With spring almost here and summer just around the corner, many people are considering adding an outdoor kitchen to their home. Outdoor kitchens can make it even more fun to cook for the family, expand your entertaining options or simply add more livable space to your home. Here are some tips to find the best outdoor kitchen design for your Jackson, MS home:
- Consider your space: Your backyard space will determine a lot of your outdoor kitchen design. For example, if you have a small backyard, you’ll probably want to install the kitchen close to one of the walls of your home or in a corner. If your home is on a large amount of acreage, you have more flexibility, but make sure the kitchen isn’t too far away from your home, or it will be inconvenient to use.
- Decide on portable or permanent features: If you plan to stay in your home for the rest of your life, you can go ahead and install permanent features and appliances. However, if you think you’re likely to sell your home within the next decade, it’s probably a good idea to pick appliances that can move with you.
- Set a budget and stick to it: Your budget is probably the single most important factor in your design—it will determine where you need to make compromises and where you can go ahead and splurge. Once you’ve decided how much money you can or are willing to spend, force yourself to work within those parameters. It’s easy to add “just one more thing”—and then get sticker shock when you see the final bill.
- Factor in your climate: Remember, your kitchen is outdoors. How often do you plan to use it? How cold does it get in the winter? Are you in a particularly rainy area? All of these considerations will affect both the design and how much you may want to spend. It also affects placement, how you’ll shield your appliances from inclement weather and what kind of materials you’d like to use. Many people use patios or pergolas to keep the sun, rain, wind and snow off their outdoor kitchens.
- Consider how many people might use it: When you’re designing your kitchen, you need to consider how many people in your household cook, how many people you tend to entertain at one time and what kind of meals you envision cooking and serving outdoors. This will influence your placement, spacing and which fixtures you need.
- Think about which appliances are key: Finally, the fun part—which appliances will you get? Barbecues, smokers, grills and outdoor pizza ovens are all popular choices. You’ll probably want to focus on one or two multifunctional major appliances, rather than installing every single one that looks good or sounds fun.
When you are ready to design and build your own outdoor kitchen in Jackson, MS, reach out to Kitchen Kreators Ltd. to schedule a consultation. We can transform your existing outdoor space into a beautiful new cooking area.