Summer is fast approaching and the beautiful days are already being felt. Do you want to spend time outdoors and share good times with friends or family? You are certainly wondering why you did not set up your outdoor kitchen earlier so that you can fully enjoy your garden. In this article, we give you all the essential information for successfully planning your summer kitchen without unpleasant surprises.
A few things to consider before you start
First of all, know that there are as many styles of summer kitchens as there are individuals. Indeed, you can perfectly choose to make it yourself with next to nothing or only recycling; or prefer to build an outdoor kitchen worthy of an indoor and fully equipped living room. The important thing is that it fits perfectly with the use you want to make of it and your available budget. In any case, it is advisable to ask yourself a few questions and to think about the use that you will have of the summer kitchen before embarking on the work.
Determine the ideal size
Whether you are in the process of building the house and want to include the summer kitchen directly in your plans, or whether you are fitting it out afterwards, the available surface area is an important element. Indeed, if you are not limited by the size of your land, you will have every opportunity to make a relatively large kitchen. On the other hand, if you don’t have a lot of surface area then you should rather aim small and optimized. In any case, be aware that a summer kitchen of less than 10 square meters is often very impractical. Be aware, however, that beyond 20 square meters of area, you will need a building permit to be able to carry out the work. Thus, the ideal way to avoid administrative problems while having a functional room is to build a summer kitchen with areabetween 10 and 20 square meters.
Find the right location
This is important, because the summer kitchen must be functional and allow you to reach the interior quite easily if there is the possibility of having to go there to get dishes or cutlery. Look for a relatively flat area the size of which you want to build your summer kitchen and close enough to the house. Indeed, this will save you from having to do earthworks. It can be placed on the terrace or in the garden. If you already have a shed or a shelter, you can use this space to build your outdoor kitchen, but take care that the space is not too narrow, which will reduce its functionality. One last tip, don’t place your kitchen too close to the poolif you have one. Accidents sometimes happen quickly.
The proximity to your house will also be an advantage when making the water and electricity connections.
Think about connections
As we have just mentioned, a pleasant and functional summer kitchen must be connected to water, electricity and waste water. For this, you will need to provide connection work from the house to your outdoor kitchen. It is for this reason that the closer the latter will be to your place of residence, the less painful and expensive the work will be. If you already have a water point in the garden, it may be interesting to build your building there to limit the work.
If you wish, you can also design your outdoor kitchen in a more alternative way. Why not collect rainwater and connect this tank to a sink, so you don’t need to do any work to connect you with city water. Regarding the lighting, some will prefer to install beautiful torches for a more natural atmosphere. It’s up to you, but keep in mind that it’s always easier to make the connections at the start of the project than once the elements are installed.
Choose the right furniture
If in the past we were satisfy with a barbecue place in a corner of the terrace and possibly an outdoor sink, today outdoor kitchens are better and better equip. Many families use their summer kitchen to avoid cluttering the house with cooking smells. Thus, there are now planchas, rotisseries, pizza ovens or even woks in this new living space. The classic wood barbecue has also been revisit; it can now be operate with gas or electricity. Worktops have also appeared to allow more comfortable preparation of the dishes to be cooked.
Finally, we often install a few chairs and a table so that we can associate the moment of cooking with a convivial aperitif, or even prolong the pleasure and eat outside.
What style for my summer kitchen?
On the decoration side, the simplest, and ultimately the most important, is to match your summer kitchen with the exteriors of your home. Try to maintain harmony between your garden, your summer kitchen and the exterior elements of your house.
Waxed concrete
It is one of the very resistant materials which does not fear humidity and which allows to have different finishes. In this way, by playing on the colors and textures of the waxed concrete, you can perfectly obtain a style that adapts to the existing one. Be aware that waxed concrete is porous, so it is susceptible to stains. This is why we recommend protecting it with a suitable product and regularly maintaining this protective layer. For cleaning, you will need to use non-aggressive detergents.
Wood
Nature lovers will tend to gravitate towards this material. Both noble and warm, wood will offer you many possibilities for the final result. Indeed, it goes with almost all materials and is generally appreciate by all. In addition, it is a very easy material to work yourself, as long as you are a little handyman. Some people do wonders with scrap materials such as pallets. Note, however, that the wood tends to turn gray over time, so care should be take to protect and maintain it properly every two years. It is also possible to match it with a wooden terrace for a total wooden look.
Stone
This is also a possibility for the structural elements of the summer kitchen, because the stone offers good resistance and is not afraid of humidity. The stone makes it possible to obtain a fairly natural and distinguished aesthetic result that will seduce more than one. In addition, it can easily be associate with wood or waxed concrete for furniture. On the other hand, like waxed concrete, stone tends to be porous and each accident could leave traces.
Installing a summer kitchen offers a real plus in terms of living comfort, especially when the temperatures are mild. It’s a business that can cost you a nice budget depending on what you decide to build, in what materials, and especially what you install as furniture. But it can also be an opportunity to be creative and practice recycling to make this arrangement a success at a lower cost.
