Outdoor Kitchens
Outdoor kitchens and barbecues not only make entertaining guests and family easy and fun, but they also add value and beauty to your backyard. It’s a great way to bring the family together and spend less time in front of the TV and more time outside instead.
Outdoor kitchens can range from a simple prefabricated grilling island with a countertop, to a large full-service kitchen with a refrigerator, sink, cabinets and storage, grills with side burners and griddles, a pizza oven, or even a cocktail station (see our gallery for examples).
Additionally, there are multiple methods of construction for these outdoor living spaces: outdoor kitchen kits and custom built-in outdoor kitchens. A brief comparison of these different types of outdoor kitchens can help you make an informed decision regarding the type that best completes your backyard oasis.
CUSTOM KITCHEN
Outdoor Kitchens are a great way to extend your entertaining space. With a fully functional kitchen outdoors, you keep your guests outside longer, making the most of your outdoor space.
A custom outdoor kitchen can be built in any size, shape, color or materials. Custom kitchens can be built to meet the demands of the homeowners. Fully customizable kitchens are ideal if you’re looking to pick and choose the appliances you want, while also matching it to the decor of your space.
Take full advantage of the customizability by adding features such as a pizza oven, smoker or wine cooler. The combinations are endless!
Built-in outdoor kitchens are the most advanced form of outdoor kitchens and are built on-site by a professional landscape company. Built-in outdoor kitchens can use materials that match existing patios or can be incorporated into a larger landscape design, involving your whole landscape better than a kit or modular kitchen often can.
While built-in outdoor kitchens may use some “modular” forms, they are not nearly as limited in size as modular outdoor kitchens and can add more custom features, such as a wet bar beside a pool, nighttime lighting, or built-in pergolas and other forms of shade structure that don’t typically come with pre-fabricated kitchens.
Full-sized, custom outdoor kitchens have wide variability in cost, typically ranging anywhere from $15,000 to $60,000+ depending on the size and materials used.
PREFABRICATED OUTDOOR KITCHEN
Kitchen kits are prefabricated kitchen islands that normally have a grill and some counter space, but can also include add-ons like storage or a freezer that make an outdoor kitchen kit a significant upgrade over a basic outdoor grill. These kits are the most economical outdoor kitchen option, and can typically range from around $3,000 to over $10,000.
Many manufacturers allow you to choose from a few grill options, tile colors for the countertop, as well as the materials for the base of the island itself. Most companies will have additional charges for higher quality granite countertops and stone or brick veneer on the base of the kitchen island, rather than the more typical tile and stucco finishes that often come standard.
Remember: any utilities like gas or water hookups need to be installed for each type of outdoor kitchen, including these kitchen kits.
