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[Music] hey there it’s james with rta outdoor living and today i am bringing you another value-packed video today we are going to talk about the top five outdoor kitchen planning mistakes and how you can avoid making them after years of helping thousands of
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people with the design and planning stage of their projects we have come to really understand how to effectively plan a project and the most common mistakes most people make if you get any value from this video we would greatly appreciate you hitting the
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like and subscribe button to let us know you would like to see more videos just like this let’s get into it
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Not Planning Enough Counter Space
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not planning enough counter space the main reason most people invest into an outdoor kitchen is around convenience and part of the convenience is having ample counter space to prepare food and whatnot one of the biggest mistakes we see people make is not including enough
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counter space in their layout if you don’t have enough counter space to place platters prepare food and put other things outside you’ll be forced to make trips in and out of the house or set up temporary tables to create additional counter space outside
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and let’s be honest none of these things sound convenient and if you can avoid these things by planning enough counter space on the front end you will reap the benefits on the back end for many years look we get it incorporating a lot of drop-in appliances like grills
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side burners sinks and any other drop-in appliances that take up counter space can be very tempting but it will be a big regret when you are left without counter space so when you are thinking about your layout make sure to consider how you intend to use it and design it
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with enough counter space for your needs
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Choosing the Right Grill
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choosing the right grill for most people the grill is the centerpiece of your outdoor kitchen so you really want to make sure you choose the best grill for your needs when you are making a decision on a built-in grill it will require more thought and
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due diligence because unlike a cart model grill a built-in grill should be one that you only buy once there is a lot to consider here and if you haven’t seen our video on how to choose the right grill you can watch it by clicking the link below we will do a brief overview for you now
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to just help out the main things you want to consider when choosing the right grill are number one is the grill class the grill class will directly tie back to your budget and if you aren’t familiar with what grill classes are out on the market there are an economy premium and luxury
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level grills economy are the lowest end grills and we wouldn’t really recommend building these into your outdoor kitchen premium grills fall into the middle of the market and luxury grills are the top of the line options number two being the size it is
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important to consider the grill size that fits your needs you should ask yourself how many people you will typically be cooking for which should help you determine the right size grill number three being cooking style your preferred cooking style will tie
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into what type of grill will be best for you whether it is a gasp charcoal or a pellet grill gas grills are going to be by far the most convenient option charcoal grills give you the best flavor and a pellet grill is really the best of both worlds
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as it gives you the convenience of a gas grill but also the flavor of a charcoal grill and is by far the most versatile grill out of all the grill types four being accessories the last consideration will be whether you want to add accessories to make your grill more versatile or not
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be sure to think through what will be best for your needs as this grill will be permanently built into your island and a major inconvenience if you want to change your grill further down the road
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Not Incorporating Storage
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not incorporating storage storage is probably the most overlooked aspect of planning an outdoor kitchen storage isn’t as flashy as some of the other appliances but going back to convenience storage adds a lot of functionality and convenience to your
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kitchen if you don’t have anywhere to store your grill utensils cups plates spices and other things you’ll be making those dreaded trips in and out of your house there are many different types of storage drawers that you can incorporate into your design the main thing here is
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not to forget about storage because you’ll be kicking yourself later on when you have nowhere to store anything
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Cutting Corners
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cutting corners we understand more than anyone that most people come into a project with a pre-determined budget that they would like to stay within but we would strongly urge you not to cut corners to try to fit your project within your budget instead we would strongly recommend
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creating a must-have and a nice-to-have list for your appliances so that if you work with an expert they can help you create a design that gives you the most bang for your buck appliances are really just one piece of the project the quality and material of
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the structure are something you really should never compromise on to cut the cost of your project down because these are the things that make up the foundation of your kitchen and directly correlate to the longevity of it look we know it may be tempting to want
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to save some money but if it means compromising on the longevity of your kitchen it will save you money now but will most likely cost you more money in the long run if you have to make repairs or replace things that break down if you can lay out a list of nice
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to haves versus must-haves you can start eliminating the nice-to-haves if you’re getting tight on your budget you could also consider switching up the design and maybe downgrading from a u-shape to an l-shaped design or moving from an l-shape to a smaller linear
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layout to save some money there are many ways to value engineer your projects but never never never compromise on the quality of the materials of your island countertops or appliances
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Going Complete DIY
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going complete diy doing diy projects are becoming more popular as technology and the evolution of products themselves are making construction projects easier to do than ever before we know that professionals make it look pretty easy on tv and youtube but these projects are not
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always as easy as they look there have been a lot of great improvements to the outdoor kitchen industry that are making it easier for homeowners to tackle a diy outdoor kitchen project but going completely diy and building an outdoor kitchen from scratch is surely
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not an easy task and it might not save you as much money as you may anticipate sure you will save some money because you won’t be directly paying for labor but you will have to pay for the labor with your time so then the real question becomes how much is your time worth
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honestly by the time you factor in the time to source all the material do the additional research the potential for errors and mistakes and all the time involved in building your kitchen you will likely not save a ton of money at all sure your time is not a direct out of
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pocket expense but time spent building your outdoor kitchen is time that could be better spent like spending time with your family plus you avoid all the potential stress headaches and frustration there are a good number of turnkey systems out there like what
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we have at rta that give you the benefits of going diy like having control over your project designing it your way and putting it together yourself but it is far more turnkey and convenient than going completely diy there are the top five outdoor kitchen
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planning mistakes so you don’t make them on your project we hope this video serves as a valuable resource for you and again if you enjoyed this video and want to continue to see more videos like this hit the like and subscribe button as always i am james here with rta outdoor living and
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we look forward to continuing to bring you outdoor kitchen value as we continue to help people all over the country host the moments that matter we’ll see you on the next one
