Why are Outdoor Kitchens so Popular?

Feb 7, 2019

You might have noticed that more and more people are starting to add outdoor kitchen areas to their Rock Valley, Iowa backyards.  It’s not enough to have gorgeous landscape design and a swimming pool anymore – you need an exterior living space complete with a fully functional cooking area.

If you enjoy outdoor entertaining throughout the summer months and beyond, you might be thinking of adding a kitchen area yourself, complete with cabinets and countertops, a sink area, a built-in grill, appliances, and all the conveniences of your indoor kitchen.  Why are outdoor kitchens so popular and why should you consider installing one in your backyard?

They Enhance the Outdoor Experience

A kitchen in your home is expected.  It’s a necessary room that meets one of your basic needs – humans need food and shelter and the kitchen provides for at least one of those things.  An outdoor kitchen, on the other hand, is an unexpected surprise, and enhancement to your exterior space that creates an entirely new experience.

While outdoor kitchens certainly offer utility, they’re also associated with fun and socialization.  You cook outdoors when the weather is nice.  Having a backyard BBQ or a summer soiree is considered a fun activity, not a daily chore.

The cook is generally in close proximity to the party, which may be situated on an adjacent patio lounge area, in the yard, or at the pool.  Unlike many indoor kitchens, there’s little or no separation, which means the cook or cooks can participate and socialize throughout.  Often, the mood is very relaxed.  This makes for a much more enjoyable experience for everyone involved, and it boosts the use value of your yard.

They Create Memories

When you install an outdoor kitchen as part of a larger plan to enjoy your exterior living spaces, complete with paver patios for lounge seating areas, a central fireplace, and extras like a soothing water feature, for example, you’ll end up with a space where people want to be, where they want to gather and socialize.

This is where your family and friends will create some of their fondest memories while snacking on burgers, sipping beer, and sharing quality time by the fire late into warm summer evenings.  When you create an inviting and intimate space that people want to be in, you increase opportunities to create lasting memories.

They Add Value to Your Home

Any time you consider home upgrades, you need to think about what kind of return on investment you stand to see.  The good news is, outdoor kitchens can be a major selling point if and when you decide it’s time to move to a new location.

Even though this desirable feature is growing in popularity, it’s still not entirely common to find homes with full outdoor kitchens.  This means you can highlight this feature to attract buyers and boost your selling price, recouping some of the cost for installation down the line.  In the meantime, you get an incredible enhancement to your Sioux Center, Iowa backyard that your family and friends can enjoy for years to come.