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Hey everybody, it’s James here from RTA Outdoor Living. As you consider the idea of building your own outdoor kitchen, you’ll quickly see there’s a lot more to the project than meets the eye. While we like to focus on how exciting the finished results will be, we tend to gloss over how much work is involved
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before you get to enjoy your finished island. In large part, that’s what this video will be about. What are all the things that you need to consider before you decide that you’re going to be building an outdoor kitchen? Once you know all the ins and outs, you’ll be able to make an informed decision about
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your project. Will you continue along the process of diying your outdoor kitchen, or will you pursue other options? In order to get to the answer, let’s get started. Number one, understanding your budget. Before making any moves on your project, you’ll need
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to figure out what you can afford. Unfortunately, when you DIY an outdoor kitchen, it’s not that straightforward to figure out. There’s many variables at play that factor into your price. You have to account for the quality of the materials you purchase, the quality and quantity of appliances you choose, your
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finish options, and more. Currently, the average cost of an outdoor kitchen lands somewhere around $13,000. And of course, the larger your outdoor kitchen, the larger your budget will have to be. Once you’ve nailed down on your budget that’s realistic for your outdoor kitchen plans, it’s time to move
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on to the next step. Number two, knowing your why. What’s the reason you want to build an outdoor kitchen in the first place? It may seem like an obvious question, but it’s important to keep this why top of mind as you continue through the process. Because if you overlook the main reason why you wanted
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an outdoor kitchen in the first place, you’ll forget the key features you want your island to have and end up disappointed in the end. Are you most interested in grilling or smoking proteins that would rival even the best pit masters? If optimizing your outdoor
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kitchen setup is the primary goal, you’ll want to invest in highquality appliances and ensure your barbecue island is efficiently designed for cooking. Or perhaps you’re less interested in cooking chef quality dishes and more interested in entertaining your family and friends. If
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the primary driver behind your outdoor kitchen project is encouraging your loved ones to come over, then of course you’ll need to design your outdoor kitchen with hosting in mind. You’ll need bar seating and refrigerators to keep a full supply of refreshments always at the ready. Point is, think
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deeply about the main reasons why you wanted to invest in an outdoor kitchen and ensure that focus is maintained throughout the project. Number three, design principles before you start your build. You’ll also need to understand the basic principles of an outdoor kitchen design. We won’t get into the details here, but there are a couple
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common design mistakes you’ll want to be sure to avoid. While it’s tempting to focus on all the appliances and other bells and whistles you can include in your outdoor kitchen design, there are some less glamorous features that simply cannot be overlooked. For one, make sure
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you plan for storage space. Doors and drawers aren’t exactly the most exciting feature, but they’re essential for a convenient cooking experience. When you’re grilling outside, the last thing you want to do is run in and out of the house to grab all your grilling utensils.
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You don’t have to go crazy either. A set of storage drawers here and there will more than suffice. The same thing goes for countertop prep space. Instead of monopolizing your countertop area with a ton of appliances, you can’t forget that countertops are functional in and of
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themselves. Where are you going to place your platter or prep burger meat for grilling? Where are you going to serve your barbecue meal family style? Where can you set down your drinks? All these things need a place to go, and ideally, you’ll have plenty of counter space for them. That said, your designer mind also
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has to extend beyond just your outdoor kitchen. Number four, have a plan for your entire outdoor space. If an outdoor kitchen is the first backyard upgrade you plan on installing, it’s important to have a future vision of what your completed backyard area is going to look
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like. Maybe you want to add on a fire pit, outdoor fireplace, pool pergola, gazebo, or some combination of these. Regardless of how many features you plan to pack into your backyard, be sure to consider how much space you need for
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everything ahead of time. The last thing you want is for your backyard to feel stressful and cramped. Number five, location, location, location. Once you build your outdoor kitchen, you can’t easily move the islands around. And even if you can, you really want to have to do that. For this reason, you need to be
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confident about where exactly your outdoor kitchen is being built. It needs to be in an area that’s both comfortable and convenient for you to use. Ultimately, you have two options, a satellite or perimeter outdoor kitchen. A satellite outdoor kitchen will be located far away from the house. This
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may be a more aesthetically pleasing location, but tends to be more expensive to run utility lines. A perimeter outdoor kitchen will be located right near your home, which can make it more convenient to access your outdoor kitchen and ultimately save you money on running utility lines. And speaking of
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utilities, number six, utilities and site preparation considerations for building your outdoor kitchen can extend beyond the island, too. If you want a natural gas grill, refrigerator, and a sink, all three of these appliances will require a separate set
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of utility lines run to them. If you’re building a new home, you can easily plan for utility lines ahead of time. But the reality is, most of us are retrofitting an existing backyard to build your outdoor kitchen. In this case, it’s ideal to install your utility lines
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before your deck or patio is built. But if it’s too late for that, this will involve ripping up sections of your patio or deck to stub utility lines through, which of course will add time and money to the bottom line. If you’d rather not deal with the extra hassle, you could choose appliances that don’t
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require utility lines. Get a propane grill instead of a natural gas, a drop-in cooler instead of a refrigerator, and so on. Utilities or not, you’re still going to need a surface to put your outdoor kitchen on. Whether you’re building from scratch or retrofitting an existing deck or patio,
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make sure it can handle the weight of your future outdoor kitchen and is large enough to accommodate your desired design. Number seven, hire a contractor or DIY. When it comes time to truly execute your project, you have to decide if you’re going to build from scratch or
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outsource some labor. Of course, there’s pros and cons to each option. If you choose to DIY your outdoor kitchen, you’ll have full autonomy over the process. Every piece will be your handwork and there’s a great sense of accomplishment to come from a job well done. You’ll also save a ton of money in
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labor costs. If your outdoor kitchen project is on a shoestring budget, going full DIY might be your only option for this reason alone. And while DIY might sound like a no-brainer in this regard, there’s a huge skill cap that comes with building an outdoor kitchen. As with
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many things, the process looks simple until you try to do it yourself. So, if you’ve never taken on the project like this before, it’s best to leave this task in the hands of professionals. In this scenario, the next logical step is to find a local contractor. If they
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built outdoor kitchens before and have the skills, this could be a great option. However, despite what you may assume, the vast majority of contractors don’t have specialized experience with an outdoor kitchen project. And in some ways, they may have the same level of outdoor kitchen know-how as average
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DIYers, which doesn’t exactly help your case. If you’re considering hiring a contractor to build your outdoor kitchen, make 100% sure that they have specialized experience in constructing barbecue islands. Number eight, build yourself or assemble. Here’s the thing,
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building your outdoor kitchen 100% from scratch or hiring a contractor are not your only options. If you want an easier DIY solution that doesn’t involve looping in a contractor, you may want to consider a ready to assemble outdoor kitchen. These outdoor kitchens arrive
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at your door with 95% of the work already completed, leaving you with just a light assembly that won’t take you more than a few hours. The ultra high performance concrete panels simply lock together using L brackets, and the finish is already fully incorporated
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into the structure, so there’s no need to deal with the hassle of applying stone or brick veneer piece by piece. Appliance cutouts are already done for you, and the appliances themselves will also be included with your order. Everything you need for your outdoor kitchen project comes from a single
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source. Point is, the RTA system is by far the easiest way to build an outdoor kitchen without having to 100% do all the leg work yourself. But no matter what outdoor kitchen solution you choose, there’s something else you need
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to keep top of mind. Number nine, durability and performance. What’s the point of building an outdoor kitchen if it’s only going to last you a year or two? That’s quite a lot of time and labor investment for little return. If you decide to work with a contractor for your outdoor kitchen or build it
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yourself from scratch, we cannot emphasize enough the importance of quality materials. Any structure you build outside is going to be at the mercy of the outdoor elements which are never forgiving. Whether it’s snow, sleet, ice, rain, high winds, intense UV
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rays, or salty ocean air, your climate can and will give your future outdoor kitchen a beating. For this reason, it’s imperative to use materials that are designed to resist and persist the outdoor environment. If you want to secure the best possible material for an
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outdoor kitchen, take no less than concrete. Concrete is impervious to rust, corrosion, rot, warping, swelling, insect damage, you name it. No matter what the weather looks like outside, a concrete outdoor kitchen will stand
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strong and look good doing it for many years to come. Now that you know what material is best to use for an outdoor kitchen, there’s one last point to consider before building your own. Number 10, do not forget safety. Safety is quite possibly the most overlooked
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yet most important topic related to building an outdoor kitchen. Outdoor kitchen explosions and fires are an all too reality and the preventative measures are simply not discussed enough. If you’re building an outdoor kitchen, ensure you’re using non-combustible materials like concrete
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and make sure your island is properly ventilated. These two features will prevent the risk of an island explosion or fire. If you work with a reputable outdoor kitchen company, these considerations should already be incorporated into your product. However, you can never be too sure. Whether you
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decide to DIY your outdoor kitchen or work with another company, make 100% sure that your island is safely constructed. And with all of the above considerations in mind, you’ll be well on your way to bringing your dream outdoor kitchen to life. If you’ve
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enjoyed this video, please make sure to give us a like and subscribe below. That’s all we’ve got for you on this one today. So, we’ll see you on the next
