|
Exterior
Kitchens and BBQs |
The
outdoor kitchen: IT'S BECOMING THE "IN"
THING
Starting Point
Planning process
The Cooking Grill
Design
Choices Next
Steps
|
| Many home owners are
including an 'Exterior Kitchen' in their building and/or backyard renovation plans. In the process,
homeowners are creating an outdoor 'great room' with areas for relaxation,
entertainment, recreation, cooking and dining.
Much more than just a cooking
grill, a backyard kitchen can offer most of the conveniences and appliances
that are found in an indoor kitchen.
|
 |
|
Not only does an outdoor kitchen have a
trendy look, but it also has a practical side. If you've ever run back and
forth between the grill and your indoor kitchen, you can imagine how
convenient it would be to have everything that you need to grill and serve a
meal right at your fingertips.
|
|
Decisions,
Decisions--The Starting Point:
(top of page)
What goes into a backyard kitchen
depends on your budget and space constraints. Before you start the design
process, ask yourself a few questions:
·
How do you plan to use the outdoor
kitchen? ----------------Strictly for making dinner or for full-scale
entertaining?
·
Do you entertain large groups?------
or------- host more intimate gatherings?
·
What foods do you usually cook on
your existing grill?
·
Would you try grilling other foods or
using other grilling techniques if your grill allowed you to experiment?
·
Based on your area's climate, how
many months of use can you expect?
|
|
The Planning
Process: (top
of page)
With these thoughts in mind, you can
start planning your outdoor kitchen design. Some grill and grilling island
manufacturers offer design plans, or you may work with Tile
Artistry to come up
with something that best fits your needs. Magazines, barbecue, pool and patio
retailers and home centers are other great sources for collecting layout
ideas.
|
 |
The
Cooking Grill:
(top
of page)
The cooking grill is at the center of
the outdoor kitchen. Today's high-end grills are typically complex units with
a host of well-engineered features to make cooking on them as consistent and
convenient as cooking on an indoor range or in an oven.
Extra-large
grilling surfaces offer tremendous cooking capabilities and multi-zoned
burners that allow the simultaneous cooking of foods at different
temperatures. Other features to look for include grilling grids that can be
set at different heights from the heat source, built-in wood chip trays to
provide more authentic smoky barbecued flavor and heavy-duty motorized
rotisseries for hands-free grilling of whole chickens, turkeys or roasts.
Convenient side-burners positioned next to
the grilling grid enable you to heat sauces, boil corn or sauté onions to
complement your steak. The newest grills have the added ability to switch between
gas and charcoal-style cooking.
|
|
Design
Choices----- Custom-Built, Semi-Custom or Prefab (top
of page) |
|
Next, you need to decide if you want
your grill to be freestanding or built into an island. Grilling islands are
most popular for outdoor kitchens because they provide a custom upscale look
and offer the most flexibility.
Similar to indoor kitchen islands, the grill
is installed within cabinetry or masonry that does double duty as a work
surface for preparing the meal and a buffet area for serving it.
|
 |
Grilling
islands come in two forms:
- Permanently
installed custom-built masonry islands (A Tile
Artistry specialty)
- Semi-custom prefabricated
units
- Tile
Artistry can
design and fabricate a permanent masonry kitchen islands totally
customized to meet your needs. They afford the most flexibility in terms
of design and materials. You can use the same stone or brick as your patio or
house exterior for the island base, or you can exactly match the island's
countertop with your pool tiles.
|
|
And,
while custom masonry islands are pricier and require more legwork in terms of
design and coordination Tile
Artistry has
the expertise and experience to handle all aspects of a project of this type.
This investment will add tremendous value to your home.
Semi-custom
prefabricated grilling islands are becoming an increasingly popular option. Tile
Artistry
works with the
homeowner to select from a variety of configurations and exterior finishes.
After a customer has decided upon dimensions for the grill as well as for
other built-in appliances, the island is manufactured off-site according to
the customer's specifications and delivered in two to three weeks, ready for
grill installation.
|
|
Next
Step: (top
of page) |
The Tile
Artistry
project methodology begins with a No Obligation Project
Assessment. It is a very simple process, our
professionals will consult with you on;
|
|
|
|
- Material Acquisition & Cost
|
|
|
|
|
Additionally, we
will highlight risks and pitfalls. This is especially critical
on renovation and/or restoration projects.
Contact Tile
Artistry to
begin the planning process. Our professionals will advise you on how
best to utilize Industry Best Practices on your
floor tile project.
Click here to
schedule a No
Obligation Project Assessment.
|
