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are you looking to start an outdoor kitchen project and deciding between working with a local contractor or a ready to go outdoor kitchen solution I’m James with RTA outdoor living and today we are going to talk about the differences between these experiences and what you can expect let’s start by
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discussing the process of working with a contractor for your outdoor kitchen project it’s important to keep in mind that every contractor Works a bit differently but we’ll be discussing some of the general steps you can expect when working with a contractor the first step in the project is reaching out to a
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potential contractor ideally they should get back to you within the same day but it’s possible that you may not receive a response for 24 to 48 hours depending on their workload once you have had an initial discussion with the contractor they will typically schedule a site
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visit to come to your house to get an understanding of your project this usually takes about a week to get scheduled and completed if they are busy if the contractor is not busy this can sometimes be a red flag so it’s important to be cautious if they’re able
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to get to your house the next day keep in mind that not all contractors will offer free consultations and some may charge a consultation fee for taking the time to evaluate a potential project after evaluating your project and available space the contractor will need
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to take their findings and develop a quote for the proposed outdoor kitchen project depending on their experience with these types of projects the quote delivery may take anywhere from 48 hours to around a week some contractors will do some design work and give you a
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pretty accurate rendering of what your project will look like but it isn’t uncommon for them to provide a simple overhead schematic of the project it’s also possible that the contractor may only build the structure leaving you to
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Source the countertops and appliances however if the contractor builds outdoor kitchens frequently they may be able to assist or even Source these items for you if you are happy with the outdoor kitchen plan and their quote for the project you will now be scheduling a
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date to start construction most reputable and well-qualified contractors will likely be scheduling about a month out or so on the project the expected timing of the construction process will vary depending on the size of your outdoor kitchen any intricacies of your
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space or if any work needs to be done prior to even starting the project such as running utilities or reinforcing the foundation of your patio for smaller outdoor kitchens construction may take one to two weeks if the contractor is pretty efficient it’s common for larger projects to take
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a few weeks to even a month to complete keep in mind that most contractors don’t specialize solely in outdoor kitchen construction so there may be delays in your project due to them being responsible for other ongoing projects
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it’s also possible that outdoor kitchen construction can be delayed by weather issues which could lead to them working on another project you want to be really mindful of this part of the project with contractors we have experience working with some great contractors who build and construct outdoor kitchens so there
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are good ones out there unfortunately there are plenty that take on these types of projects without having all their ducks in a row up front the communication could be great and things could be sold as a hands-off and hassle-free project but when a
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contractor is juggling multiple projects and doesn’t specialize in outdoor kitchen construction this is where the project can quickly get off track in conclusion when working with a contractor for your outdoor kitchen project it’s important to keep in mind that that every contractor Works a bit
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differently be sure to ask about their experience with outdoor kitchen construction whether they offer free consultations or charge a consultation fee and if they offer any type of guarantees we have a checklist available on how to
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properly vet a contractor before hiring them for your project you can download it by clicking the link below in the description now let’s talk about the process of working with RTA most of our customers Journey starts with our free 3D design tool on our website
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this tool allows you to design a custom outdoor kitchen that fits your space perfectly you’ll have access to more than 60 premium coyote appliances to equip your kitchen with
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the tool is designed to only let you create what is possible so you don’t waste your time designing something that can’t be manufactured once you submit your design a member of our design team will reach out to you within 24 hours to schedule a design consultation this
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consultation is free of charge and gives you the opportunity to make sure your kitchen fits well in your space and to learn about our products and process our designers are experts in optimizing designs for each specific customer and
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have access to tools that allow them to customize your layout beyond what the design tool will allow most of our customers end up with a more tailored design to their space and needs after working with them so when you’re working with RTA in the design crew you give
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them the dimensions of what you have they come back with a plan you modify it to your satisfaction in my case I have these posts their support posts I had to leave them I couldn’t move them they’ve designed the Cabinetry so it fit right up against the post and design the
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granite to fit right into the post it all just came together beautifully following the design consultation you will receive a comprehensive Proposal with an itemized price list a 3D rendering of your kitchen and a ton of resources to help you learn about each
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component of your design and RTA as a company once you’re satisfied with your design we’ll send you blueprints to review we manufacture each outdoor kitchen to order so this is where we’ll confirm that the design is accurate until you’re
