Why can outdoor kitchen proposals vary so much in price when everything else appears to be the same?
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Two contractors can propose outdoor kitchens with similar dimensions, comparable countertops, a built-in grill and similar storage, yet the proposals can vary considerably.
So why can the proposals be so different?
An outdoor kitchen is more than a grill surrounded by attractive stonework. It’s a permanent outdoor structure that may combine gas, electricity, appliances, countertops, storage and hardscape construction—all exposed to Spokane’s weather year-round.
The quality of the appliances, internal construction, gas and electrical installation, ventilation, weather-resistant materials and attention to detail can all affect the finished project.
At Wall & Company, we approach an outdoor kitchen as a complete outdoor living space designed to perform as well as it looks.
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Wall & Company vs. Common Shortcuts
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| Construction Detail | Wall & Company | Common Shortcuts |
|---|---|---|
| Design | Designed around cooking, entertaining and how the space will actually be used | Designing primarily around fitting appliances into the available space |
| Internal Structure | Durable construction designed for outdoor conditions and the weight it supports | Minimizing hidden structural components |
| Countertops & Finishes | Quality materials appropriate for year-round outdoor exposure | Selecting primarily around appearance or initial cost |
| Grills & Ovens | Quality outdoor-rated grills, ovens and components | Lower-cost appliances or components |
| Gas Installation | Gas connections completed by appropriately licensed and certified professionals | Using unlicensed or unqualified labor for gas connections |
| Electrical | Electrical needs planned into the project and professionally installed where required | Adding electrical after the kitchen design is established |
| Ventilation & Clearances | Appliance specifications and required clearances incorporated into the design | Designing the enclosure first and addressing requirements later |
| Utility Planning | Gas and electrical routing planned before the surrounding hardscape is completed | Cutting into or modifying completed work to add utilities later |
| Finish Work | Careful cuts, alignment, transitions and integration with the patio | Prioritizing installation speed over construction detail |
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What You’ll Never See
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When your outdoor kitchen is complete, you’ll see the grill or oven, countertops, finished exterior and storage.
You probably won’t see:
• Much of the internal structure
• Gas lines and connections
• Electrical wiring
• Internal appliance clearances
• Ventilation provisions
• Utility routing
• Structural supports beneath the countertop
• Many of the details protecting the installation from outdoor conditions
Yet these are some of the most important parts of the project.
An outdoor kitchen needs to withstand conditions an indoor kitchen never experiences. Spokane’s summer heat, rain, snow and repeated freeze-thaw cycles all need to be considered.
What’s behind the finished surface matters.
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A Great Outdoor Kitchen Starts with How You’ll Use It
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A row of expensive appliances doesn’t necessarily make a great outdoor kitchen.
Wall & Company starts by considering how the space will actually function.
That includes:
• Grill and oven placement
• Food preparation space
• Counter space
• Storage
• Seating and entertaining
• Traffic flow
• Access from the house
• Relationship to dining areas
• Nearby fire features and other amenities
Good design puts the things you use where you need them.
The goal isn’t simply to fit an outdoor kitchen into the patio. It’s to make the kitchen a natural part of how you’ll use the entire outdoor space.
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What’s Inside the Kitchen Matters
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The finished exterior gets most of the attention, but the structure underneath needs to support countertops, appliances and everything else incorporated into the kitchen.
Wall & Company uses construction methods and materials appropriate for the application and outdoor environment.
This is another area where two finished kitchens can look remarkably similar.
Once the exterior finishes and countertops are installed, the homeowner can’t easily see how the structure underneath was built.
We don’t treat that as an opportunity to reduce the quality of the construction.
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Quality Grills and Ovens Matter
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Outdoor cooking equipment can vary dramatically in quality.
Wall & Company offers quality outdoor grills and ovens designed to be incorporated into permanent outdoor kitchens.
The appliance isn’t selected independently from the kitchen. Its dimensions, heat output, ventilation requirements, clearances and utility requirements all affect how the surrounding structure should be designed.
That’s why we prefer to design the kitchen around the equipment from the beginning rather than build an enclosure and figure out the appliances later.
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Gas Installation Should Be Done by a Qualified Professional
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Built-in gas grills and ovens involve a combustible fuel source.
Wall & Company uses appropriately licensed and certified professionals for gas connections.
Gas supply requirements also need to be considered before construction. The line needs to provide what the selected equipment requires, and its routing should be coordinated with the patio and kitchen installation.
Using unlicensed or unqualified labor for gas work may reduce an initial proposal.
It’s not an area where Wall & Company believes cutting corners makes sense.
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Electrical Should Be Planned, Not Added Later
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Outdoor kitchens increasingly require electricity.
Depending on the design, that may include power for:
• Outlets
• Lighting
• Refrigeration
• Appliance ignition
• Other outdoor-rated equipment
Wall & Company considers those requirements during planning and uses qualified professionals where required.
This is particularly important when the kitchen is part of a new paver patio.
Planning utilities before the hardscape is completed allows them to be incorporated cleanly into the project rather than requiring finished work to be disturbed later.
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Ventilation and Clearances Matter
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A built-in grill can generate tremendous heat.
Manufacturers establish ventilation, clearance and installation requirements for their equipment for good reason.
Wall & Company incorporates those requirements into the kitchen design.
Depending on the appliance and enclosure, that can include ventilation openings, insulating components and required separation from combustible materials.
These details may have almost no impact on what the finished kitchen looks like.
They can have a very significant impact on how it should be constructed.
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Outdoor Materials Need to Survive Outdoors
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An outdoor kitchen lives outside 365 days a year.
Materials need to be selected accordingly.
Wall & Company considers long-term outdoor exposure when selecting countertops, exterior finishes, structural components, hardware and other materials.
A material can look fantastic when it’s installed and still be a poor choice for repeated exposure to moisture, freezing temperatures and summer heat.
We aren’t simply designing for installation day.
We’re designing for the seasons that come afterward.
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Integration with the Patio Matters
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Many outdoor kitchens are part of a larger Wall & Company outdoor living project.
That allows us to plan the kitchen, patio and other features together.
We can consider:
• Paver patterns and borders
• Kitchen orientation
• Gas and electrical routing
• Dining areas
• Seating
• Traffic flow
• Fire features
• Walkways and steps
• Landscape lighting
• Views from the home
The kitchen shouldn’t feel like a large appliance station dropped onto the edge of a patio.
It should feel like it was always intended to be there.
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The Details You Do See Matter, Too
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Quality hidden construction still needs quality craftsmanship on the outside.
Wall & Company pays attention to:
• Countertop alignment
• Clean appliance openings
• Accurate cuts
• Finished corners
• Consistent joints
• Material transitions
• Appliance placement
• Integration with surrounding hardscape
An outdoor kitchen can become one of the focal points of the entire backyard.
It should look like one.
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Where the Wall & Company Difference Shows Up
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Two outdoor kitchens can contain the same basic features and appear very similar in a proposal or rendering.
The difference can be behind the finished surfaces.
Internal construction, appliance quality, licensed gas installation, electrical work, ventilation, outdoor-rated materials and careful utility planning all require different amounts of materials, expertise and labor.
Once the countertops and exterior finishes are installed, most of those differences disappear.
Wall & Company’s approach is to consider the complete kitchen: how it’s constructed, how it handles Spokane’s weather, how its utilities are installed, how well it functions and how naturally it fits into the rest of the outdoor living space.
The objective isn’t to build the cheapest or the most expensive outdoor kitchen. Our objective is to build an outdoor kitchen that will stand the test of time.
At Wall & Company, we aim to build you an outdoor kitchen that you, your family and friends can enjoy for years to come.