Elegant Outdoor Kitchens - Existing Outdoor kitchen remodel

Project Name: Outdoor kitchen remodel

Project Design Layout: Straight

Project Materials Description: Gioia 3D beige 6”x24” tile, custom stainless trim kit for the existing refrigerator, two vents to the existing outdoor kitchen base, 32” H x 36” W granite backsplash, 4”x4” beige marble tumbled tile, Trade-Wind 36" hood vent

Fixing A “Pre-Fabricated Outdoor Kitchen” – Outdoor Kitchen Remodel

This outdoor kitchen remodel is a primary example of why we do not install pre-fabricated outdoor kitchens. Our outdoor kitchen bases are all custom and built on-site. The walls of the homes we construct custom outdoor kitchens in are never square, and the lanais will always have a slope for drainage. We understand that pre-fabricated outdoor kitchens have their place. However, you do not need to hire us, a licensed Contractor, to roll something out of a box and onto your back lanai. All of our custom outdoor kitchens are built to integrate with the design of your existing home seamlessly; the results look far superior when compared to the latter. Simply put, we build the project on-site, so it looks like part of the original home. A wooden shim that sits under your outdoor kitchen isn’t very sophisticated. It does not reach anywhere near aesthetically acceptable for our own home, so why would we do it to our customers? That is no exaggeration, be sure to check out the before & after photos to see for yourself. Using a licensed custom outdoor kitchen contractor has its benefits and state-sanctioned guarantees.

Why Would The “Other Guys” Do It That Way?

The competition either can’t obtain or feel they don’t need to get a state contractor license. It’s a loophole within our state regulations. The “pre-fabricated outdoor kitchens” do not fall under the state regulatory rules concerning construction and property additions. This loophole exists because of one simple reason, and that’s because the “pre-fabricated outdoor kitchen” isn’t attached to the structure of the house (well usually, if they are following the rules). It’s comparable to a deck chair, table or some other type of patio furnishing. Or even better yet, a fire pit.

This renovation was considered a modification of an existing outdoor kitchen in Lely in Naples, Florida. Since this outdoor kitchen was not all that old, the homeowner was looking to keep the majority of the existing summer kitchen while sprucing it up a bit.

We wanted to install a stacked stone façade, but it was not an option for this project due to the thickness of the stacked stone.

For the project, we installed Gioia 3D beige 6×24 tile over the existing stucco base. The Gioia had a stacked stone look that worked well with the design. We had a custom stainless trim kit for the existing refrigerator.

For Safeties Sake

For safety reasons, we also added two vents for the existing outdoor kitchen base. The backsplash was a 32 (H) x 36 (W) inch granite, centered under the hood and behind the grill. Using granite as a backsplash directly behind the grill makes cleaning smoke residue a bit easier. The patience of the homeowner through the entire process was exemplary, along with the expertise of the professionals at the granite yard, we were able to get a pretty close match to the existing granite. Off to the sides of the granite backsplash, the homeowner selected a 4×4 inch beige marble tumbled tile. We installed the 4-inch tile a little higher than the bottom of the vent hood and finished it with a wood vein gray marble polished linear trim piece.

The original vent hood had a couple of functionality issues that were cause for concern. The initial complaint was that it continually popped the breaker (definitely not a good sign), and upon inspection, we discovered it was not an outdoor rated, nor was it wide enough to provide adequate smoke capture. The homeowners decided the best course of action would be to install a new, larger hood that was outdoor rated. Once the Trade-Wind 36-inch vent hood was installed, we added a custom stainless-steel vent cover fabricated for it.

The outdoor kitchen remodel turned out just the way we envisioned, and the homeowners could not have been happier with the upgrade to their outdated outdoor kitchen design.