A covered outdoor kitchen is hands-down one of the trendiest and popular features for outdoor spaces. Modern outdoor kitchens are far more elaborate than the simple built-in grill and barbecues of the past. In fact, the outdoor kitchens of today often feature everything from granite or soapstone countertops and top-of-the-line gourmet appliances, to wood-fired pizza ovens, oversized grills, and upscale wine and cocktail bars. Plumbing and electrical lines provide the same conveniences of an indoor kitchen including sinks, high-end lighting options, ceiling fans, and all of the outlets necessary to power an array of appliances, such as blenders and even patio heaters.
While outdoor kitchens were once used only in warmer regions when temperatures were perfect, more and more outdoor kitchen enthusiasts are looking for options that allow them to enjoy them year-round, no matter the weather. Fortunately, choosing a covered outdoor kitchen allows you to do just that. That’s why if you’re thinking about adding an outdoor kitchen to your backyard, we’ve put together everything you need to know about these spaces, from the biggest advantages these investments bring to the best way to protect the expensive furniture and appliances you choose so that you can enjoy your kitchen for years to come.
Table of Contents
Why Install a Covered Outdoor Kitchen?
You may choose to install a covered outdoor kitchen for a wide variety of reasons. Some of the biggest benefits these additions provide include:
1. Increase the resale value
Nothing screams luxury like a beautiful gourmet outdoor kitchen – an upgrade that makes your home significantly more marketable should you decide to sell. In fact, according to CNN Money, About.com and Remodeling Magazine outdoor kitchens can offer an average 100 to 200% return on your investment.
Additionally, The Responsive Home research, Millennial Report, found that “Outdoor living space is the number-one must-have for 59% percent of Millennial homebuyers.” And, it also reported that a study by Garden Media Group found that 85% of 18-to-35-year-olds rated Outdoor Rooms with areas for cooking and relaxing as “very important”. Things to keep in mind when you’re considering the design and build of your outdoor kitchen is the size of the kitchen relative to your backyard, and your home’s value and location.
2. Provides Convenience and Flexibility
Outdoor kitchens give you the flexibility to cook where you want and enjoy the beauty of your backyard. They also allow for fun, adventurous cooking, letting you try out new dishes and recipes without the worry of cooking grease, odors, and smoke in your indoor space. This is especially valuable during the humid, often sweltering days of summer, when smells can linger indoors for days.
3. Offers Excellent Entertaining Space
If it seems like there’s never enough room to fit all of your family and friends when it comes time to entertain, an outdoor kitchen can easily solve your problem providing a beautiful space to host larger groups. The relaxed, tranquil nature of your backyard is the perfect setting for people to spread out and prep, cook, and eat their meals alfresco-style.
Depending on the outdoor kitchen layout you choose, your guests can gather around to socialize, help you work your culinary magic, and turn food preparation into a group activity. This way, no one is stuck inside handling all of the cooking, while the rest of the group is outdoors. With an outdoor kitchen, everything from lively parties to intimate dinners becomes easier and more enjoyable for all in your entertainment oasis.
4. Expands the Living Space
The design of your outdoor kitchen can even mirror your indoor space, providing a seamless transition from inside to out and repurposing a previously unused or underused outdoor space. While you may only want an outdoor grill or barbeque island, you could also choose to significantly expand the scope, purpose and functionality of your space by adding other cooking appliances such as a pizza oven, flat-top grill, and a smoker.
Beautiful cabinets that provide storage, accommodate kitchen appliances and hide trash, take your outdoor kitchen to the next level. Additionally, an outdoor dishwasher is helpful for easy cleanup without endless trips inside. Altogether, this creates a highly functional additional living space for your home.
Why Choose a Covered Outdoor Kitchen?
A large part of the functionality and benefits of your outdoor kitchen depends on one important factor – whether you choose a covered outdoor kitchen or an uncovered/partial coverage option.
While kitchens without coverage or ones with partial coverage such as an open pergola design can still offer a beautiful space to enjoy when the weather is at its best, when the elements, the space quickly loses its appeal.
On the other hand, a covered outdoor kitchen addresses those issues. It offers a higher return on investment and the ability to use the outdoor kitchen all year long.
Of equal importance, a covered kitchen also allows for the protection of the appliances and furniture you’ve chosen. This is of the highest significance because even when items are designed for outdoor use, they can suffer due to extreme heat and unrelenting sun, which leads to fading and permanent discoloration, as well as rain and snow and the corrosion they can bring.
