done. And once it’s up and running, and outdoor kitchen can be a delight for an entire party.
Landscaping
An outdoor kitchen fits into the bigger category of landscaping, and many American homeowners and professionals alike agree that landscaping can be a real boon for a property, both for the appeal and for the financial returns of such a project. Speaking broadly, renovations and landscaping for a home result in a return of investment, or ROI, that can be very lucrative for the homeowner, since their home will be more appealing and more valuable on the real estate market later on. In particular, it has been found that spending as little as 5% of a home’s value on landscaping may yield a ROI as high as 150% if done properly, and for this reason and more, over 90% of real estate agents encourage homeowners to invest in landscaping before they put their property on the market. The general American populace has similar sentiments. About 82% of surveyed Americans say that having a yard is important, and around 90% of those with a yard say that it is important to keep that yard well-maintained. Finally, just over half of those who upgrade their outdoor spaces spend at least six hours per week out there, so naturally they want a great landscaping job to be done. Outdoor swimming pools, an enclosed patio, a wooden deck, flowerbeds, a koi fish pond, garden paths, and more can all constitute landscaping, depending on the homeowner’s preference. This can include an outdoor kitchen.
An Outdoor Kitchen
Only the handiest of homeowners may be able to build their own outdoor kitchen; the rest may hire contractor crews who will set up the furniture, appliances, and utilities for an outdoor kitchen, such as on a wooden deck or a patio. Stoves, the fridge, a freezer, or even a microwave will need electricity or gas pipes, not to mention water for the sink. All of this may be too labor-intensive for a homeowner, but the project owner can consult with contractor crew members about what they want their new outdoor kitchen to look like, and what features it will have. This is no ordinary kitchen; the surfaces and cooking utensils are out in the open, away from a home’s protection, so countertops and metal surface should be designed to endure rain, sunlight, temperature extremes, and more so that they do not degrade. Cookware can be held in airtight plastic containers or bags when not in use, and counters or metal surfaces might also have protective covers put on them to shield them from UV rays or rain. This can keep an outdoor kitchen both hygienic and in good condition for cooking.
Another factor to bear in mind is insects. Someone doing outdoor cooking and serving for a party outside is doing so in fair weather, and this means that unwanted guests such as flies, mosquitoes, or wasps may intrude on the scene. Mesh nets and screens can be set up with poles or other supports to keep these insects away, and the nets should often be checked for holes that could let wildlife in. This can make an outdoor party safer and more pleasant for everyone involved, bug-free.