How To Design An Outdoor Kitchen?

An outdoor kitchen is the perfect place to entertain or eat a meal with your family while enjoying the fresh air and maybe even a cool breeze.  If you don’t have an outdoor kitchen, we have good news.  Even the smallest backyard can be transformed into an open-air space for cooking and dining.  All it takes is a great design and a little construction know-how.

Planning is an essential first step in any construction project, including outdoor kitchens.  First, you need to assess your space.  How big is your yard?  How much of that yard do you want to devote to your outdoor kitchen?  Are there any obstacles (trees, slopes, etc.) in that space that will need to be taken into account?

After determining the space you want to utilize, you should think about how you will use your outdoor kitchen.  Do you want to host large parties, or just small family meals?  Do you want to include entertainment (such as a TV) in the space?  What types of food would you like to cook (this will determine the appliances you need to include in your design)?

Next comes the least fun part - budgeting.  Now that you know what you want in your outdoor kitchen and where you want it, you need to calculate how much your dream outdoor kitchen will cost.  We recommend requesting quotes from landscaping and construction professionals to ensure that you didn’t miss anything major in your calculations.  If the quotes come in much higher than your budget, you will need to decide if you want to downsize the kitchen, use less expensive materials, or postpone the project until you can afford what you really want.

Once your ideas and your budget are in alignment, you can start designing your new outdoor kitchen.  You will need to decide where each appliance will go, where you will incorporate storage space, where the seating will be, how you will bring light, water, and power to the kitchen, what type of countertops you will use, and much more. 

While it is great to have a basic idea for your design, we strongly recommend that you employ the assistance of a design professional (such as ourselves) at this point.  Not only can we ensure that your design is possible and structurally sound, we also know all of the regrets that homeowners often have after making certain design choices (for example, “Why didn’t I put a ceiling fan in? These flies are annoying!”).

Once your design is finalized, it is time to start building!  A well-designed and well-constructed outdoor kitchen will bring you, your family, and your friends great joy for many years.  If you are ready to start turning your backyard into a fully-functional entertaining space, hire landscapers expert. At Landscaping Coquitlam Ecopros we here to help.  Evaluate your space, think about how you want to use the space, and determine your budget.  Then give us a call to start turning your dream outdoor kitchen into a reality!