If you love being outdoors, you enjoy cooking, and you're looking to invest in home improvements for your landscaping or property, installing an outdoor kitchen might be a great choice.
Creating a convenient, beautiful location for you to grill and cook surrounded by the fresh air and foliage of your backyard, outdoor kitchens are an extremely popular trend in home decor and improvement.
You may be asking yourself just what an outdoor kitchen is.
If you're thinking, "We've got a grill, so we already have one, right?" you might want to think again.
The most basic outdoor set-ups are actually just built-in BBQ grills, often on a stone or brick patio.
Starting from the basic feature of a grill, the sky's the limit when it comes to the amenities of your outdoor kitchen.
Sinks and under-counter fridges are also extremely common, but fully equipped it can also contain cooktops, wine coolers, warming drawers, and so much more.
Today's high-tech, weatherproof appliances include just about every appliance you'd find in your kitchen inside (perhaps, with the exception of a dishwasher), so you can outfit your outdoor kitchen with whatever appliances will best meet your needs.
Many also feature fireplaces as attractive focal points and heating sources that can help keep you comfortably enjoying the space well into the chillier months.
Outdoor kitchens are a versatile addition that can help take your daily life right outside.
Entertaining, and even family dinners, are easy and enjoyable when you can prepare, serve, and eat your meal without having to go back inside the house.
With their attractive masonry construction, most outdoor kitchens also serve as a gorgeous visual addition to your landscaping, helping anchor the trees and plants to create a cohesive look for your yard.
As with any home improvement project, return on investment for your new outdoor kitchen will vary depending on the particulars of your area's real estate market.
If you're planning to install a built-in BBQ, outdoor fireplace, or other outdoor components, make sure you do some research first to determine what type of ROI you can expect.
Factors to consider include location, your property's other features, and even project cost.
Of course, you shouldn't let a potential future return be the only consideration! If an outdoor kitchen would add to your enjoyment of your home and your quality of life, the prospect of a lower ROI someday down the line shouldn't dissuade you from putting in a feature you know you'd use and love.
The most important thing in terms of return on investment is to ensure you're balancing the budget against the benefits of specific items: If the high-end grill is what will make or break the outdoor kitchen for you, sure, go ahead and splurge.
However, you might want to cut cost in another area, maybe by nixing the under-counter fridge or selecting a less expensive type of stone.
Regardless of whether you choose to go all out for your new outdoor kitchen or you're sticking with a bare-bones plan for a built-in outdoor BBQ grill, you're sure to love the convenience and ease of cooking al fresco in the beauty of your backyard.
To get started on your project, contact your local masonry contractors today!