Investing in a high-quality outdoor kitchen can add much value to your home. In fact, for a lot of people, it's the highlight of their entire residence. However, while there are a million articles out there giving advice on what you should do when designing and building your outdoor kitchen, there aren’t many that explain what you should be avoiding.

Any outdoor kitchen worth having will be an investment. It's something you're going to be using regularly and will be where you spend many days eating, drinking and socialising with the people you love. Undertaking the proper planning to avoid these common pitfalls will ensure your outdoor kitchen not only lasts for years to come but continues to host incredible experiences throughout this time.

Do Not Enclose Your Space

While it may be tempting to create an enclosed space for your kitchen to sit within, this can present a potential hazard.

There are strict regulations around connections to Natural Gas or using LPG in enclosed spaces. If you do choose not to have two open sides, you must ensure that there is a minimum of 30% of the remaining wall area permanently open.

Do Not Fit Your Services Before Confirming Your Design

A common and costly mistake we've heard people make is placing their services in their outdoor space before approving a design.

Having a solid design in place should be the first step, and act as the framework for the remainder of the build and fit out. While people that have their power set up first should be able to retain some flexibility, anyone that jumps the gun on plumbing risks facing some very costly changes and potentially compromising the end result of their project.

Do Not Choose An Indoor Rangehood

Alfresco rangehoods are semi-commercial units that move a minimum of 2000m3 of air an hour. This is an essential requirement to extract the amount of grease and smoke an outdoor BBQ can generate - up to 10 times more than an indoor stove top.

Put simply, an indoor rangehood isn't powerful enough to deal with a BBQ. Not only do you risk having smoke blowing in the faces of your guests, but they have also been known to start house fires.

Do Not Use Quartz Benchtops

Engineered stone benchtops such as quartz are generally made using a polyester binder. While they may look attractive at first, the polyester is susceptible to UV damage and may cause the colour of your beautiful benchtop to fade in the sun.

Find out more about the best-performing bench tops for your outdoor kitchen.

Do Not Settle For A Cheap BBQ

It goes without saying that trying to cut costs on your BBQ is never a good idea. As the centrepiece of your outdoor kitchen, its quality will likely define the success of your build and space for years to come.

The heart of your outdoor kitchen should ideally last the entire life of the joinery, as having to replace the BBQ early could pose a costly and difficult problem. We generally recommend looking for a 10 year warranty on the firebox as a minimum standard. All things considered, it will likely save you a lot of money and stress in the long run.

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For more information on what not to do when it comes to your outdoor kitchen, get in touch with the expert team at Limetree Alfresco today!