When you are considering an outdoor kitchen project, your primary purchasing options are either (a) work with a contractor or (b) work directly with an outdoor kitchen supplier.
And if staying within a certain budget is a concern for you, you might be wondering: “Will working directly with an outdoor kitchen supplier save money?”
It’s a valid question to ask! As a DTC (direct to consumer) outdoor kitchen supplier, we can speak to whether or not this arrangement will save you money. In this article, you will learn whether or not you’ll save money by working directly with an outdoor kitchen supplier, and how much money could potentially be saved.
Does Working Directly with an Outdoor Kitchen Supplier Save Money?
Sometimes yes, and sometimes no. Depending on your local contractor and the brands you’re getting quotes from, it’s equally possible that an outdoor kitchen supplier will be more or less expensive than a contractor.
However, what is important to keep in mind is receiving the full value of every dollar you have spent on your outdoor kitchen. In this regard, you will receive more “bang for your buck” when working directly with an outdoor kitchen supplier over a contractor. Below are a few reasons why.
Less Markup on Island & Material Costs
99.9% of the time, your local contractor isn’t also a local material fabricator. This means that they’re either purchasing materials at a wholesale price, or if they don’t have a high volume of projects… they’re purchasing materials at full retail price at your local big box store. This wholesaler and retailer markup on materials gets directly passed onto you, the customer.
Some outdoor kitchen suppliers, such as RTA Outdoor Living, manufacture their own outdoor kitchen materials. The raw materials are purchased at the lowest possible price, and are transformed into outdoor kitchen materials in-house. Of course, there is still a markup on these materials (otherwise the business wouldn’t survive!) but the overall cost burden is much less than what a contractor is passing along to you. You’re paying for 1 layer of markup, rather than 2-3.
Direct to Consumer Companies Often Offer Better Pricing on Appliances
Most local contractors build outdoor kitchens as a side service, it’s not a primary offering or their speciality. And since most of these projects are infrequent or one-off, it means your local contractor likely doesn’t have a wholesale or distributor relationship with any outdoor appliance brands. As such, they’ll be paying full retail price for the appliances, which gets passed onto you. In some cases, the contractor won’t order the appliances for you… and you’ll end up having to pay full retail price yourself anyway. (Which also adds more time for you juggling between vendors).
Virtually all DTC outdoor kitchen suppliers have a relationship with one or multiple outdoor appliance brands. They are required to sell their appliances at a designated price, however, in some cases you can get a better price. In the case of RTA, outdoor appliances are included with the outdoor kitchen structure. We cannot discount appliances, but we can discount the island structure, which once again ends up lowering your total cost burden.
Most Direct Suppliers Help Reduce Labor Costs
When you’re hiring a local contractor to build your outdoor kitchen, they’re usually building completely from scratch. So in addition to material and appliance costs, you will also have to pay a significant amount for the labor. Depending on the complexity of your project, it’s likely that most of your bill can be attributed to labor costs.
Whereas, when you work directly with an outdoor kitchen supplier, most of the time you’re purchasing a DIY solution. If you’re installing the outdoor kitchen yourself, naturally, you’re saving 100% on labor costs. But even if you do hire someone to assemble the outdoor kitchen for you, you’ll only be paying for a day or two of labor. When compared to paying a contractor several weeks worth of labor for a full outdoor kitchen build, this is still a significant savings!
How Much Money Can You Save by Working Directly with an Outdoor Kitchen Supplier?
The amount of money you can save working with a DTC outdoor kitchen company will vary greatly, depending on the specific contractor and company you’re comparing. That said, we can give you a rough idea of what you may be able to save.
In the case of RTA Outdoor Living, you can expect to pay around $1,200 – $2,000 per linear foot for the island structure, countertops and appliances. A qualified, highly-skilled local outdoor kitchen contractor will cost in the neighborhood of $2,000 – $4,000 per linear foot. So depending on the situation, a solution like RTA may cost nearly half of what it may cost to pay a local contractor.
And if all this talk about saving money is starting to sound good to you… why not hop on a call with one of RTA’s Design Experts? In addition to working 1-on-1 with you to perfect your outdoor kitchen design, they’ll also be able to work with you on properly pricing your project.
You can book a free consultation right below:
