Barbecue/Grill station
Discussion
We bought our house as a new build 13 years ago.
For various reasons (not related to maintenance, but due to some poor decisions by the developers on day one), the garden has been a point of annoyance for a few years now. It doesn't help that neither of us are green-fingered, though we do try to keep it tidy and there's plenty of regular weeding and grass-cutting. The soil is full of rocks, hence patchy areas, fence is flimsy and starting to break in places, there's a noticeable slope that we'd like rid of, and the whole thing looks tired.
We've finally decided to plough some money into it this year and get the whole outside rear redone - new patio paving, artificial grass, composite fence, lighting, etc.
As part of this work, one of the things I'd like to do is install or build a permanent covered barbecue area, or as the Americans call it, a grill station. The idea being that it would get used a lot in summer, but even in wet/winter weather I could easily nip outside to cook up a few steaks on the grill without the hassle of pulling the barbecue and other things out of the shed just to stand in pissing rain, and have to put it all away again after. I'd probably have some shelving in it, outdoor power points, a couple of small worktops to set things on, few drawers and then the barbecue equipment itself.
Has anyone put in anything like this? Any tips or pictures? I see lots of them on google images but mostly USA based ones - hence very big and often a rustic wooden style. We'd be looking something smaller/neater and contemporary, as our garden will be done in a modern style. Picture below gives an idea what I'm talking about.
For various reasons (not related to maintenance, but due to some poor decisions by the developers on day one), the garden has been a point of annoyance for a few years now. It doesn't help that neither of us are green-fingered, though we do try to keep it tidy and there's plenty of regular weeding and grass-cutting. The soil is full of rocks, hence patchy areas, fence is flimsy and starting to break in places, there's a noticeable slope that we'd like rid of, and the whole thing looks tired.
We've finally decided to plough some money into it this year and get the whole outside rear redone - new patio paving, artificial grass, composite fence, lighting, etc.
As part of this work, one of the things I'd like to do is install or build a permanent covered barbecue area, or as the Americans call it, a grill station. The idea being that it would get used a lot in summer, but even in wet/winter weather I could easily nip outside to cook up a few steaks on the grill without the hassle of pulling the barbecue and other things out of the shed just to stand in pissing rain, and have to put it all away again after. I'd probably have some shelving in it, outdoor power points, a couple of small worktops to set things on, few drawers and then the barbecue equipment itself.
Has anyone put in anything like this? Any tips or pictures? I see lots of them on google images but mostly USA based ones - hence very big and often a rustic wooden style. We'd be looking something smaller/neater and contemporary, as our garden will be done in a modern style. Picture below gives an idea what I'm talking about.
Following with interest.
Firstly, why choose artificial grass? It needs decent prep to look good and last and seems a shame to use something unnatural if you're spending money on general garden improvements.
With regards to the outside kitchen element, IKEA do something that might work.
And you could add something along these lines. This is a local product but I'm sure you'd get something similar locally.
Or get a local chippy to knock up something that suits your taste and the location.
Firstly, why choose artificial grass? It needs decent prep to look good and last and seems a shame to use something unnatural if you're spending money on general garden improvements.
With regards to the outside kitchen element, IKEA do something that might work.
And you could add something along these lines. This is a local product but I'm sure you'd get something similar locally.
Or get a local chippy to knock up something that suits your taste and the location.
Palmela said:
Following with interest.
Firstly, why choose artificial grass? It needs decent prep to look good and last and seems a shame to use something unnatural if you're spending money on general garden improvements.
With regards to the outside kitchen element, IKEA do something that might work.
And you could add something along these lines. This is a local product but I'm sure you'd get something similar locally.
Or get a local chippy to knock up something that suits your taste and the location.
Thanks for the reply - didn't realise IKEA did anything like that, I'll take a look. I don't mind if we buy a pre-built one or have a local joiner put something together, but good to have inspiration!Firstly, why choose artificial grass? It needs decent prep to look good and last and seems a shame to use something unnatural if you're spending money on general garden improvements.
With regards to the outside kitchen element, IKEA do something that might work.
And you could add something along these lines. This is a local product but I'm sure you'd get something similar locally.
Or get a local chippy to knock up something that suits your taste and the location.
Regarding the artificial grass - neighbours and my parents both got it recently (same type, incidentally - it's a local seller and a high quality one) and we were impressed with both of their installations. Low maintenance, more pet friendly for our dog, clean play surface for our son, and it looks consistent all year round which suits us as we really are not into gardening and don't have a lot of spare time to spend on the garden even if we were. We've thought about it at length and it's definitely the route we want to go.
