Want to turn your backyard into your favorite part of your house? By building a backyard kitchen, you can take your family’s favorite process, cooking and eating, and move it outside where it’s always more fun.

Everyone enjoys eating outdoors, especially in the summertime. And with a backyard dining room and kitchen, you’ll spend more time outside than ever before. Plus, cooking smoky or smelly foods, such as fish or roasts, is much better suited to the outdoors, keeping your home free from strong smells.

But what does it take to plan and construct a backyard dining area? There are a few key factors you need to take into consideration ahead of time.

Keep reading to learn how to create the ultimate backyard entertaining and cooking area that your kids, friends, and neighbors are going to love.

Allocating Space

First up, you need to understand how much space you have to work with. If you already have a paved portion of your backyard, that’s likely the area you are going to use.

If your backyard is a blank canvas, you can decide how much space you want to allocate to your backyard barbeque space. You’ll want room for food preparation, cooking, setting the food out, and of course, dining.

If you plan to keep most of your meals family-sized, you might not need as much space. But if your the guy who likes to have the whole neighborhood over for a fish fry or taco Tuesday, you’ll want to make your kitchen and dining area as big as possible.

Choosing Flooring

If your backyard is already paved, there’s no need to consider this. But for those with a dirt lot in their backyard, or with a grass patch, you’ll need to lay some solid flooring down.

You can keep it simple by laying concrete. Or if you want something with a bit more character, you can choose brick, stone, or another outdoor tile flooring.

While this part isn’t as exciting, it’s the most important part of your kitchen, as it’s the foundation of your entire cooking and dining area. Don’t skimp on the flooring.

Roof or No Roof?

Next up, you need to decide if you want to add a bit of structure to your backyard living room. Do you want to be able to cook and eat outside, even when it’s raining?

Is it super hot and sunny in your area all the time? If so, you may want to build some type of roof over your dining area to keep it comfortable in varying conditions. This adds to costs, and you’ll likely need permits from your city in order to construct this.

But considering that it will enable you to enjoy your outdoor space far more frequently, it’s worth the effort.

Selecting Your Cookware

Now we are getting to the fun stuff. How are you going to cook in your outdoor kitchen?

Do you just need a standard grill? Or are you looking for something a little more unique?  You could get the best smoker if you like the flavor that comes with cooking meats and veggies slowly over low heat. Many outdoor cooking enthusiasts have both a traditional grill and a smoker side by side.

Aside from this, you’ll also want to have a mini-fridge located nearby to store ingredients and beverages. After all, you can’t cook outside without a beer in your hand.

Having a cupboard nearby is helpful to store utensils and cooking accessories such as spatulas, tongs, and a meat thermometer.

You can also decide if you’d like to construct permanent tables, food prep areas, and bars. In backyards with lots of brick, it’s common to see a BBQ built into the brick, with brick countertops lining the cooking area.

This makes it easy to spread out a meal, allowing people to make their own plates. It’s not necessary, however, and you can get by with purchasing any furniture and tables that are needed without permanently installing them.

Furnishing Your Outdoor Dining Room

Now that you’ve got the kitchen planned, it’s time to outfit your dining area. After all, what good is an outdoor kitchen without a place to sit and enjoy your meals?

To start with, you’ll want to select a table that is large enough to seat everyone you plan to serve. If you only have a family of four, but frequently invite over neighbors, friends, and other relatives, it’s better to purchase the larger table upfront. Choose one that can seat eight to 10 people instead.

Even if the table is located under a roof, you’ll want to ensure it’s meant to be outside. The materials need to be completely waterproof. If it’s made of wood, ensure it’s treated properly to repel water, otherwise, it won’t last long in the rain and sun.

Once you select a table, you’ll need chairs or benches to go along with it. If it’s a long wooden table, bench seats are usually more effective and can fit more people.

It also helps to have an additional seating area with a smaller table and a couple of modern accent chairs, in the event it’s just you are your partner enjoying an outdoor meal together.

Making the Most of Your Backyard Kitchen

Want to make the most of your outdoor kitchen? Here are a few ways you can make the most of it.

In the summer, you can host a weekly Taco Tuesday dinner for your neighbors. Invite everyone to bring a side or taco topping and enjoy a feast, building community on your block.

During fishing season, you can have a weekly or monthly fish fry, encouraging your fellow anglers to bring over their catch of the week.

Or you can choose new meat to smoke each weekend, inviting your friends and family over to sample the goodness or slow-cooked pulled pork. There’s no shortage of creative ways to use your new outdoor kitchen.

Be That Good Neighbor

Building a backyard kitchen is a serious endeavor. But considering how they will bless you, your family, and your community, it’s absolutely worth it. By visiting this site you can know about the best gas grills under 300.

You’ll fall in love with cooking once again, and you’ll always have something special that you can share with others. Isn’t that what being a good neighbor is all about?

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