Outdoor kitchen components are a game changer

As the consumer’s desire for outdoor living continues to grow, more projects are incorporating outdoor room or kitchen components in their design layout, presenting new opportunities for installers.

Modern backyards and patios are transforming into complete outdoor rooms with many of the comforts of indoors spaces. They feature extensive kitchens built around a grill or multiple grills, islands with lots of meal preparation and serving space. They have refrigerators, sinks and living areas with heaters or even outdoor air conditioning units.

Traditional masonry construction methods offer durable solutions, but require experienced masons to ensure proper design and quality work. Scratch-built outdoor fireplaces require the mason to have specialized fireplace construction experience. Skilled craftsmen like masons can be difficult to find while also commanding a higher salary. So, you need a constant stream of higher level masonry work coming in to cover their cost.

The modular age

Fortunately, modular kits are available with a tremendous range of options while delivering outstanding performance and much simpler installation than traditional construction. These allow installers who are not masons by trade a way to offer these products to their clients.

The structure for a modular fireplace kit can be assembled in a few hours by less-experienced labor, as these kits go together much like a child’s Lego set. A scratch-built fireplace takes 3 days or more for a skilled mason and helper to build the basic structure with concrete block and firebrick.

Both modular and stick-built fireplaces are often finished with veneers, etc using the same traditional masonry skills. But finishing does not require the high level of expertise needed to lay out a fireplace from scratch. And, finishing skills for working with kits could be learned relatively quickly by a non-mason installer.

Modular kitchen island systems are even simpler to assemble, and allow unlimited flexibility for design layouts and appliance placement without the high labor cost of scratch-built block construction.

Popular outdoor appliances such as wood-fired pizza ovens and larger barbecue smokers are also available in kit forms, offering even more choice to the client and greater opportunity to the installer. When incorporating these appliances into kitchen layouts, however, be sure the system includes a strong supporting structure to support the weight of these features.

Modular kits open the door to new opportunities to greatly expand your services, increase your presence in the marketplace and grow your business while earning you a reputation for innovation with your client base.

Rob Wright is Director of Sales & Marketing at Stone Age Mfg. Inc. Stone Age offers contractors a range of quality modular fireplace, outdoor kitchen and fire pit products. Visit www.StoneAgeManufacturing.com or call (877)371-8861.