This is mine. Had a storage area with an overhang that was filled with junk and decided to make it a kitchen. With the overhang I needed extraction, so got a commercial hood off eBay. Splashback was a large format tile left over from bathroom project, and stainless behind the BBQ. Kitchen base units and BBQ are from Garden Trends. Quality is ok but not amazing - like indoor kitchens its how you install them that really counts. Wall cupboard is a catering one - tried eBay but got awful really poor, thin, self assembly unit which was so bad the seller refunded and didn’t want it back - so had to get a proper one. I also changed the really crap sink tap with a decent one. Drain it down and shut the water off for the winter.
Like the OP, I use it all year round, to lighting and overhead cover are essential.
Like the OP, I use it all year round, to lighting and overhead cover are essential.
Edited by Wasno6 on Wednesday 7th January 20:16
I have an outdoor kitchen which has the same bbq ( visually ) as in your original pic.
It's good but the U.K. weather does mean it does not get much use to be honest. It doesn't help we are away on the summer !
If you are going to " pop out and bbq " then it needs to be adjacent to your kitchen or you will never use it.
Don't do artificial grass. You don't need green fingers you need appropriate planting and irrigation. Lack of water kill a plants.
It's good but the U.K. weather does mean it does not get much use to be honest. It doesn't help we are away on the summer !
If you are going to " pop out and bbq " then it needs to be adjacent to your kitchen or you will never use it.
Don't do artificial grass. You don't need green fingers you need appropriate planting and irrigation. Lack of water kill a plants.
Here's mine, I prefer a more "fallout" style
Midcentury Scotland by Nick Grant, on Flickr
Midcentury Scotland by Nick Grant, on Flickr
Midcentury Scotland by Nick Grant, on Flickr
Midcentury Scotland by Nick Grant, on FlickrMidcentury Scotland by Nick Grant, on FlickrMidcentury Scotland by Nick Grant, on Flickr57 Chevy said:
Here's mine, I prefer a more "fallout" style
Midcentury Scotland by Nick Grant, on Flickr
Midcentury Scotland by Nick Grant, on Flickr
Midcentury Scotland by Nick Grant, on Flickr
Haha that’s pretty cool. But…..spiders? Midcentury Scotland by Nick Grant, on FlickrMidcentury Scotland by Nick Grant, on FlickrMidcentury Scotland by Nick Grant, on FlickrI’ll caveat this post by saying none of this is mine, so I can’t really offer any comment on how things are done, but this is a topic that interests me greatly! Living in Scotland, we get about 4 hours worth of BBQ season a year so the whole outdoor sheltered kitchen massively appeals to me, a man that loves food.
I have spent hours scouring this topic, and looking at full ‘outdoor indoor kitchens’ and found these images on Reddit. This one isn’t completely enclosed, which given Scotland has sideways rain 99% of the year and snow drifts the other two, it probably needs to be enclosed, but seemed a good starter idea for what I would like.
Additionally, I’ve dropped a link below to a house I saw on Rightmove, which was pretty much perfect in terms of what I’d like for an ‘outdoor indoor kitchen’, scroll backwards for quick access to it.
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/169568660
I’ll be following this post with great interest!
I have spent hours scouring this topic, and looking at full ‘outdoor indoor kitchens’ and found these images on Reddit. This one isn’t completely enclosed, which given Scotland has sideways rain 99% of the year and snow drifts the other two, it probably needs to be enclosed, but seemed a good starter idea for what I would like.
Additionally, I’ve dropped a link below to a house I saw on Rightmove, which was pretty much perfect in terms of what I’d like for an ‘outdoor indoor kitchen’, scroll backwards for quick access to it.
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/169568660
I’ll be following this post with great interest!
scott_evo17 said:
I ll caveat this post by saying none of this is mine, so I can t really offer any comment on how things are done, but this is a topic that interests me greatly! Living in Scotland, we get about 4 hours worth of BBQ season a year so the whole outdoor sheltered kitchen massively appeals to me, a man that loves food.
I have spent hours scouring this topic, and looking at full outdoor indoor kitchens and found these images on Reddit. This one isn t completely enclosed, which given Scotland has sideways rain 99% of the year and snow drifts the other two, it probably needs to be enclosed, but seemed a good starter idea for what I would like.
Likewise its a topic I too am following with interest. However, when you start adding a roof and sides etc and its positioned annexed to the indoor kitchen, it starts making the idea harder and harder to justify the spend to me. At what point does it simply become a second indoor kitchen that has little benefit over cooking in the normal one?I have spent hours scouring this topic, and looking at full outdoor indoor kitchens and found these images on Reddit. This one isn t completely enclosed, which given Scotland has sideways rain 99% of the year and snow drifts the other two, it probably needs to be enclosed, but seemed a good starter idea for what I would like.
