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when planning an outdoor kitchen does size always matter I think it goes without saying that bigger is always better hey man you got a problem with small people what is that I ain’t little where’s that coming from who are you calling little oh hey there little guy
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didn’t see you there my backyard setup’s just right I’ve got room for an outdoor kitchen a fire pit the whole nine it might look small to you but it’s just right for me I guess you got a point there little buddy size might matter to me but no matter the size I’m sure we
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can find something that works humor me little man tell me how you got that outdoor kitchen to fit in your tiny backyard first things first let’s get something Crystal Clear there is such thing as too small of an outdoor kitchen if you don’t have room for a grill or
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additional counter space there’s really no point from our perspective the smallest outdoor kitchen can be is about 5T you could go down to 4T but 5T is where you start gaining a little bit more room for additional counter space and other applying tree the length of
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the island isn’t the only thing that matters you want to make sure you consider enough walkthrough space and Grill setback requirements if necessary depending on how your island is set up you want to make sure you incorporate 3 and 1/2 ft on either side of the grill so guests can travel safely through the
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backyard but if you’re planning on putting a kitchen up against the wall you want to make sure you consider Grill manufacturer setback requirements if your outdoor kitchen is too close to the wall the heat from the grill can cause damage to your siding or even worse
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cause a fire most grill manufacturers will recommend 12 to 24 in from a wall so let’s run some calculations depending on how close your kitchen is to a wall and how much walkthrough space you might need the minimum requirements are going to be 10 to 12T long and 10 to 8 ft wide
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if that sounds like a lot don’t worry you’d be surprised to see the loopholes and the projects we’ve been able to pull off over the years with that in mind let’s take a look at how we Define small spaces right now my backyard is looking
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pretty empty and small but with the blank slate approach gives you more flexibility from a design perspective and will work great with the tips we’re about to share if you live in an urban area you might not have much of a backyard at all but you might have a balcony or a Terrace that’s up for grabs
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but if you prefer to keep your grilling Pursuits on the ground level a small deck can also be used a deck area can be an easy way to get your small outdoor kitchen into your backyard all right now that we’re on the same page about small spaces let’s dive into the first small
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outdoor kitchen design tip as with anything worth getting excited about our eyes tend to be bigger than our stomachs you start seeing the potential of what your dream outdoor kitchen could be it’s hard not to get carried away with the appliances surely you need a gas grill
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charcoal grill pellet grill and every other Appliance right that’s great if you have an unlimited space and a Skyhigh budget but that’s not what we’re working with so before you run full steam ahead with a design take some time to really narrow down your your must
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hats do you really need more than one type of Grill more than likely not so you might as well save the space and the extra expense if you love to have versatility when cooking Outdoors the idea of removing multiple appliances might break your heart you don’t have to sacrifice versatility just to squeeze a
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small outdoor kitchen into your space rather than cutting down your Appliance list you can get smarter about the appliances you choose take a gas grill for an example even though it’s super convenient to use it’s kind of a one-trick pony if you want to to grill
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burgers smoke ribs or even bake a sheet of cookies stick with a multi-purpose Grill like a pellet grill or a komato grill pellet grills offer a great convenience with their digital control panels but will put off a little less smoke flavor kado girls pack a punch with smoke flavor but take a little more
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work either way you can have your smoke brisket and eat it too but it isn’t just the cooking appliances where you can get crafty Smart Storage choices can also help you make more efficient use of space rather than trying to cram in
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access doors and separate drawers for storage you can combine all of this into one unit so you can access your fuel lines and store utensils without turning your outdoor kitchen into a cluttered mess or maybe your hangup isn’t with the amount of appliances you want maybe you
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want to have a massive grill that could feed an army it’s a great thought But when reality comes knocking we have to make some tough decisions do you really need a 42-in grill or is that Overkill another trick to get more out of your small backyard is to work with the space rather than against it if your backyard
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is long and narrow what’s to stop you from putting a really long outdoor kitchen there you can start with a 5 or 6ft island or go all the way up to 14 ft long by taking advantage of the extra length you have you actually double the size of your outdoor kitchen and you
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know what the best part is this will give you more than enough space to add all of the appliances say hello to that 42-in gas grill or restaurant Quality Pizza Oven but if the idea of a super Long Island doesn’t appeal to you let’s take things to the real world and show