Going with a covered kitchen also allows for more options when it comes to comfort, lighting, and fans. Screens can make your outdoor cooking and dining even more enjoyable for your family and your guests.
Is It Safe to Use a BBQ in Your Covered Outdoor Kitchen?
One of the first things we consider when creating a covered outdoor kitchen is: is it safe? The simple answer is it depends. Several factors come into play, such as the covering you choose, the grill you use, and whether or not you are cooking with charcoal. You also need to make sure you have sufficient clearance of nine feet or more.
If you choose the R-BLADE™ motorized louvered pergola, you can open the louvers while cooking. If you have a fixed covering, you should also install a vented hood.
Also, consider the type of grill you have. Gas and charcoal grills are responsible for a great deal of house fires, so an electric grill may be a better option, as it is affordable, safer, and easier to clean. For added protection, add a grill pad under the BBQ to reduce the chances of accidents. This will also help protect your deck or porch from grease stains and heat damage.
Also, when building your covered outdoor kitchen, make sure that it is far enough from the house not to cause potential fire hazards.
Location: Right Next to The House or Far Off in The Garden?
Some people may want to create their covered outdoor kitchen haven away from the house, and others wish to have it right outside. While the location depends entirely on your preferences, there are some undeniable pros to having your covered outdoor kitchen next to the house, including:
1. Budget Friendliness
If you are working on a tighter budget, keep in mind that it is less expensive to install a garden kitchen and its utilities closer to your house. You will also save money on creating a new deck if you build your covered outdoor kitchen on an existing deck or patio.
2. Convenience
It is much more convenient to bring out kitchen supplies and food to a covered outdoor kitchen next to your house than one across your lawn. Ideally, it would be best if you built your kitchen space fifteen to twenty feet away from your indoor kitchen.
3. Quick Shelter
You can receive protection and structure from the walls of your house without having to pay extra money.
The surrounding walls of the home can provide a wind break and prevent rain from blowing in the sides of the outdoor kitchen.
However, if you would like your covered outdoor kitchen to be far off in the garden, you should consider going for the R-SHADE™ pergola. It can fit in any outdoor space, has an insulated roof, and is not as expensive as other options. It is also watertight and can be equipped with solar panels to produce electricity, which can provide power for the outdoor kitchen appliances you use. It also includes a beam if you want a ceiling fan, which can be pretty useful when you’re cooking away on a hot grill!
Outdoor Kitchen Add-Ons
Now that you have your beautiful covered space get ready to choose kitchen add-ons! The choice of kitchen add-ons varies according to a person’s budget and taste, but some add-ons to consider are:
- An outdoor fireplace or fire pit
- Patio heaters
- Pizza oven
- For grilling, either a rotisserie burner or BBQ
- A flat top griddle or power burner
- Wine coolers
- Kegerators
- Outdoor fridge and freezer
- Icemaker
These add-ons make a covered outdoor kitchen the perfect addition for those who love hosting parties outdoors, enjoying the summer sun, or cool winter evenings with their loved ones.
Optimize Your Covered Outdoor Kitchen with R-BLADE™
For all the reasons discussed above, a pergola makes a great outdoor kitchen cover, and the Azenco Outdoor pergola has become one of the most recommended choices on the market.
The louvered pergola fits any outdoor space and suits all styles of architecture from modern or contemporary to classic, and provides perfect protection from the sun in summer while allowing the light to penetrate in winter.
With its easy-to-use controls and motorized, louvered roof, R-BLADE™ is fully adjustable, allowing you to relax in the shade or let the sunshine. R-BLADE™ provides natural ventilation and is waterproof and wind-resistant, seamlessly matching any outdoor space to fit all housing styles.
With no visible hardware, a hidden gutter system, and fast, safe, and easy assembly, R-BLADE™ is unique on the market. It is the perfect outdoor option for creating a serene, seamless outdoor space, and gorgeous outdoor living.
Just a few of the things that set R-BLADE™ apart include:
- Dual-walled louvers – Unique in the market, R-BLADE’s dual-wall louvers provide better sealing, no leaking, and improved wind-resistance. In fact, Azenco is so confident in their pergolas performance that the company provides a 100% waterproof guarantee.
- Fully modular, free-standing or wall-mounted – You can choose the option that works best to create your perfect outdoor space with no visible hardware.
