Outdoor kitchens are surging in popularity as more people expand the parameters of their outdoor living and explore the limits of outdoor dining and entertainment. However, designing an outdoor kitchen comes with its own set of challenges and fine details that require careful consideration. Safety is easily the most important one of all, as a hazardous design can incur expensive repairs and may even injure you, a friend, or family member. The following points are all carefully considered by Platinum Site Development when optimizing the safety of your Brookhaven, NY, outdoor kitchen.
Covered kitchens
If you’re planning to create an outdoor kitchen that is completely enclosed and topped off with a roof, you can risk trapping a lot of smoke in the room. Therefore, have a ventilation system installed, or build a chimney into the roof through which smoke and heat can escape. At the very least, have fans attached to the walls and ceiling that will direct smoke out of the kitchen.
The right materials
If you’re installing your grill against a wall, you’ll need to protect it from rogue flames, heat, and grease. Fortunately there are various non-flammable materials, such as stainless steel, granite, and ceramic tiles that will effectively protect the wall. Consider selecting materials with smooth surfaces to simplify their cleaning. Whether your design includes a vulnerable wall, or stands alone and is well ventilated, maximizing the amount of fire-resistant materials in its construction will only work to your advantage.
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Building on a wooden foundation
If you’re planning to build your outdoor kitchen on a deck, or surrounded by wooden elements, there are a few precautions that you will have to take. Try to purchase a grill that is fitted with an insulating jacket to protect the wood from intense heat, as it could smoulder for weeks or months on end, and eventually burst into flame. When prolonged heat dries the moisture out of wood, it becomes far more prone to burning. You could also use the non-combustible materials mentioned earlier to cover the wooden components of a pre-existing structure and make it compatible with outdoor cooking. The covering should be water-tight, as any water that accumulates behind it will cause the wood to rot. If your project is being built on a deck, consider having it covered with a flame-retardant sealer.
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A safe space for utilities
The construction of an elaborate outdoor kitchen often involves the installation of plumbing, electrical wires, and gas lines. In some cases, it is easy to run these utility lines underneath the deck or support beams that serve as the kitchen’s foundation. However, if there is no safe place to hide these utilities, they may have to remain exposed. This can be an eyesore, but it is important to prioritize safety.
You could, alternatively, reconsider the inclusion of certain appliances, like refrigerators, that require these utilities. All your outdoor kitchen really needs is a big, bad grill, and there are plenty of charcoal- or propane-fueled options available, should the safe installation of other appliances prove unfeasible.
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Let Platinum Site Development Inc. take care of the safety aspects of your outdoor kitchen to ensure a safe, family-friendly entertainment area.
Image courtesy of Unilock.