DIY- Why You Should Add an Outdoor Kitchen for Better Outdoor Entertaining

Get lots of design tips from the video below, then keep reading to get more information on outdoor kitchen ideas.

Family and guests can gather around and get in on the fun of cooking when you build a new outdoor kitchen.

Here is another DIY idea that is sure to become a favorite upgrade to your outdoor living space. Do it yourself and save lots of money.

Do you enjoy spending time outdoors? What about outdoor entertaining with friends and family? BBQ's with friends?

When the weather is nice outside and you want to invite friends over for a cookout the obvious addition to your backyard in an outdoor kitchen.

It is such a distraction to prepare food indoors and carry it outside, or even worse to have to leave the food indoors when the party is focused outside.

The cook is often left out of the best part of the gathering, mingling with guests, because they are stuck inside the house in the kitchen.

This won't happen with a properly stocked outdoor kitchen. You can enjoy the party just like the guest do and even encourage them to help prepare the food.

WIth so many products on the market for enchancing your outdoor living space from pavers to grills, your will need to determine what you want out of your investment in your outdoor kitchen.

Do you want something fancy with all of the bells and whistles? Or do you want to keep it simple?

These are decisions that only you can make. So give it lots of thought to determine what your real needs and wants are. Set a budget that you want to spend on the project and keep in mind that having an outdoor kitchen is very popular feature on homes.

A built in outdoor kitchen will improve the value of your home, as long as it offers added value, by being a permanent part of the outdoor living space of your home.

The basics in any outdoor kitchen include a grill, a countertop with ample workspace, a sink and a refridgerator. Storage space is also needed. A built in dishwasher would be a great added feature to stop bring cookware and dishes back and forth from the house to the outdoor kitchen.

You can go so far as to add other features that include surround sound TV and stereo, and more.

Make sure that the design offers plenty of space for more than one person to be in the kitchen area, so guests can help with preparing and serving the food and have a seating area such as a bar with stools or a dining table and chairs.

The closer to the house the better, because of bringing the food items from the house to the outting. But with proper storage, you can keep your cooking and serving necessities in the outdoor kitchen all the time.

If you grow a vegetable garden, having your garden close to your kitchen gives the added benefit of having fresh vegetables only steps away when you are ready to prepare them. So grow a garden and cookout frest veggies all summer!

If you have a deck or patio, this could be an obvious choice for a location for your new outdoor kitchen. If the space is limited consider adding another section to the deck or patio.

Add a few steps to the deck if it is on the lower level to seperate the new area from the original and make the kitchen in the location best suited for it. Usually this would be the area closest to the house, for easy access back and forth into the house.

If you have a large patio or deck area, seperate the spaces with a built in eating area and turn the large space into 2 seperate rooms, by having an outdoor living room next to the outdoor kitchen.

Add a roof over your kitchen for added shade. This can be as simple as an awning or a pergola with growing vines covering it. If you want to add a room coming off of the house, use the same type of roofing materials used on the house and make sure that the style looks right with the roofline of your home.

You can hang outdoor drapes from a roof for added shade from sun during peak times to help cool the space and add color.

Choose material that will withstand the outdoor elements year round. This is going to be your new favorite outdoor space so build it to last a long time.

Make the floor permanent, if it is new construction. Use concrete or pavers or decking. The composite decking is meant to be long lasting and maintence free so it is a nice choice.

Countertops can be made out of several material, but just make sure that they are waterproof and burn resistant. Granite is a good choice, and so is outdoor tile.

Just realize that the dark colors such as black get extremely hot to the touch in the sunlight and can make the room hotter and less enjoyable. Keep the colors as neautral and earthy as possible for better heat reflection. Cool colors also work out well.

Watch the helpful video below fort tips on location and design for your new kitchen.

When planning your kitchen, try to plan it so that you can keep the area decorated and looking like a room as much as possible to always be ready to entertain or simply have family time outside in the fresh air. Use lots of flowers in containers, and along walls to make the space into a garden room. This helps to keep the area cooler too as vines grow and climb up over supports such as posts or trellises.

Use a mixure to wood and wrought iron for added interest for your plants and decorations. Wrought iron decor hanging on the walls of a house provide a nice decorative touch and they withstand the outdoor elements too. Use mounted candle holders with attached glass hurricanes on walls and posts for subtle lighting for evening events. Use citronella candles to discourage bugs from joining in the fun.

Add a firepit or fireplace to the additional living space, for cooking and added heat during cooler weather.

If you are a fan of old teasures, surround your new outdoor kitchen with items you love to collect that look aged or antique, such as flea market finds for added interest.

Old bowls, lanterns, pitches, sinks, or anything kitchen related would bring in lots of character. Use rustic reclaimed materials such as barnwood for the cabinets and table or bar to go along with the treasure you are using to decorate your kitchen. Galvanized buckets make nice ice buckets for holding cold drinks.

Start collecting items and planning your new outdoor kitchen today.

Keep the fridge stocked with food and drinks for spontanous cookouts and family fun.

If your budget won't permit adding the entire kitchen all at once, do it in stages as you can and get the ball rolling on the project in phases.

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