- Assembled in Florida – R-BLADE™ is assembled in Florida by one of the most trusted manufacturers in the marketplace. As the experts say, “If it works in Florida, it will work anywhere!”
- Cutting edge production – Azenco, the creator of R-BLADE™ uses a cutting-edge production facility with precision machinery and patented designs. You’ll find nowhere else to create the covered outdoor kitchen of your dreams.
R-BLADE™ comes with a host of options to choose from
- Infrared heating system – Stay toasty warm all year round with R-BLADE’s infrared heating option. The system provides warmth on the coldest day so that you can love your outdoor space throughout the fall and winter.
- Rain and/or wind sensors for automatic closing – Protect your outdoor kitchen investment with sensors that automatically close the louvered roof in response to rain and open the louvers to protect from potential wind damage.
- LED spot beam – Light your perfect outdoor space with either a low-voltage LED Spot Beam or LED Rail options. Whether you want a direct glow or an ambient light, you can customize the light pattern in your outdoor kitchen.
- Corbell ends – Your home and outdoor spaces are unique. That’s why R-BLADE™ is now offered with new decorative rafter tail design options. It frames your outdoor structure and achieves your desired look and feel.
- Insect and solar screens – Motorized or manual exterior Solar and Insect Screen Systems are available in several colors. R-BLADE’s motorized retractable outdoor screen options provide energy-efficient sun shading and protection from insects. The screens allow for improved climate control so that you can enjoy every moment in your covered outdoor kitchen.
A Day in the Life with an Outdoor Kitchen with Roof
Imagine hosting a relaxing family holiday gathering in your covered outdoor kitchen under your new pergola roof.
In the morning
You light the fire in your stone pizza oven to start to warm the bricks. As the sun creeps higher, and the temperatures climb, you adjust the louvered roof to create partial shade. As the fire melts into a steady temperature, you slide the celebratory roast into the oven and turn your attention to crafting some salads and other sides.
In the Afternoon
As the sun descends and guests are happily enjoying your culinary delights, you flip the infrared heaters on and ramp up the embedded LED lights to keep the evening going well past sunset. An outdoor kitchen with roof can be a true game-changer for your family entertainment.
In the Evening
A light shower approaches, and the pergola roof louvers automatically slide closed to block out the rain as you drop vegetables on the grill. The sun returns just in time for guests to arrive, and you open the motorized aluminum pergola roof once again to allow the full sun to warm the patio.
Azenco Outdoor for the Covered Outdoor Kitchen of your Dreams
If you’re ready to create a gorgeous, comfortable outdoor kitchen protected from the elements and provides an oasis for your outdoor cooking and dining, a motorized aluminum pergola from Azenco Outdoor will help you reach your goal.
1. Aluminum structure for outdoor kitchen
R-BLADE™ pergola roof is an outstanding choice for anyone looking to improve their outdoor kitchen space. The sturdy aluminum structure is built to withstand various weather conditions, making it perfect for outdoor kitchens. Its modern design allows it to blend seamlessly into any outdoor space.
2. Aluminum roof for outdoor kitchen
The R-BLADE’s louvers are its standout feature. They provide shade and protection from the sun’s harmful UV rays, while also allowing for natural ventilation and airflow. The adjustable louvers can be tilted to any desired angle, ensuring that the outdoor kitchen remains cool and comfortable even in the hottest weather. What’s more, the R-Blade is equipped with a rain sensor that automatically closes the louvers when it starts to rain, keeping your kitchen area dry and protected.
The Azenco Outdoor R-BLADE™ roof is also customizable to fit your specific needs. With various colors and finishes, you can select the perfect match for your outdoor kitchen’s decor. Its innovative technology and sustainability make it a worthwhile investment for any homeowner looking to add elegance and functionality to their outdoor kitchen area.
Azenco is one of the most reliable manufacturers in the market today. R-BLADE’s dual-walled louvers provide optimal sealing and resistance and a high-tech motorized system. The patented louvered pergola lets you enjoy the best your backyard offers in indoor/outdoor living.
Conclusion
When you are ready to design the covered outdoor kitchen of your dreams using European design, quality, and expertise with products assembled in the U.S.A., contact Azenco Outdoor and optimize your outdoor living.
3 Responses
hello im interested in your products. how do I get info and purchase
Good morning Terry,
Thank you for your interest in our products. You can download our catalog, just click the “Download The Brochure” button at the top of the page.
or connect directly with us by phone (305) 306-3204 of email azenco@azanco-outdoor.com