KHI Quarterly V3 Q2 - Spring 2012

Enjoy the Summer in Your New Outdoor Kitchen

For entertaining friends, hosting the family, or just having more time in the fresh air, outdoor kitchens are becoming one of the hottest items in home building. Outdoor kitchens offer all the features of your indoor kitchen except the outdoor appliances, counters, and cabinets are weather proofed to withstand anything Mother Nature can throw at them. Features of most outdoor kitchens include a grill, fireplace or pit, counters and cabinets, and of course a kitchen sink.

When it comes to an outdoor grill, there are several options. Depending on your needs, you can get something that is prefab, semi-custom, or fully customized. You can purchase something extravagant like a drop-in stove with six burners and a gas kit but if you only barbeque once a week, a grill with a counter and storage cabinet, covered with tile or stucco, should do it. The cabinet will protect supplies from the weather and the countertop will provide work space when you get down to cooking. Other outdoor cooking options include a fireplace, oven or firepit. A fireplace is a great place to congregate while you cook and it really adds an outdoor room feel. A firepit can be used to cook with a rotisserie, skewers or simply grill over the open flame. An outdoor oven is like a traditional oven but can include wonderful features like a brick or stone pizza oven.

Since your family will enjoy spending time in your outdoor kitchen, you'll want storage space and a counter or table for dining, along with a sink and refrigerator. Some additional considerations include brick or stone countertops which can also be used to eat on. Storage cabinets must be made of waterproof materials or stainless steel. Stainless steel that matches your grill is a great option for cabinets.

No kitchen would be complete without a sink. Outdoor sinks are  either fed with a hose or connected to the home's water supply. Good choices for your outdoor sink would be either stainless steel or ceramic.

You might want to consider a roof to keep your kitchen sheltered from the elements but you’ll have to keep the grill exposed to  properly ventilate the smoke.

Finally, it's important to consider the proper flooring. You’ll want to avoid using flooring that is slick, which eliminates tile or marble right off the bat. Good choices for flooring include pavers, composite decking, exotic hardwoods such as Ipe’ or Teak, or cellular PVC tongue and groove porch flooring.

Designing your outdoor kitchen can be a fun experience. Once it’s complete it will provide your family with years of outdoor enjoyment. For more information or to schedule an appointment to design your outdoor kitchen, call Kruse Home Improvement at 860-584-8784.

Looking to add the perfect outdoor living space?  

You may want to consider adding a screened in porch.

Screened porches allow homeowners to enjoy the outdoors while being sheltered from the sun on a hot day. You can still relax and avoid the sun's harmful UV rays in your screened in porch. Getting drenched from the rain and avoiding those pesky insects and bugs can ruin the enjoyment of outdoor plans. Spending more time outdoors is possible with an enclosed porch. Along with offering shelter, you will be able to capture a breeze or entertain regardless of the weather. It is also cooler than entertaining on an outdoor porch and there is no need to cancel your plans if it rains.

Another great benefit of adding a screened porch is that it can be built on a budget. For a low investment,  homeowners can add an increased value to their home. A porch that is enclosed will add more value when the house is on the market than a porch which is not enclosed.

You will need to consider a few things when designing a screened in porch. There are many great designs that can add additional, stunning living space to your home. To decide on the size of your enclosed porch, consider the furniture you will be putting in the room and how many    people you plan to gather in the room. Be sure to match the trim details of your house including the roof. This means deciding between aluminum and 
wood-framed porches depending on the design of your house. 

A nice feature to the porch is the addition of a ceiling fan. This will allow for nice airflow on a warm summer day. Skylights are very common on screened in porches.  They are a great way to bring natural light to the room during the day and keep it warm enough to be comfortable.  You can even place glass panels over the screens to help keep the porch warmer and if you want to take an extra step to make the room useable even in the winter, you could install a heating system in the room.

Screened in porches are built solely for enjoyment and as you can see there are many benefits to having a screened in porch. An enclosed porch allows you and your family to spend quality time together playing games or eating dinner. It is also a great way to relax in a peaceful environment. You will be amazed at how much everyone enjoys it!