So you want an outdoor kitchen! This will be an exciting time for you as you plan your kitchen design and select the appliances you want to use outdoors. Archadeck of Northeast Dallas-Southlake can guide you through the decisions you’ll need to make to ensure a successful outdoor kitchen addition. From counter material, size and shape, to your selection of appliances, you need a partner with our vast experience in designing and building outdoor kitchen spaces. Our expertise is what sets us apart from other outdoor builders.
Choosing Your Outdoor Kitchen Materials
Many homeowners’ first concern is choosing the material for their outdoor kitchen countertop. The countertop is important both aesthetically and functionally. At Archadeck of Northeast Dallas-Southlake we recommend limestone countertops, including Texas’s own Lueders limestone. These limestone slabs for countertops come in several attractive shades of gray, charcoal and chocolate. Many clients ask us about quartz or granite countertops. We don’t recommend quartz or any other man-made materials for your outdoor countertops and backsplash because, over time, the sun will fade these dramatically. Granite is a beautiful upgrade but has a few drawbacks. It is expensive, requires polishing, and when in direct sunlight, it gets splotches and can heat up and burn you.
For the base of the kitchen, we often use chopped stone. Random chopped stone is a favorite of many Archadeck clients. If you prefer stacked stone or travertine, we can also build your outdoor kitchen with that. We can create a beautiful and functional outdoor kitchen with any of these options.
Choosing Equipment for Your Outdoor Kitchen
Are you loyal to a specific brand of grill, smoker or other outdoor kitchen appliances? Or would you like help finding the appliances that will best meet your needs? For some homeowners an outdoor kitchen is all about a certain grill or smoker, while others want an array of cooking surfaces for different foods. Archadeck of Northeast Dallas-Southlake is a distributor for Blaze outdoor kitchen products, which tells you how highly we think of them. Their outdoor grills are high-quality.
Read more: These Tarrant County, TX, Homeowners Increase Their Outdoor Living Enjoyment!
In addition to grills, smokers and refrigerators, our clients typically ask for griddles, burners, sinks, trash cans, super burners and ice makers. All of these are stainless steel and all of them look amazing side-by-side in an outdoor kitchen.
As you make your list of kitchen components to enhance your outdoor cooking experience, it helps to work with an experienced outdoor kitchen designer. Archadeck of Northeast Dallas-Southlake is that guide. Unless you’ve designed and built numerous outdoor kitchens like we have, you will benefit from our experience. It is always important to know what implements work together – and how they work together. You don’t want a builder who just grabs whatever’s cheapest, one who doesn’t specialize in outdoor kitchen designs. Someone who doesn’t understand the spatial considerations at play is likely to cause problems. They may end up saying something like, “Hey it looks like we are not going to have enough space on the patio for this.” No homeowner needs that kind of surprise.
You need to know that the equipment you’re getting is right for your kitchen’s setup – or that the set-up is right for your equipment. Different products call for special regulators. You cannot connect a propane grill to a natural gas line. It’s important that your outdoor kitchen builder follows the proper, safe, procedures when installing your grill and other appliances. Disregard for proper installation can lead to disasters, even fire. Your safety is extremely important to us.
Planning the Size of Your Outdoor Kitchen
During your Archadeck design consultation, we will devote time to talking about what size your kitchen will be. First, your budget may determine the size. Then, the length of your outdoor kitchen will depend on what implements you want to include in it. At the same time, we need to consider the amount of space available. If you have plenty of space and a big budget, we can design your outdoor kitchen to include everything you want. If you have space or budget constraints, we will work with you on a design that incorporates those components most important to you.
In general, an outdoor kitchen counter is usually 36" high and 36" wide, with an 8" backsplash. If you want an eat-in design with a bar and bar stools, each seated person will need 3 feet of space. Any closer and your guests will feel a bit crowded. We’ll go through all of these details with you including the number and spacing of electrical outlets. Lighting is essential for outdoor kitchens, too – subtle lighting for ambiance after dark and task lighting for kitchen safety.
When you work with Archadeck of Northeast Dallas-Southlake to design and build your outdoor kitchen, you will get a design that works for you. It sounds simple, but there are many factors to consider. Different brands of equipment come with different dimensions. Will more than one person be working in this kitchen at the same time? When you grill, will you want prep areas on both sides of the grill, or prep on one side and a griddle on the other? Again, you will benefit from our experience knowing which aspects tend to be universal and which are more specific to individual homeowners. When you are entertaining, you probably won’t want to be turned with your back to your guests while you’re grilling.
Are you ready to add the perfect outdoor kitchen to your home’s outdoor living space? Archadeck of NE Dallas-Southlake would love to work with you! Contact us today to schedule your design consultation.
Agustin & Amanda Garza, Owners of Archadeck of NE Dallas-Southlake.
