Contact Us Today!
We’d love to hear from you, and learn about your project.
We have talented designers, an awesome staff, free designs, no money down and and financing options available.
Outdoor kitchens
Love to eat outdoors? Wish you could cook, clean up, and enjoy your meals outside? An outdoor kitchen might be the answer to your exterior living space needs. Visionary Landscaping in Shelby Township, MI, creates customized hardscapes to suit any homeowner’s lifestyle and allows you to enjoy your exterior living space as much as possible with sophisticated, versatile outdoor kitchens.
Elements of an Outdoor Kitchen
Outdoor kitchens can be as simple or complex as a homeowner likes. You know what you and your family and guests prefer most when it comes to relaxing and entertaining outdoors. Consider the following features as you think about how you want your outdoor living area to look.
- Traditional or tabletop grill
- Oven or cooktop
- Smoker
- Sink and dishwasher
- Refrigerator
- Pizza oven
- Bar
- Fireplace
- Cupboards
- Island
- Lighting
- Power sockets
The key to a long-lasting outdoor kitchen space is to use strong materials, weather protection, and strategic positioning to keep all parts of this area safe from the elements. You want these unique cooking areas to be as usable as your indoor kitchen and that can only happen by working with experts who take all exterior elements into consideration along with your unique space.
Determine the Best Outdoor Kitchen Location
An outdoor kitchen can be situated wherever you want it, but there are some points to consider as you make the location determination, especially if you have a simple kitchen area that does not include areas for refrigeration, warming, storage, or preparation. Ideally, the outdoor kitchen is built near the indoor kitchen for:
- Convenience, prep, and transport of food.
- Less expensive to run utilities only a short distance from the house.
- Saves costs by building closer to the house.
Have an honest conversation with your contractor or landscaper and listen to their recommendations when it comes to location and all other major features. The experts have insight that you may never have considered, and they can pinpoint potential problems before your outdoor kitchen becomes a reality.
Enhance an Outdoor Kitchen with Softscape and Hardscape
Comfort and usability are two essential pieces of a successful outdoor kitchen. With a table, lounge area, or bar seating all around the cooking and prep area, conversation is easy and enjoying each other’s company is too. Complementary hardscaping can be built right into the outdoor kitchen, so it feels like you’re really living life outside.
Don’t neglect the softscape elements that work for this kind of exterior prep and eating space either. A garden, herb wall, or other softscape landscaping adds greenery and color to stone, brick, and other tough items, creating a comfortable contrast and relaxing place to create meals, sit, socialize, and enjoy.
Rely on Hardscape Experts to Build an Outdoor Kitchen
If you have a mostly green yard without any hardscaping and your biggest wish is for an outdoor kitchen, some specific steps will need to be taken to get your space ready for this development.
- Anyone without an existing patio needs that foundation first.
- The foundation can be a concrete slab or a customized patio that serves as the base for the outdoor kitchen.
- Consider whether a roof over the kitchen space is necessary.
- Identify how all the appliances and features will be covered or otherwise protected when not in use or during inclement weather.
Some homeowners are tempted to install an outdoor kitchen on their own. It is strongly encouraged that you rely on experts who know what is needed and where it is needed to avoid problems and complications from the installation of plumbing, electricity, lighting, and other necessary components.
Contact Visionary Landscaping to schedule a consultation and discuss the possibility of an outdoor kitchen in your space.
