Cary homeowners expand their cooking and dining at home to the great outdoors
KIM BOYLE used to use a small, portable grill to cook food outside. It was a hassle, she said, and she didn’t use it often.
“When it’s right there and super easy to use … I use it all the time, even if it’s cold or rainy” said Boyle, owner of ProScapes of North Carolina, a custom-landscape design company that installs outdoor kitchens. “We can be cooking and the kids are playing ball nearby. It’s a very enjoyable thing to have – to be and live outdoors instead of just looking through the windows. It’s somewhere to go and something to do.”
But when she moved into a new house that had an outdoor kitchen, she learned what more and more residents across the state are finding out: It’s like having a little restaurant in your backyard.
Business owners who offer outdoor kitchens say their popularity has risen significantly in the past five years. The combination of a sluggish economy and rising gas prices, coupled with the state’s beautiful weather, has spurred people to dine in and entertain at their homes. And because a big part of any get-together is the kitchen, an outdoor kitchen is a perfect fit.
“In the past five or six years, (outdoor kitchens) are going into a lot more neighborhoods,” Boyle said. “They’ve always been popular in upper-end homes, but we’re seeing a whole lot more inclusion in upper mid-range homes. They’re not just for million dollars and up folks any longer. … We have all four seasons (in North Carolina), and if they have the right kinds of things for their space, then they can enjoy all four seasons.”
Lynn Wilhelm, landscape designer for Greenscape Inc., which makes customized outdoor kitchens, said that one reason outdoor kitchens have gotten more popular is because they provide a less costly way of expanding a home than building an addition or buying a vacation house.
“The indoor space is limited by walls, but we are limited by only the property lines. We can expand without adding square footage onto your house,” she said. “And entertaining there tends to cost less than taking a your friends to a restaurant.”
Peter Volin, of Cary, recently purchased his first outdoor kitchen from Greenscape Inc. In addition to a grill, fridge and double-burner. Volin added a roof and some patio furniture.
“The idea behind it being that we have another whole living area out-side,” he said. “I’m an outdoor person – I like to do a lot of grilling -and now we can go outside and relax for a good portion of the year.”
The setup and price of an outdoor kitchen varies depending on the owner’s budget and the size of their yard. The most popular outdoor kitchen model includes an island, a grill and a fridge. Higher-end setups can also include a sink, a power burner for cooking large pots and even a television and a bar.
Outdoor kitchen prices range from $5,000 to $150,000, but the most common setups – appliances and installation – cost between $15,000 and $25,000. Boyle said that ProScapes of North Carolina sells top-end appliances, such as Fire Magic grills, that can cost as much as $6,000 and come with lifetime warranties.
“There are an enormous number of different appliances, depending on the space that you have and how you plan on using it,” Boyle said. “One of the most important things is to have the right appliances, because once it’s built, it’s hard to change, and you don’t want to be replacing them all the time.”
Scott Hunter, retail manager of Rising Sun Pools, which installs outdoor kitchens, said the company sells the outdoor kitchen as part of a package with a pool. But in the past few years, he’s seen an increase in the number of kitchens sold by themselves.
“They usually go on the smaller side with a grill and a fridge – not an outdoor living space as much as a nice grill setup,” he said. “I think the family value is great, between having people over and entertaining, or having a night out with your family.”
Eddie Casanave, owner of Distinctive Remodeling, has been installing outdoor kitchens for about six years. Distinctive Remodeling has done award-winning kitchen installation for more than 20 years, and he said that installing them outdoors was an obvious move.
There is no set definition of an outdoor kitchen, Casanave said. They are open to anyone’s personal interpretation.
“Sometimes it’s a glorified grilling area, and sometimes it’s a full-functioning bar and kitchen,” he said. “It can be as big or as small as you want it to be. There is no set guideline as to what is average. … The sky is the limit.”
Casanave said he thinks outdoor kitchens are becoming more popular because people are staying at home more often.
“With the heightened security issues around the world, people have become more comfortable being at home,” he said. “Especially if they have kids, they prefer their kids to be at home instead of hanging around to keep them out of trouble.”
The first step to building an outdoor kitchen is ensuring that the home owner has enough room, he said. Common zoning requirements bar home owners from building a permanent structure 25 feet from the property line. And if it’s built on a deck or porch with a roof, the owner must get a permit, he said.
The average price tag of $20,000 will get the customer a stone finished island with granite countertops, one grilling area, a cabinet and an outdoor refrigerator. The price jumps when a sink is installed, because it can get expensive to run pipes from the house to the sink, and it costs to winterize them, he said.
Casanave, who owns an outdoor kitchen himself, called the outdoor kitchen a “lifestyle benefit,” and said his family has enjoyed it.
“We live in North Carolina, and the spring, summer and fall seasons are great times to be outdoors and entertaining friends,” he said. “It’s another way to do entertaining and not smell up the house, and it’s easier to keep clean.”