Shnozz said:
Likewise its a topic I too am following with interest. However, when you start adding a roof and sides etc and its positioned annexed to the indoor kitchen, it starts making the idea harder and harder to justify the spend to me. At what point does it simply become a second indoor kitchen that has little benefit over cooking in the normal one?
It is a very valid point! In my situation, SHMBO would never approve commercial grade extraction in the house, never mind casually lighting up a coal BBQ or the smells associated with that. I probably am kicking rocks of stupidity over what most people in this thread are looking for, but freezing my backside off on a 12 hour brisket smoke just doesn't appeal to me as much as it might have 10 years ago. I guess I'm essentially looking to do something similar to a 'spice kitchen', but with the ability to entertain, host sports events, have a couple of stoagies without annoying the wife with the smell, and not sitting in 5 degrees, it seems a win/win for me.
YMMV... It's always good to share creative ideas, even if they don't completely match, you might find something that you haven't thought of!
Thanks for the replies all.
Wasno6 said:
This is mine. Had a storage area with an overhang that was filled with junk and decided to make it a kitchen. With the overhang I needed extraction, so got a commercial hood off eBay. Splashback was a large format tile left over from bathroom project, and stainless behind the BBQ. Kitchen base units and BBQ are from Garden Trends. Quality is ok but not amazing - like indoor kitchens its how you install them that really counts. Wall cupboard is a catering one - tried eBay but got awful really poor, thin, self assembly unit which was so bad the seller refunded and didn t want it back - so had to get a proper one. I also changed the really crap sink tap with a decent one. Drain it down and shut the water off for the winter.
Like the OP, I use it all year round, to lighting and overhead cover are essential.
That's really nicely done, and as mentioned above, an ideal location to pop out from kitchen even in bad weather. Like the OP, I use it all year round, to lighting and overhead cover are essential.
Edited by Wasno6 on Wednesday 7th January 20:16
scott_evo17 said:
I ll caveat this post by saying none of this is mine, so I can t really offer any comment on how things are done, but this is a topic that interests me greatly! Living in Scotland, we get about 4 hours worth of BBQ season a year so the whole outdoor sheltered kitchen massively appeals to me, a man that loves food.
I have spent hours scouring this topic, and looking at full outdoor indoor kitchens and found these images on Reddit. This one isn t completely enclosed, which given Scotland has sideways rain 99% of the year and snow drifts the other two, it probably needs to be enclosed, but seemed a good starter idea for what I would like.
Additionally, I ve dropped a link below to a house I saw on Rightmove, which was pretty much perfect in terms of what I d like for an outdoor indoor kitchen , scroll backwards for quick access to it.
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/169568660
I ll be following this post with great interest!
Like that a lot. Don't think our garden shape would allow for a wraparound style but I like the aesthetic used. I have spent hours scouring this topic, and looking at full outdoor indoor kitchens and found these images on Reddit. This one isn t completely enclosed, which given Scotland has sideways rain 99% of the year and snow drifts the other two, it probably needs to be enclosed, but seemed a good starter idea for what I would like.
Additionally, I ve dropped a link below to a house I saw on Rightmove, which was pretty much perfect in terms of what I d like for an outdoor indoor kitchen , scroll backwards for quick access to it.
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/169568660
I ll be following this post with great interest!
scott_evo17 said:
UTH said:
In the interest of providing ideas, if you did want to go the whole hog:
Pictures.
That's lovely! I was going to ask about the sink with no tap but spotted it in the first image! Pictures.
Wasno6 said:
This is mine. Had a storage area with an overhang that was filled with junk and decided to make it a kitchen. With the overhang I needed extraction, so got a commercial hood off eBay. Splashback was a large format tile left over from bathroom project, and stainless behind the BBQ. Kitchen base units and BBQ are from Garden Trends. Quality is ok but not amazing - like indoor kitchens its how you install them that really counts. Wall cupboard is a catering one - tried eBay but got awful really poor, thin, self assembly unit which was so bad the seller refunded and didn t want it back - so had to get a proper one. I also changed the really crap sink tap with a decent one. Drain it down and shut the water off for the winter.
Like the OP, I use it all year round, to lighting and overhead cover are essential.
Thats what you'd need with a proper overhang I reckon (although I'd still not be going outside to cook steaks when its 2 degrees, dark and lashing down!).Like the OP, I use it all year round, to lighting and overhead cover are essential.
Edited by Wasno6 on Wednesday 7th January 20:16
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