Outdoor Kitchens & Gas Grills

Outdoor kitchens and gas grills have become very popular within the past few years and many people barbeque all year long. Homeowners want more than just a 2 burner gas or charcoal grill today, they want multiple burners, side burners, rotisseries, smokers, infrared burners, and searing burners. Homeowners will spend more money on an outdoor gas grill or smoker than they do on the appliances in the main kitchen of their home. The criteria for kitchen design & planning for an outdoor kitchen is different than designing an indoor kitchen. There is usually more space to work with outdoors and less design restrictions in planning the kitchen and people can be more extravagant with the choices and purchases of appliances and building materials. If you are considering building an outdoor kitchen collect information on grills, appliances and kitchen photos from home centers, appliance stores and magazine pictures to get ideas of how to design your kitchen. Homeowners love showing off the new outdoor cooking area to friends and neighbors. The outdoor kitchen becomes the center of conversation when guests are being entertained and dining in your backyard..

As with any home improvement the first decision to make is what the cost will be for this project. Will your budget be only enough for a new deluxe gas grill or will it be for a complete outdoor kitchen with appliances and a roof overhead. In making your choices consider the following; how often will you use this area, will you cook outdoor all year long, do you want a serving area nearby for dining outside, does the cooking area need to be moveable or stationary and will this area require additional utilities for connecting electric or gas appliances and sinks. Design plenty of countertop space for food prep, cooking, blenders, mixing drinks, small appliances and serving areas. If you are planning for more than just a free standing grill, I would suggest purchasing a grill that runs on natural gas rather then bottled propane. A natural gas connection may restrict the movement of the cooking center but relieves the problem of running out of fuel as you are cooking or having extra tanks on hand to replace. The location should be near the house for ease of serving or preparing meals and carrying food and utensils from the main kitchen.

Placement for the kitchen can be on an existing patio, deck or build a new area just for the barbeque. Consider where the heat & smoke will go when designing the layout. Place the grill away from the house and windows to prevent damage to the house siding and to keep the smoke from entering the house. Plan on where the electric, gas, water or drains need to go and how will they tie in to the existing lines. For built in gas grills and appliances you will need cabinets or bases to mount these items in. Select building materials that will withstand outdoor weather and require little maintenance or replacement by using treated lumber, stainless steel, granite, ceramic tile or solid surface materials. Countertop material should be durable, weather resistant and preferably made of solid surface or granite. Also available are free standing ready made island units and base cabinets in stainless steel. These cooking islands can also incorporate additional worktops, dining tables or snack bar areas built in.

A freestanding outdoor kitchen can be designed with a roof over it or fit into a gazebo style structure to protect appliances and also protect you from inclement weather while you are cooking. Usually this type of enclosure or gazebo will be further away from the main kitchen and you should consider including other appliances like a refrigerator, dishwasher and additional storage cabinets for convenience. Design the roof area large enough so the overhang extends beyond the countertops, appliances and eating areas. The sidewalls can be left open with a railing around or a half wall where the actual cooking & work area will be to protect the appliances and sink area. Your new outdoor kitchen will become the center piece in the yard so coordinate it with the overall landscape theme.



By What's The Story Jerry

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Create Impressive and Functional Kitchen Remodeling Ideas

Six of Our Best Kitchen Remodeling Ideas

Is your kitchen in need of a facelift? If you answered yes, but you're not quite sure when to start, considering the basic components of all kitchen remodeling ideas will help you to get your own ideas, as well as understand how to make your kitchen stylish and functional. Kitchen remodeling ideas can make a big impact on the way you and others view your kitchen.

1. Start with the lighting. Lighting is important especially if you don't have enough of it. Adding light to task areas can help tremendously throughout the kitchen. Putting each task lighting area on separate switches to turn on or off can also help you save on your energy bill.


2. Cabinets are next on our kitchen remodeling ideas list. Cabinets take a lot of space, and they are extremely noticeable. The eyes are normally drawn up and to the floor, so your cabinets are very prominent. The condition of your cabinets plays a big role in how your kitchen is perceived. If your cabinets could use some help, this is one of our best kitchen remodeling ideas. Aside from replacement, you can paint or simply refinish your cabinets. This is a great idea, especially if your cabinets are still sound structurally. A simple project like painting your cabinets can give others the impression of a complete remodel.


3. Another one of our best kitchen remodeling ideas comes down to the floors. Floors can crack, chip and peel just like anything else. Kitchen floors can take some beatings through the years. New flooring is a great remodeling project for the kitchen. Laminate, tile and even wood are all good choices for new kitchen flooring.


4. No kitchen is completely remodeled until the appliances are modernized. Putting in up-to-date, matching cooking equipment will not only make your kitchen look better but modern appliances also make cooking at home more convenient.


5. Adding tile is another one of our great ideas for renovating your kitchen. There are many places to spice up your room with tile. Walls, countertops and floors are all well suited for tile. A tile backsplash is popular and can be a beautiful way to begin remodeling your kitchen.


6. Last but least, for a great kitchen remodel don't forget to add a cook's best friend, the pantry. If you love to cook, a well-designed pantry is important. It can also help to eliminate kitchen clutter, allowing for a more organized and efficient working environment in your kitchen.


By Gregg Hicks

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Outdoor Kitchen Design Considerations

While indoor kitchens have always been part of the household, an extension of such in the presence of an outdoor kitchen has been gaining popularity in the warmer areas of the United States and even in areas where the climate isn't what you can term as warm. There is just something about preparing food and eating in the outdoors that attracts people to making it a regular part of their daily lives.

If you are just catching up on this trend of outdoor dining and entertaining, there are some factors you should consider when you think of your personal outdoor kitchen design. The most basic consideration you have to think about in your outdoor kitchen design is functionality. You do not want grills, sinks and bars to be oddly placed beside each other leaving you with no room to work on your culinary masterpieces. Efficacy should be first in your mind when laying out your outdoor kitchen so that the workstations are put out in progression.

When your outdoor kitchen will be located near to your indoor kitchen, then easy access should be implemented so that it will take lesser efforts to get items from the indoor kitchen. However, if the indoor kitchen is far from the proposed outdoor kitchen, it would be best if storage for frequently used items like grill brushes, spices, and paper towels are included in your outdoor kitchen design. You can even add some appliances in your outdoor kitchen like a refrigerator and a dishwasher, if your budget can accommodate it. Just make sure that these appliances can withstand the weather conditions in your area to avoid destroying them.

The main focus of your outdoor kitchen design should include the general orientation of the outdoor kitchen. The main reason why an outdoor kitchen is made is to have a change in environment, which is why a focal point should be enhanced to come up with a great outdoor kitchen design. This focal point can be a swimming pool or the kitchen's cooking zone. Whatever the focal point is, it is very important that all the elements of the outdoor kitchen are oriented according to this attraction.

If you are a thrifty homeowner that wants the beauty of an outdoor kitchen without having to spend extravagantly, then you can consider some alternatives to make your outdoor kitchen functional minus the cost. The most fundamental piece of equipment your outdoor kitchen must have is a grill and/or an oven. With this piece, it is recommended to get the highest quality of grill or oven because it will make you save more in the future. Second consideration to make is the choice of using propane instead of having to run gas, electricity and water lines to the outdoor island because doing so translates to a lot of cost. Having less cover will also make you save hundreds of dollars since constructing awnings or a gazebo will cost you much. Instead, an umbrella can be used to provide cover for the more important parts of the outdoor kitchen.

By Aikaz Run

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Kitchens Designs The Essential Steps

Kitchen designs are a very personal thing nowadays. This is somewhat strange considering just a few years back most people would have just gone to a showroom and picked out a standard fitted kitchen and been done with it. But our attitude towards kitchen designs have changed dramatically and we now demand something far more bespoke.

So if you're planning a new kitchen then here are some ideas on how you can make sure you get everything you deserve out of the process.

For starters, you're going to have to dedicate some serious time to planning your designs. This can be difficult when you want to get stuck into all the fun parts of planning a new kitchen and making all the aesthetic decisions, but it will pay off in the long run.

Make lists of all the things you need to include in your kitchen design and from there work out how you want the space to feel. The reason for this is that if you want a contemporary kitchen then you'll have to incorporate more storage space to ensure it doesn't get cluttered up. So then you'll be able to start working out how you'll get all your kitchen essentials into your design without compromising how you want it to look. Then once you've done this you can start adding in all the other stuff you'd like and play around with different designs.

