The Fresco Kitchen Design

Aug 02 2010

A Webber Grill on the balcony is not representative of an outdoor kitchen for the same reason a crock pot and a coffee maker do not constitute an indoor one. A thoroughly outfitted outdoor kitchen could contain a sink, refrigerator, and possibly a brick oven for baking. Obviously, the grill remains the central piece of the food prep area, but it may have grown to incorporate side burners or a roasting spit, as well. As with an indoor kitchen, you might build an outdoor kitchen to accommodate any price range and cooking style. Be sure to check out the Kitchen Decorating Ideas.

Before you roll out the architectural drawings and buy the grill, there are some very essential matters to contemplate: where will you build the kitchen, and how much coverage might it call for? Building a kitchenonto an existing terrace is sensible, assuming the area is somewhere close to your indoor kitchen. Then, you could make use of already present plumbing and electric lines rather than dealing with the prohibitive costs of running new pipes and wires. Another good model is the Glass Kitchen Backsplash.

The degree of protection your kitchen requires is contingent on your environment more than any other factor. A porch in Charleston should merely call for a pergola to filter a portion of the sun’s rays and let the breeze in, although a terrace in Washington state will probably call for sliding doors to guard against sudden downpours. If you live in a region with severe winters, you might want to rethink the need for an outdoor sink.

Your kitchen blueprint should mirror a normal indoor kitchen blueprint, taking into account the standard work triangle and any foot traffic between doors, steps and the working area. Occasionally your area construction or fire rules will become pertinent, specifically relating to the distance between open flames and combustible surfaces.

Speaking of surfaces, any shelves and counter tops will need to be crafted from material that weathers well. Poured and shaped concrete will prove to be extremely forgiving, as is stone, stainless steel, and terra cotta. In arid regions, teak and cedar may be used as cabinetry seeing that those species are rot and insect resistant.

Your grill and refrigerator ought to be the central elements of the kitchen, therefore investing in quality appliances will be a good idea. Your grill should be about as large as your oven, yet the refrigerator only has to be able to hold one meal’s worth of meat and vegetables.

Lighting could be an important facet of your outdoor kitchen, because you won’t consistently be able to benefit from sunlight. Your lights ought to be approved for out of doors use, and the fewer swag lights, the better. CFL track lights can be appropriate to task lighting in your crucial activity zones, and floor affixed lights will produce ambient lighting as well as safety lighting for pathways to and from the kitchen.

As soon as your outdoor kitchen is up and running, you will soon come to appreciate the pleasures of cooking and dining al fresco. You won’t have cooking odors or unwanted heat in the home, you are going to be able to appreciate the fresh air as you cook, and if you build things properly, you should be able to clean your kitchen after dinner with a garden hose.

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