Technology Simplifies Outdoor Living Projects

by Stephen Singlak, Stone Farm Living

The selection of stone and other features for this outdoor space was dictated by the homeowner's desire to have the new outdoor kitchen appear as if it had been constructed at the same time as the rest of the house. Thermal bluestone was used for the patio flooring and the countertops are Rockfaced thermal select bluestone. The veneer is Pennsylvania Fieldstone, thin cut. Photos courtesy of Stone Farm Living

For contractors, planning and building outdoor kitchens is easier than ever. There is no longer a need to understand complicated design software, or a need for advanced masonry skills. New software, outdoor modular cabinetry, and growing lines of natural stone thin veneers have made for unlimited outdoor kitchen options.

Whether you are building a small add-on for your client's outdoor living area, or doing a large commercial dining area at a condominium complex, here are two projects that took advantage of these new technologies.

Homeowner's Requests

Our first project was for a client that wanted to add to their existing outdoor cooking area. The client had two issues; first it was already May and they wanted to finish the kitchen quickly, as it's a short-season in the Northeast. Second, they already had beautiful Pennsylvania wall-stones around the property, and they wanted the new kitchen addition to match as if it were all built at the same time.

Our dealer, Southbury Stone Supply, recommended the use of OxBox Universal Cabinets with a Pennsylvania thin veneer finish. These outdoor modular cabinets would ensure a quick installation; while the thin veneer would give the appearance that the kitchen was made with the same stone as the existing walls.

Google SketchUp was used to illustrate for the client the modular cabinetry placement proposed for his residence. The program allows for movement of the cabinetry to show various layouts before a final plan is agreed upon.

3-D Schematic

To help close the deal with the customer, the project was brought to life with a 3-D design sketch. Southbury Stone Supply did this by using Google SketchUp?EUR??,,????'??????????????, a free software program provided by Google. Since OxBox Universal Cabinets had their cabinets already designed in this program, it was a matter of moving the cabinets around to determine the best layout. After the contractor played with a few options, he presented it to the client for final approval. The 3-D design not only helped the customer sign-off on the lay out quickly, but it also served as a roadmap for the contractor when installing the cabinets.

The cabinets were put together in roughly 90 minutes. The part that takes the longest amount of time is ensuring the cabinets are level, so countertops can lie appropriately to ensure no cracking. Once the cabinets were together, they could template for countertops and begin the veneer work. In this case, Pennsylvania Fieldstone was used, cut to 1-inch thick so it could adhere right to the cabinets. This small kitchen took two laborers, 2 days. The total install from start to finish was over 5 days, as they had to wait for the bluestone countertops to be fabricated and delivered to the site.

This project was a small example of how different technologies have made building outdoor kitchens easier. With new 'thin veneer' technology, wall-stones that have been sold by stone yards for decades, are now available as a thin veneer. Whether you are matching an old natural wall-stone, or a project that used cultured stone, using the Modular cabinets makes the design and the installation easy.

This outdoor space that serves a condominium community is located on an interior courtyard that sits on top of multi-level parking structure. As a result, components such as the cabinet system had to be lightweight so that it could be lifted up to the courtyards easily. In addition, from an aesthetic perspective, the cabinets needed to have a stone veneer applied to them to match adjacent masonry elements. The countertop of this outdoor kitchen is composed of steel grey granite. The veneer is Cultured Stone by Owens Corning. The style of stone used for this project is Cobblefield and the color is ''San Francisco.''

Modular Cabinetry

Modular cabinets have also evolved where they now have moving parts that can accept different manufacturer's appliances. This means you don't have to use a manufacturer's grill only designed for a specific cabinet. With this flexibility and improved pricing, modular cabinets can be even more cost effective on larger projects like the following one done for Avalon Bay of Norwalk, Conn.

For nearly 25 years, Milone & MacBroom, Inc. has provided design services to Avalon Bay on numerous projects in Connecticut and suburban New York. They are a multidisciplinary consulting firm offering engineering, landscape architecture and environmental science services to public and private sector clients. As part of the Avalon Norwalk community, Milone & Macbroom, Inc.

was charged with designing an exciting community gathering space. Jason Williams, landscape architect, describes why they used a modular cabinet system when designing the outdoor kitchen: ''The two interior rooftop courtyards that were placed over a multi-level parking structure provide the residents of Avalon Norwalk with an exciting outdoor living space. Since structural loading was an important design consideration, it was vital that we could specify a lightweight cabinet system that could be lifted up to the courtyards easily, and from an aesthetic perspective, have a stone veneer applied to them to match adjacent masonry elements.''

The cabinets on this project took a full day to install, as they had to position cabinets at roughly 5-degree angles to create an ''arch.'' Once installed, a crew of three masons applied Cultured Stone?EUR??,,????'?????????????? veneer over a 3-day period, while countertops were being fabricated. Like the small residential project, the kitchen was completed within a week of start time. Tenants were not only happy with limited construction time, but with little stone and block cutting, there was limited noise disruption.

If you have been building outdoor kitchens for years, or want to add to it your company's services, now is a great time to try out these new technologies. Whether you use these technologies to help ride the current popularity of outdoor living rooms, or simply want to improve efficiencies, there couldn't be a better time to act.