Once you've got this basic idea you can make different kitchen designs using special planner software. Fortunately, whether you're talented with computers or not you'll be able to find software that you can handle. There are simple versions that just require a few clicks to create a drawing which will come in handy when you hand over to professionals. However, for the more technologically savvy, there's advanced kitchen design software that will allow you to add in every little detail and create a virtual version of your new kitchen. If you can do this it will tell you whether your kitchen designs are realistic or not.

Make sure you look around online showrooms and kitchen sites to get an idea of what's available. By doing this you'll also discover things you hadn't previously thought of, allowing you to craft kitchen designs so good you'd never have thought they were possible.

By Thomas Baugh

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Small Kitchen Remodeling Ideas

Any remodeling idea for a small kitchen must address the following issues: counter space, storage, built-ins, and pantry.

In order to make better use of your kitchen floor space, you need to put up the maximum amount of counters. Plan your design with deeper counters to cover as much of the area not occupied with appliances with counter space if the difference in floor space is a matter of a few square feet.

Squeeze as many cabinets into your design as possible. Deep cabinets that can hold plates should be located near the dishwasher, and large cabinets with slide-out drawers should be placed near the oven.

Another space-saving device is to include built-in facilities. You can have built-in ovens, microwaves and storage for small appliances. This will make your kitchen appear less cluttered. Built-in storage for foods like potatoes and onions and bread storage cabinets will also give the kitchen a cleaner look. You can also opt for waist-high, sliding shelves that hold mixers and toasters. Your small appliances can remain hidden in these shelves and still be easily accessible.

If there is no room for a pantry in your kitchen, consider converting a closet outside the kitchen area to store your cutlery, pots and infrequently used items. You can also include rollout pantries that can be pulled out to view the items you have, but rolled back into a space.

Choose a large sink. It will be easier for you to clean bigger pots and pans. Moreover, a large sink is a great place to stash your dirty pots. A large sink can also serve as a utility sink, too.

You can increase the efficiency of your small kitchen by putting a wire basket on the inside the cabinet or under the sink to hold trash bags and other frequently used items. You can mount an instant hot water heater on the sink to replace the sprayer or soap.

A tile back splash on all the walls above the counters, stove and sink make the kitchen easier to clean.

By: Ken Marlborough

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Your Kitchen's Design

One of the centerpieces of the home is the kitchen. It makes sense that one of the most thriving and popular sectors of home design is kitchen design. Nothing is more important in a home than a well-planned, well-equipped kitchen. Kitchen design has definitely evolved over the years, and as a result, homeowners now have a wide variety of options. Modern kitchen design focuses on achieving a balance of functionality and beauty.

The first task of kitchen design is to establish a smooth transition between portions of the kitchen. Kitchen design must address the fact that, unlike most other rooms in the house, the kitchen is primarily a workspace. Most kitchens have a natural workflow to them, with adequate space between the prep areas, cooking area the clean up area. Good kitchen design addresses this and allows the users of the kitchen to quickly move between those three areas. There should be adequate walking space in the kitchen to avoid crowding, which should be another consideration in kitchen design.

Modern kitchen design also focuses on state of the art appliances. Today there are more varieties of appliance choices, and recent innovations like convection ovens are making kitchen design more high tech. Appliances come in finishes like stainless steel to make modern kitchen designs look sleek and sophisticated. To give the kitchen an integrated look and feel, it is best to choose appliances like refrigerators, dishwashers, and microwaves from the same manufacturer and in the same color.

Kitchen design also involves choosing the color and theme for the kitchen. Color choices can make a dramatic, understated, or calming statement, depending on which color is used. In kitchen design, it is appropriate to coordinate the colors of the tiles and floors with the cabinetry, furniture, and appliances. This makes the kitchen feel unified. There are many kitchen design books available that give wonderful ideas for kitchen design combinations.

? Cookgroup Marketing LLC - All Rights Reserved. This article brought to you by For-Your-Kitchen.com/ . You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice, author name, and URL remain intact. Jason Albright is a contributing editor at Cookgroup Marketing LLC. His background is with lifestyle topics including: Gardening, Outdoor Living, Home Decor & Travel Destinations.

