Outdoor kitchens are usually reserved for the most luxurious of properties, but do they actually increase home value?
Generally, outdoor kitchens are expected to give a considerable boost to home value, and offer a substantial return on investment. Reportedly, they can generate anything from a 55% to a 200% ROI, which in turn increases the value of your home.
Read on to learn more about outdoor kitchens, the benefits they offer, and how valuable they can be.
Cooking With Nature
When you hear the term ‘outdoor kitchen’, your mind might conjure up an image of a standard indoor affair… Outside. However, that’s far from the case, as most outdoor kitchens are extremely stylish and high-tech.
We’re not just referring to a barbecue grill positioned tactically across a patio, adjacent to your Home Depot garden furniture, though. These outdoor kitchens feature full ranges and ovens, flame grills, washing facilities, and prep surfaces.
They’re traditionally found wherever a hot climate exists, such as in the southern States, the Caribbean, or the Mediterranean. As you might imagine, an outdoor kitchen wouldn’t fare so well in a cold and rainy climate, but that doesn’t mean they don’t occur.
The good news is, you don’t need to make a huge investment to get started with your outdoor kitchen. If you have ample garden space, perhaps a terrace or a patio, that’s enough to kick things off.
Reportedly, you can purchase (and have installed) a very basic outdoor kitchen for as little as two thousand dollars. This will typically include a grill-style range and preparation area, alongside some kind of refrigeration unit and storage ensemble.
However, the quality of these units does have an impact on price, of course. It’s suggested that the price tags of these entry-level units can climb to as high as ten thousand dollars, and that’s before you purchase outdoor furniture to accompany it.
Although, it’s a drop in the bucket compared to the higher end offerings, some of which are better equipped than most average household kitchens. At the extreme end of the spectrum, you can expect to pay one hundred thousand dollars or more.
With that expenditure, you’ll have a huge area, complete with multiple ranges, grills, and even ovens. There will typically be a variety of storage and refrigeration units, washing facilities, and more preparation surfaces than you can handle.
The ROI Factor
There are countless things you can add to your home to increase its value. These items include a garage, swimming pool, guest house, and of course, an outdoor kitchen.
While some offer a bigger boost in value than others, even a minimal percentage increase is worth the time and effort. When it comes to an outdoor kitchen, you can reportedly expect a return on investment of anything between fifty-five and two hundred percent.
To put that into figures and perspective, let’s assume you’ve built a ten thousand dollar outdoor kitchen area. The value of this kitchen can potentially increase to as much as thirty thousand dollars when it comes to the value of your property.
Again, this depends quite heavily on where you are in the world, as a ‘nicer’ location is definitely going to warrant a larger ROI. If you have an outdoor kitchen in the Bahamas, it’s going to be much more appreciated than the same build located in Seattle.
Cleanliness Is Key
Of course, you can’t just install an outdoor kitchen and expect it to work its magic inherently. It needs time, attention, and maintenance to stay in tip-top form, all year round.
In the same way that you regularly clean your kitchen, you’ll need to clean your outdoor kitchen. This includes disinfecting preparation surfaces, scrubbing any dirty grills, and regularly cleaning out any refrigeration systems in use.
Arguably, outdoor systems require more maintenance and cleaning than an indoor kitchen, owing mostly to the fact that they’re… Well, outside. If your setup is mostly built in the open air, it’s at risk of being impacted by the elements, such as wind, rain, and maybe even snow and ice.
You’ll need to invest in adequate covers and cleaning products to keep your kitchen fresh. In the most adverse weather, you might even need to bring some furniture indoors, to shelter it from any damage.
The last thing you want to do is spend thousands of dollars on garden furniture for your Caribbean kitchen escape, only to have it blow away in strong winds.