Time For an Outdoor Kitchen? Planning Tips From Embers Store

Is your deck or backyard space under-utilized? Lots of Nashville homes have great potential to transform their outdoor space into sophisticated outdoor living and cooking areas without requiring major changes or major construction.

Whether you live on one of the area’s lakefront communities, have a larger yard, or simply have a space that flows into the indoor areas of home, there are great options to consider that will get your imagination going.

“A lot of homeowners that we meet at the store have been ‘ready’ for years to upgrade their lone gas grill into a full-fledged outdoor kitchen and living area, but just don’t know where to start. Our Free Design service is a key step to turn your imagination into reality. “

If you’re thinking about an outdoor kitchen, you need to understand a few core concepts that are going to steer your decision-making in different ways. Outdoor kitchen planning means you will expose your appliances, cooking zones, and outdoor dining furniture to the elements year-round, and this change may seem overwhelming.

Luckily, once you become familiar with a few outdoor kitchen designs and follow some basic rules you’ll find that your outdoor cooking area plans can be easy to execute and can be had for a budget you will find palatable.

If you only plan to cook meats and occasional meals like burgers and hot dogs you only need to consider a modest outdoor kitchen, likely a grill with counter and storage space, or a standalone island. These options are “drop-in” style outdoor kitchens that keep your outdoor space flexible for a variety of uses and can also be used on smaller decks, patios or roof terraces, including those offered by the area’s luxury condos.

For larger backyards where you have street access, or if you plan on entertaining a lot, you may want to integrate a parking area with easy access through an additional door into your backyard and outdoor living zone. Most major outdoor living projects in Nashville have some form of enclosure around their lot, so planning on extra parking an access door can keep your guests from parking on the street and dealing with Nashville parking tickets. Parking Cupid explains the sometimes lengthy process of fighting a Nashville parking ticket.

However, many outdoor kitchens feature more functional appliances and areas while blending into the space beautifully. These are where your serious outdoor cooks and entertainers come to play. Before you begin measuring and making decisions, check out several outdoor kitchen plans and designs with us to find options you love, and commonalities between all designs.

One great solution to include plumbing and electrical components without ballooning your budget is to plan a partially-covered outdoor kitchen. In this layout your grill, counter seating, and outdoor dining furniture can be situated fully outdoors, while part of your kitchen including a sink, stove, and additional countertop space can sit flush against your outer wall, covered by a canopy or roof.

Lighting, the grill and sink are all kept to the shared outdoor wall, making routing of utilities an easy endeavor. This also allows for a TV or other home entertainment to be included.

“Here’s a prime example of transforming your home into a major outdoor space for eating and entertaining outdoors by using your home’s layout wisely. This giant multi-purpose environment still locates most of the appliances requiring plumbing and electrical against the outside wall of the home. You would be surprised at how cost-effective this type of plan really is.”

To really open up the potential of your outdoor space, serious cooks step away from using a shared outdoor wall to access utilities and to plan on re-locating plumbing and electrical specifically to the area where your outdoor space can best perform.

These layouts are popular choices as starting points for those with large families or a knack for entertaining. By stepping away from forced use of an outer wall of the home, you open up the potential for lots of possibilities. If you like to control the cooking, but still be part of the party, these options allow you to integrate seating around the cooking area, or roll out some serious appliances and cooking power.

 

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We encourage you to start planning your outdoor kitchen at Embers! The possibilities are almost endless, and our Free Design service lets you explore those possibilities before you start spending money. Our showroom team has a ton of hands-on experience with outdoor kitchens for spaces of all sizes and shapes and is an invaluable resource in the planning process. Being able to see, touch and feel popular brands in person at our showroom will help you make important decisions later.

Our service team is full service & fully qualified to install items you purchase from us, from complete outdoor kitchens to indoor or outdoor fireplace installation to simply delivering & setting up your grill. For projects requiring outdoor structure modifications or advanced buildouts, our showroom team will recommend the right local contractors to you based on the scope.