Designing An Outdoor Kitchen

Make sure your plan your outdoor kitchen carefully - once it's built it's too late.

Peter Ross - December 2009

Many of the same principles apply to planning an outdoor kitchen as for planning a kitchen inside the house.

The most important factors are:

• Layout and accessibility
• Appliances
• Materials

Layout and accessibility

Just like its indoor cousin, an outdoor kitchen has basic zones that need to be accommodated. These are: the cold area, the hot area, and the wet area—represented by the refrigerator, the stove or grill, and the sink. It also needs plenty of work surface and storage areas. As the outdoor kitchen is unlikely to have walls or a hanging pot rack, cupboards and drawers will be needed to accommodate the cooking utensils.

A traditional kitchen is designed on the basis of a triangle between the stove, the sink and the refrigerator, with working surfaces in between. A similar layout is appropriate for an outdoor kitchen. Ideally the cook wants to be able to reach all of the main appliances without having to move too far.

Another factor to consider is lighting for the preparation and cooking areas. It is likely that some entertaining will be done in the evening and it important for safety reasons that the cook has good lighting for the areas where he is working.

Appliances

An outdoor kitchen is not going to be used with the same frequency as the main indoor kitchen, so most of the small appliances, such as mixers and blenders, will just be brought outside as they are needed. But the main units—the refrigerator, stove or grill, and the sink will be permanent fixtures. They will need power sources, whether those are gas or electricity, and the sink will require a water supply and waste water disposal facility.

All of these utilities need to be planned well in advance, so that they are in place before the main construction work takes place.

As the appliances will be outside, and probably exposed to the weather, they need to have a finish that will withstand the elements. Stainless steel is usually the material of choice—it is weather resistant and easy to keep clean.

Materials

As well as the stainless steel appliances, the countertops need to be made of a material that will handle both the weather and the cooking activities. Stainless steel is a good choice for the countertops, but granite or stone can also work well. If a natural material is used it should be sealed to avoid staining and damage from spills and hot items being placed on it.

One aspect that needs to be considered for an outdoor kitchen that shouldn't apply to one indoors is that of the evenness of the floor surface. If the cook is going to be carrying hot and heavy items it is important for safety reasons that there is nothing on the floor to trip over.  A concrete base, smooth flagstones or brick pavers are all suitable, as long as they are sealed to prevent staining from the inevitable spillages.

Once all of the practical design factors are considered, the cook will be concerned with the aesthetics of the kitchen and he can design the remaining features, such as a fireplace, seating areas, wet bar and entertaining spaces to his personal taste.

Blue Ridge Landscape & Design is a professional landscaping company based in Winchester, VA. With a staff of designers, horticulturists and outside crews, they undertake all types of landscaping from design and build to commercial landscape maintenance. They also have extensive experience in all areas of residential landscaping, from small plantings for garden patios to complete outdoor kitchen design and installation.

Source: http://www.blueridgelandscape.com