It took forever (mostly due to permit issues and the fire marshal and building inspector going back and forth for literally months) but we finally finished our outdoor kitchen project!
Here is what we had before- it’s hard to tell, but our house is on a slope and the kitchen door opens to the middle of that staircase. You go up to go to a big deck and down to this patio/garden area. The cinder block wall/green door is the back of our garage. We never used that door so it was an easy choice to block it in/cover it.
And after! We still need to paint (the brown lattice is going to be green, we need to paint the stucco by the light fixtures, and figure out how to make the metal roofing look better. We had to put it up so the fire marshal would sign off. It’s a 120 year old wood house so no complaints, but we aren’t huge fans of how it looks now) and get plants in the plant boxes.
The kitchen itself was really easy. We used Urban Bonfire and they were super easy to work with. My DH designed what he wanted (it’s a modular system) and the template work was really simple. The hardest part was digging a trench to run a gas line and dealing with the permits. We started all this last May! Happy to be done in time for grilling season though
TIL you could need a permit for an outdoor kitchen but I guess the gas line change might need one around here.
How do you keep it clean? Especially the part that isn't under cover from the deck? I always see these in places like Arizona and Texas and assume it's for desert landscapes where not a lot grows outdoors but it seems like leaves and such are a factor in Boston.
ETA: I realize that sounded negative, my partner would really like an outdoor kitchen for cooking spicy oily things and I want to make it happen but am trying to figure out logistics. I'm looking at metal supports and roof, plus running water via a hose and gas from a propane tank but maybe I need to set my sights higher.
TIL you could need a permit for an outdoor kitchen but I guess the gas line change might need one around here.
How do you keep it clean? Especially the part that isn't under cover from the deck? I always see these in places like Arizona and Texas and assume it's for desert landscapes where not a lot grows outdoors but it seems like leaves and such are a factor in Boston.
ETA: I realize that sounded negative, my partner would really like an outdoor kitchen for cooking spicy oily things and I want to make it happen but am trying to figure out logistics. I'm looking at metal supports and roof, plus running water via a hose and gas from a propane tank but maybe I need to set my sights higher.
clean up from leaves etc will just be the same as we do for our outdoor furniture. Just leaf blow/sweep things off. It’s only bad for about 4 weeks in the fall (plus spring pollen), but it’s not like no one on the east coast can have outdoor kitchens or furniture The cabinets and counter etc are all made with weather/winter proof materials, so snow isn’t an issue either. I was surprised the fridge would be fine in subzero temps but it apparently is as well!
We needed permits to run gas and electric there. Plus we had to get a building inspector permit okd by the fire marshal since it’s attached to a structure. Ideally for an outdoor kitchen it would be free standing/away from the house. But our yard isn’t configured for that (plus I’m in the city so we are lucky we have room at all!)
Lovely! Great use of space. Your DH must be thrilled! Also I love that classic green color you have on the stairs - any idea what color that is?
Are the brown rectangles planters?
thanks! The green is actually a custom color - the old owners did it and we had to color match when we moved in lol. And yes all the boxes are planters - we are guessing we wlll move all our herbs there
It looks fantastic! I feel you on the pain of running a new gas line for exterior features, but the end result is so worth it. No more dealing with propane tanks, you are always ready to go.
I feel your pain on the timeline. We gave a contractor a five figure deposit for the outdoor kitchen in July 2022 and we just got it installed a couple of weeks ago and have some punch list items remaining. And ours was non-permitted, it was all a shitty contractor and labor/scheduling issues causing the delays. Definitely excited to have it done for the summer though.
Send the work crew over to my house, please devonpow
Except I already have a work crew in my dug up backyard as I type fixing a drainage project that was done last year that somehow ended up worse than before we "fixed" it. We keep throwing money at projects that we didn't anticipate instead of doing fun ones like outdoor (and we need a new indoor) kitchen and basement rec room reno
Send the work crew over to my house, please devonpow
Except I already have a work crew in my dug up backyard as I type fixing a drainage project that was done last year that somehow ended up worse than before we "fixed" it. We keep throwing money at projects that we didn't anticipate instead of doing fun ones like outdoor (and we need a new indoor) kitchen and basement rec room reno
ugh I’m sorry! Have I given you our contractor info? We really like the company (the owner/main guy sadly passed away very unexpectedly last year, but the transition to a new owner has been pretty good). Also my neighbor was having flooding issues for years and couldn’t get it fixed until they brought a particular company in - happy to get their info if you need it. Water issues are the worst!