By Jason Albright

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Redecorate Your Kitchen For Christmas

Decorating a Christmas kitchen is a great way to bring in the holidays while updating your kitchen into a warm and inviting space for friends and family to enjoy. We all entertain a lot during the Christmas holiday. Creating a Christmas kitchen on a budget is a great way to add warmth to your home, show your personality, and start some great conversation the next time you have friends and family over for a Christmas party. Even if you aren't on a budget, these ideas can help get you started.

One of the most memorable traits of a warm Christmas kitchen is a red and green floor. You have many options to great red Christmas kitchen flooor on a budget. Painting a plain area rug an option to creating these red and green checks. Buy an inexpensive plain sisal rug. Tape off the squares. Dab on fabric paint with a large stencil brush in red and green. Instant Christmas warmth and charm for the floor for your kitchen or dining room!

Now that you have tackled the floor, think about the area your might notice next. The cabinets or the walls. Either one is a great second place to start making over your kitchen in a Christmas theme. Temporarily replace door pulls with great red or green door pulls with a Christmas feel. For a less expensive Christmas fix any door pull can be made to look like Christmas with the addition of green holly leave and red berries attached to it. Use floral wire to adhere fake or real holly for Christmas. You will be surprised how useful floral wire and a little greenery can be when redecorating your kitchen in a Christmas theme.

Hanging Christmas stuff on the walls is essential to creating a truly Christmas holiday kitchen that is inviting. I do mean stuff. Red handle utensils are perfect to hang on the wall. You can also temporarily replace existing artwork with Christmas artwork. Simply slip artwork or photos out of existing frames. Slip some old Christmas cards or holiday artwork created by the kids in their place. Visit your local flea markets, www.ebay.com, thrift shops, and Craigslist to find inexpensive Christmas decorations for your kitchen. You can also use some more of that greenery or even red bows and top them off with a red bow on the top. Simple slip some floral wire around the greenery or bow. Leave at least a 5 inch tail sticking of the floral wire. Slip this in behind the frame to hold the bow or greenery in place.

My favorite touch to a Christmas kitchen is to hang some garland around the windows and doors. String some lights on them if at all possible. This will add a warm glow to any Christmas kitchen d?cor!.

For some final touches to making your kitchen Christmasy, don't over look the light fixtures. Add garland to them as well if possible. Bows also look great on pendant lights. Christmas Dishes are also an inexpensive design element great for creating a Christmas kitchen. Christmas china can be purchase new or old. Serve guests your warm and tasty cookies on your Christmas china for a special treat!

By RS

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An Island Is the Perfect Accessory For Your Outdoor Kitchen

When you are building your outdoor kitchen you really can let your imagination run wild. One thing you can add to your outdoor kitchen that will not require any plumbing or wiring is an island. These days prefabricated outdoor kitchen islands are available for purchase. This is one part of your outdoor kitchen that you will not have to build!

When purchasing a prefabricated island the only thing you will have to do is wait for it to get delivered. Once delivered you only need to hook up any necessary plumbing and wiring, depending on how fancy your island is, and you are ready to go. You could literally be ready to use your outdoor kitchen island within 24 hours of receiving it. So although an outdoor kitchen island may be more costly, depending on your situation you may want to invest in one so that you can use your outdoor kitchen more quickly than if you had to build your own island.

I cannot say that outdoor kitchen islands are a necessarily inexpensive but they are very popular and add a great look to your outdoor kitchen in addition to being very functional and this is almost a necessity for the serious cook.

One of the more popular types of outdoor kitchen islands is called a grill island. A typical grill island will have countertop space and space for a gas grill as well is anything else you would expect an island have within your home.

Outdoor kitchen grill islands can be as simple or as fancy as you would like. There are even islands available that include a refrigerator, cabinets, or dishwasher. It is just like having your indoor kitchen placed outside in a beautiful setting, could anything be better?

If you're going to purchase a prefabricated outdoor kitchen island you will certainly be able to customize it in many different ways. You can choose the type of cabinet, the type of countertop, the type of grill, dishwasher or any other thing that you can think of. Naturally any type of customization will add to the cost so be very careful when ordering a customized outdoor kitchen island that you are very aware of all the costs involved and make sure that whoever is designing it is very upfront with you about the costs.

Also if you are adding any customized features to your island that involve water or electricity you need to have the water and electric or gas lines ready to plug in when the island is delivered.

In closing I just want to encourage you that if you are considering an outdoor kitchen, an island is something you should consider as it will add value to the entire project.'

By Leah M.

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