Up to $5k: Cheap & cheerful
With a little creativity and a DIY attitude, you can easily create a great outdoor kitchen on a budget. Invest in a good cooking appliance, then browse Trade Me or the hardware store to build your food prep space. “A good cooking appliance and a good design takes you a long way,” says James from Outdoor Concepts. “If you do a little DIY and have a mate to help you, you can bring it in under $5k.”
Shelter This budget most likely won’t extend to a permanent shelter, unless someone close to you is a builder, so you’ll need a cooker than can be brought indoors when not in use or a good cover to keep it dry.
Food prep Hit the op-shops and Trade Me to find a sturdy old work bench that will stand up to being left outside. A concrete or stone top is ideal, but steel or hardwood would be fine too – you’ll need a cover to keep the rain off, though. Look for something of a generous size, at least a metre long and 60cm deep, with a storage shelf underneath. Alternatively, you could get on the tools and build a table to suit your space. It doesn’t have to be perfect – the rustic look is ideal for an outdoor kitchen with character.
Paving Ideally, your outdoor kitchen will already be situated on a paved surface, but if you’ve only got grass to work with, go online and find instructions for how to lay a few simple pavers or a gravelled area. This will make your kitchen feel more established for relatively low cost.
A sink might be possible if your outdoor kitchen is close to the house and the plumbing is relatively easy to access.
A fridge is probably out of the question as you’ll need a safe power supply (extension cords are a no-no if you want to create a beautiful space) and a standard fridge won’t cut it – outdoor fridges cost more. Try bringing an ice bucket out to your cooking space to keep drinks and ingredients cool.
A heater if you have a bit of money left in the budget, make your outdoor kitchen work hard all year round with a freestanding gas heater or chiminea for midwinter pizza nights.