Adding outdoor kitchens to your backyard patio

Backyard grilling has come a long way in recent years with everyone adding outdoor kitchens to their backyard patio areas.  A raised granite counter is now the perfect place for the guys to hang and have a beer with the grill master as he readies the steaks.  Today, smokers allow you to do slow, flavorful cooking of Southern barbecue right here in the Boston area.  Fridges and ice chests keep the kids sodas cold and the moms’ Chardonnay chilled just right.  And don’t forget that pizza ovens are gaining in popularity lately for neighborhood pizza nights.

Natural Gas, Propane or Wood

Another choice to be made is whether to run a gas line to the outdoor grill or to use propane tanks.  Similar to deciding whether to have a wood or gas fire pit or fireplace, the homeowner must consider whether they want to incur the expense of the gas installation costs as a trade off for the long term convenience of never having to switch out a propane tank ever again!  And as for fire pits, the choice is whether to build a campfire the old fashioned way or to simply click the remote to turn on the gas flame and you’re in business.
https://www.napoleon.com/en/us/grills

Kitchen Islands and Shade

Kitchen islands can be straight counters, L-shaped or U-shaped.  Each layout should be designed to work with the other elements of the outdoor living area including dining areas, pergolas, fire pits, sitting walls, open lawn areas. Access to the house and main kitchen is an important factor in the design. Is the area sunny or shady?  Should trees be planted to give shade from the hot summer sun? Retractable sunshades can be mounted in pergolas to cool off outdoor dining areas. Or beautiful vines such as fragrant rambling roses and climbing hydrangea can filter the sun and be a true pleasure to sit under.

Granite Counters and Appliances

Since grill islands will provide years of enjoyment for your family and friends, you want to carefully plan out and decide how many people could sit at the granite counter,  Another set of choices is to pick what state-of-the-art appliances you want.  Grill companies have really improved their designs and their grills, smokers, side burners and rotisseries are super high quality and are really amazing.  Many many gourmet cooking options await you when choosing what to install.  All the options can be daunting.

Outdoor Lighting and Sound Systems

Outdoor lighting is another key to having a perfect night dining outside under the stars.  Landscape lighting should be just bright enough to create a romantic atmosphere and not too harsh.
https://www.allianceoutdoorlighting.com/
In addition to lighting, outdoor sound systems are perfect for enhancing the mood and can be linked directly to your phone’s playlist.  They come with high quality speakers and subwoofers and can be mounted in the pergola or in the ground.
https://www.coastalsource.com/outdoor-living-guide

Professionally Designing Your Outdoor Kitchen

The homeowner should realize that the most important part of their new outdoor kitchen is the overall design and how it integrates with the rest of the backyard space and the house.  Time spent with one of our designers to consider flow, usage and required components is time well spent.  It is key to design your new backyard kitchen from general concept to final exact detail well ahead of the first shovel going in the ground.  Our designers will guide you through considering all the options.  We want you to change your mind on paper – before the project is underway or complete.  Our landscape drawings are easy to read and let you see what the space will be like to be in.  We’ll also walk you through choices of appliances, stone, lighting and sound systems.

Contact us today and we’ll help you design the perfect outdoor kitchen for you and your family.


“We felt as if the LDA could accomplish ANY task put before them; all done to perfection. We will enjoy our new outdoor environment for many years to come.”