Naperville Outdoor Kitchen Contractor Services

Have you always dreamed of the perfect outdoor space for entertaining? Now you can turn your dream into reality.

You love throwing parties but always get stuck in the kitchen while everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather outside. Or you love to cook, but you want to be near your kids while they play outdoors.

Our Naperville outdoor kitchen contractors can create and install your new outdoor kitchen. Have fun preparing your guests’ meals while still socializing with them. Spend time with your family and friends around the outdoor grill. At Ware Landscaping, we can make it happen.

Get a custom outdoor kitchen for your Naperville home

We’ll walk you through the design process for your new outdoor kitchen. We’ll also help you choose the features and design elements that will be the perfect fit for you and your family. Our contractors can customize the aesthetics for a seamless indoor-to-outdoor transition. We’ll also take care of all the permits and paperwork so your new outdoor space is compliant.

Your outdoor kitchen and entertainment area will be functional, beautiful, and something you can show off to your guests for years to come.

Why an outdoor kitchen?

Outdoor kitchens are easier to maintain than most people think. They offer many benefits that make them well worth the investment.

Gets You Outside

How many sunrises and sunsets do we miss while staying caged up inside? Being out in nature is rejuvenating and stimulating. Breathe in the fresh air, hear the birds, admire grass and trees, and count the numberless stars. There’s a marvelous world out there that you can enjoy far more with the convenience of an outdoor kitchen.

Increases Resale Value

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the return on investment for an outdoor kitchen is 71%. You’ll get about 71% back of what you spent when it comes time to sell your home. Indoor-outdoor living is trending now, too. The addition of an outdoor kitchen can help your home stand out and fetch a higher resale price.

Adds More Cooking Space

An outdoor kitchen can open up all kinds of cooking options. Whether you have a conventional oven, a smoker, or a deep fryer, an outdoor kitchen helps you avoid those maddening moments when you don’t have enough space to cook.

More Refrigeration and Storage Space

Our Naperville outdoor kitchen contractors have never heard a homeowner complain about having too much storage space. If you’re cramped inside, you can take your food outside with outdoor kitchen storage solutions—not to mention extra refrigerator space for leftovers and those extra gallons of milk.

Odor-Free

You may have a hankering for French fries or egg rolls, but who wants the smell inside? You can take the odors outside—whether you’re deep frying, cooking beans in a pressure cooker, or canning veggies.

Saves on Utility Bills in the Summer

When it’s sweltering outside, the last thing you want to do is crank up the oven and make it even hotter in your kitchen. Use the oven in your outdoor kitchen instead, where it won’t affect your A/C bill.

Eat In More

Want a change of scenery for dinner but don’t want to go out to a restaurant? An outdoor kitchen helps you feel like you’re getting away without having to get gussied up and splurge on expensive and unhealthy restaurant food.

Outdoor Kitchen Installation in Your Backyard

Consider the type of outdoor kitchen that best suits your needs. Do you enjoy hosting intimate dinner parties? Are you a sports buff who loves throwing game-day parties with all the classic appetizers? Maybe you want to start a tradition of family dinners outside, with sunsets and fresh air. 

Whatever plans you have for your outdoor kitchen, Ware Landscaping’s outdoor kitchen contractors can help.

Considerations For Your Outdoor Kitchen

Our outdoor kitchen contractor experts in Naperville will help you design an outdoor kitchen that complements the overall design scheme of your property perfectly. We can also guide you through the process and offer advice to make sure you end up with an outdoor kitchen that exceeds your expectations.

We’ll go over each of these factors with you when helping you design your outdoor kitchen.

Location

The area where you decide to build your outdoor kitchen or entertainment space can influence how much you use it. If it’s far away from your home and indoor kitchen, bringing out supplies could seem like a chore. Prepping, cooking, and cleaning in your outdoor kitchen should be just as easy as if you were inside.

If your landscaping only allows for an inconvenient placement of your kitchen, you should ensure it’s as self-sufficient as possible. Install a sink with hot running water, a refrigerator, and storage areas for goods, dishware, and cooking utensils. It might cost you more money during construction, and for additional utility costs, but will save you a lot of time and effort in the long run.

Access

You also need to figure out how you and your guests can access all of your outdoor features. You want your outdoor space to flow effortlessly from your home, without obstructions. Also, your kitchen and entertainment areas shouldn’t create barriers that your guests have to walk around to get to the pool, a seating area, or the fire pit.

When you pick the perfect spot for your exterior structures, you should take full advantage of the natural landscaping around your property. Incorporate trees, flowers, and bushes into the design to create the perfect outdoor ambience.

Personal touches

Make sure you build something that suits your needs. Create an area that you’ll actually use and want to spend time in. Add unique touches and a personalized design that you’ll always enjoy. Read the most common hardscaping and landscaping mistakes to avoid some common pitfalls.

Layout

Start building your outdoor kitchen with zone planning. Whether you go with an L-shape, island, or galley, make sure that your plan allows for both optimal flow and maximum productivity. If you plan to do a lot of food preparation in your outdoor kitchen, you should have adequate counter space for chopping, measuring, etc., and have easy access to the sink, trash, and cooking appliances.

