Vanguard

Outdoor Kitchens

An outdoor kitchen in Orlando has to survive heat, humidity, UV and being rained on sideways. Indoor-grade materials do not, however convincing they look on the day they go in.

Placeholder image. Two remodelers patching stucco on the front elevation of a Central Florida block home in late afternoon light.

Materials that last

Carcasses in marine-grade polymer, stainless steel or masonry. Not standard cabinetry, and not standard MDF-cored anything. Surfaces in sealed stone, porcelain or concrete. Stainless hardware throughout, because ordinary fixings will bleed rust down a stone front within a year.

Build it wet

Assume every part of it will get rained on and design the drainage accordingly. Cabinet bases that drain rather than pool, doors that shed water away from the carcass, and no detail that relies on a roof always keeping the rain off, because in a Florida afternoon it will not.

The services an outdoor kitchen needs

A GFCI-protected circuit to the Florida Building Code, a gas run if there is a built-in grill, and water and drainage if there is a sink. All permitted and inspected. A grill enclosed in combustible framing without the clearances the manufacturer specifies is a genuine hazard and one we see.

Where it goes

Under the lanai roof it lasts longer and is usable in rain. Out in the open it needs more from the materials. Either works; the choice changes the specification.

Not sure this is the right scope yet?

Most projects change shape once someone stands in the room. The walk-through is where that happens, and it costs nothing whether or not you go ahead.

See how a project runs

Start with a walk-through

Tell us the room, the city the home is in, and how to reach you. We will say plainly whether it is work we should take on.

Get a free estimate

Built by Renzo Johnson