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you what a few options might look like so how did minimi do did he give you some good advice and tips on how to get started on a small design talking theory is great and all but if you don’t have a real life example it can be hard to imagine what that might look like in
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your space so let’s start right here on this patio directly off the house when you have a small backyard one of the last things you want to do is make it feel cluttered the space is already small and restrictive so it can already feel small in just an empty space so if
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you fill it in with a bunch of stuff you’re going to make it feel even more uncomfortable and this small backyard space couldn’t be a more prime example you can easily put an outdoor linear Island on either one of these railings leaving the rest of the patio space
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feeling clutter-free the open air in this space will keep you from having to worry about ventilation requirements and Grill set backs if you’re working up against a combustible material or a wall you’ll want to stay at least 2 foot from that structure and now that I look at it
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I wonder if we could even fit a small l-shape into the space all right this is looking really good I actually pulled up the RTA free design tool and when you finish submitting your design it sends a link to your phone so you can check it out in
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augmented reality of the design you just submitted this is looking really good let’s check it out [Music]
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all right this Design’s looking really good even though the Space is really small it definitely beats busting out the measuring
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tape if you’d like to test out these features for yourself check out the link in the description below and while you’re there don’t forget to like And subscribe if you want to see more content just like this let’s get back to it I thought it’d be nice for a little
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bit of change pretty nice right if you don’t want to put your outdoor kitchen directly next to your house there’s other ways to bring balance to your backyard a covered space like a pergula or a gazebo is a perfect template for a
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dedicated outdoor kitchen space a pergula just like this defines your outdoor kitchen space and keeps the rest of your backyard unrestricted and as a bonus you get some much needed weather protection the point is a covered structure just like this will make it easier to plan for a small outdoor
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kitchen and my next point will prove it covered areas like this make the perfect opportunity for a galley layout you can see the lines taped out here and you can see this makes a perfect space for a grill Island on my right and a bar Island on my left and you know what that
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means you can add overhang to the bar Island and eliminate the need for an extra dining table and set all of your guests right here and in the bar Island you can add features like a refrigerator trash and addition storage which is a
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great use of this space and Just for kicks let’s check out what this might look like with our AR tool and now that you can see what I’m
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talking about a little bit better a walkthrough space is absolutely crucial that way when you’re grilling you don’t have guests that are in your way this small outdoor kitchen loophole
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might not work for all homeowners but if you want a kitchen with a view things are looking up for you whoever said you need a full-fledged backyard for an outdoor kitchen if you play your cards right a Terrace like this could be the best setup of all if
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you’re a city dweller you’ll love being able to enjoy the outdoors in a more private setting but even if you do have some space in your backyard putting your small outdoor kitchen on a Terrace keeps your backyard space open for other features like a fire pit and additional seating and I mean how could you not
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love this view grilling up here would make you feel like the king of the world but in all seriousness a linear Island would fit perfectly up here but I have one more tip for you when designing
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a small outdoor kitchen in your space but I think mini me can do a better job covering this one back to you little man is that guy ever going to stop harping on my size anyways there’s one last loophole for getting a small outdoor kitchen into your backyard and it
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evolves some real creative thinking most of the time we think about designing an outdoor kitchen we limit ourselves to a single Island layout a linear Island an l-shape or a u-shape you get the idea but what if you have several potential
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areas in your backyard where a small island could fit instead of just picking one of the small spaces for your layout why not utilize all of the small spaces you have available you could have a grill Island over in one corner and serving Island in another spot you will have a bit of walking space between each
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island but that’s a small price to pay to get all of the outdoor kitchen features you want I hope you learned a thing or two today about designing a small outdoor kitchen if this video was helpful please make sure to like and to subscribe to our Channel and if you’re
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looking for next steps on creating your small outdoor kitchen design check out our free design tool that I mentioned earlier the link in the description will be in the box below all right I’ve given you a lot of homework at this point so I’ll let you get to it and I’ll catch you in the next video