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liking this part of the process moves as quickly as you’d like depending on your motivation to move your project along we have dedicated team members for each part of the process so you can ensure a streamlined and efficient process once
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your blueprints are approved your project will be sent to manufacturing once your kitchen is sent to production you are assigned a dedicated customer success expert who will work with you one-on-one to ensure you are updated throughout manufacturing and also help
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you prepare for delivery and installation most contractors will build your structure with a typical frame construction but we do things a little differently our structural concrete panels are monolithic meaning that your outdoor kitchen finish is built into the
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structure and made from a proprietary high performance concrete that is reinforced with composite rebar and fibers the quality of our panels gives us the ability to offer a lifetime warranty on our kitchen structures depending on the season you are ordering
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manufacturing can take anywhere from two to five weeks once your outdoor kitchen is manufactured it will be shipped directly to your home you will receive everything needed to assemble your kitchen at once including your Island structure
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countertops appliances and all the hardware we only design and manufacture outdoor
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kitchens so you can be assured that you’re receiving a consistent product that is ready to go most of our customers assemble their kitchens themselves but if you don’t feel comfortable handling the assembly we have a network of pro installers that we can use to line you up with a trained
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professional who is experienced in assembling our kitchens we started this Pro installer Network as a resource to those customers who don’t necessarily feel comfortable doing the installation process themselves so we worked with contractors handyman other licensed professionals throughout
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the United States to give our customers that opportunity to get an outdoor kitchen when they might not be handy enough to do it on them we are passionate about creating a convenient process to design and purchase custom outdoor kitchens that are built to last
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a lifetime our end-to-end solution including free 3D design tools manufacturing shipping and assembly ensures that you receive a consistent and high quality product and experience to summarize and wrap up let’s go over
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some quick pros and cons for working with a contractor and RTA Outdoor Living let’s start with the pros of working with a contractor to start you will generally have more options for customization contractors are known for being flexible and adaptable so they can usually work with you to bring your
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vision to life secondly contractors are on site so if you need to make a last minute adjustment on the go that can usually be done lastly your contractor will be somebody local and some people prefer to working with a local business however there are also cons to working with a
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contractor most local contractors are generalists and don’t specialize or solely do outdoor kitchens this could mean important details being missed usually by accident or ignorance outdoor kitchen safety isn’t always top of mind
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for them not because they don’t care just simply because they may not be knowledgeable in this area proper ventilation for outdoor kitchen structures are commonly overlooked and can lead to putting your friends and family and your home at risk most
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contractors will do it all from consultation to design and to construction this could lead to a potential roadblock in parts of the process that isn’t their strong suit lastly contractors don’t usually provide warranties on their products what you
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get is what you have now let’s look at the pros and cons of working with RTA we specialize and solely focus on outdoor kitchen projects our day-to-day is everything outdoor kitchens so you can be assured that you are working with somebody who’s an expert we heavily
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train and provide an expert for every part of the process from design to customer success to manufacturing you will be serviced by somebody who specializes in every part of the outdoor kitchen process you aren’t at the mercy of somebody juggling differing
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responsibilities our product is highly engineered we sell our product nationally which means it needs to perform in the warmest and coldest conditions our monolithic concrete panels are extremely durable and last a
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lifetime on that note another Pro of our product is our lifetime structural warranty we are so confident in our structure that we guarantee our product will last a lifetime let’s look at some of the cons of working with RTA one of the cons of working with RTA is that our products
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are shipped nationally which can sometimes limit the design options available while we do offer a range of options it’s important to keep in mind that some designs may not be possible another thing to keep in mind is that we don’t have an unlimited amount of
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finishing options available we strive to keep a consistent product and while we continue to add new finishes there may be cases where we don’t have exactly what you’re looking for finally it’s important to consider your budget when working with RTA our Specialized Service
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and high quality products mean that we may not be the cheapest option for creating an outdoor kitchen however we understand that not everyone’s budget can accommodate an RTA outdoor kitchen and we’re committed to providing value to all our customers by
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discussing other options in conclusion whether you choose to work with a contractor or consider RTA for your outdoor kitchen project it’s important to weigh the pros and cons to make the best decision for your needs and budget we hope this information has been
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helpful in guiding you towards a successful outdoor kitchen project don’t forget to subscribe to our Channel and check out our library of videos for more valuable knowledge on outdoor kitchen construction best of luck with your project