Here’s a closer look at the different zones to consider. Our Naperville outdoor kitchen contractors can customize each zone depending on what you hope to accomplish in your outdoor kitchen.

• Preparation Zone: This is where the behind-the-scenes work happens: chopping veggies for the chili, making your dough for homemade pizza, or assembling kabobs for the grill. You’ll likely want a sink, plenty of counter space, and perhaps a refrigerator.
• Cooking Zone: This is where you’ll turn up the heat. Maybe you want a pizza oven, smoker, or a deluxe grill with side burners.
• Serving Zone: Before your kitchen flows into the guest area, you’ll want a place to put everything together. This could include warming trays as well as storage for plates, silverware, and serving pieces. You can use this zone to take everything from the cooking area and make picture perfect platters and plates for your guests.
• Entertaining Zone: This is where memories are made as you eat, drink, watch the game on a big screen, swap stories and roast marshmallows around the fire pit, play board games, or get up and dance! Think of the groups and activities you want to accommodate; that will help you decide how much space you need and the proper configuration.

You’ll also want to decide how to work with your existing hardscapes. If you have a patio, do you want to build on what’s currently there or create a separate kitchen that flows seamlessly into your existing patio? 

At Ware Landscaping, we can help you design your kitchen in the way that best meets your needs and preferences and create a digital layout to help you visualize as you plan.

Weather Planning

Chicagoland is a magnet for harsh weather and dramatic temperature swings. We know how to optimize your layout and features so that you can spend as much time as possible in your outdoor kitchen throughout the year. This may mean adding fans for summer and heating lamps for winter.

Coverings are important to consider, too. Ask yourself:

• Do you want full sun in the summer?
• Do you want  a covering to maintain constant shade?
• What do you do about rain and snow? Do you mind staying inside when it rains, or do you want to be able to enjoy your outdoor kitchen every day of the year?
• Do you want a pergola to let you control how much sun exposure your outdoor kitchen gets?

These questions will help you make important decisions about your outdoor kitchen’s design. Our experts can also help you choose materials for flooring, cabinetry, counters, and more that will stand up to the weather for years to come.

Utilities

Access to power and water sources will determine where and how we build your kitchen. We’ll make sure that we can tap into your home’s electricity, gas, waste systems, water lines, and more. We’ll secure all of the necessary permits to make sure this happens exactly according to code. We do the hard work upfront so you don’t have any surprises later.

Appliances

Outdoor appliances will vary greatly from your indoor ones. Many would be considered too dangerous or impractical for an indoor space. You have some intriguing options that can make selecting the perfect appliances for an outdoor kitchen area a lot of fun:

• Beer fridge
• Wine cooler
• Ice maker
• Wood-burning pizza oven
• Tandoori oven
• Smoker
• Gas or charcoal grill

Although gas is the most popular choice, some homeowners prefer cooking over hot coals. An outdoor kitchen gives you space to broaden your scope with creative new kitchen appliances that may not function or fit in your indoor space.

Furnishings

Even though furniture will be one of the last things you place in your outdoor kitchen and dining area, you’ll want a general idea of what appeals to you before you start building. If you want a large dining table, your design will look much different than if you simply want a bistro table.

If you entertain a lot and want to make your bar the focus, you can design with that in mind, and make sure your outdoor kitchen can accommodate the desired number of bar stools. If formal dining is less important but you want to prioritize comfort, chaise lounges may be a better fit. 

If you want to spend a lot of time by the fire, a fire pit table and chairs are a great addition to any outdoor kitchen.

Storage

We can install beautiful cabinetry for storage, including drawers or cabinets under the counter or incorporated into your outdoor kitchen island.

A refrigerator can hold your drinks and ingredients, while our built-in storage can hold your silverware, plates, cups, cooking tools, pots and pans, grill tools and baskets, aluminum foil, table covers, trash bags, and more.

Lighting

The sky’s the limit for lighting options for your outdoor kitchen. Pathway lights can help your guests navigate safely without adding overpowering light. If you have a patio cover, ceiling fans with lights can add overhead lighting.

String lights can drip with ambience, while task lights can provide just enough brightness to help you prepare food and drinks as the sun is setting. There are also tiki torches to give your outdoor kitchen a tropical island feeling.

Outdoor Kitchen Tips

Ware Landscaping’s professional team of artisans can help you with each of the decisions needed to create your personalized outdoor kitchen and entertainment space. Some of the choices our Naperville outdoor kitchen contractors review with you are:

• Pick a spot in your backyard that will fit everything you want for your kitchen and/or entertainment area.
• Create zones in your kitchen to maximize functionality, such as a place for cooking, food preparation, dining, and socializing.
• Pick dimensions for countertops, bar tops, tables, and seat heights that make sense for the size of your backyard.
• Choose a layout for your entertainment area or kitchen that matches the style and design of your home.
• Start with the right framework by choosing materials to build various structures, such as brick, wood, concrete, etc.
• Choose from durable flooring that can withstand weather and routine wear-and-tear.
• Utilize space-saving built-ins for small outdoor kitchens.
• Compare material options for the countertops and tabletops within your entertaining, dining, seating, and kitchen spaces.
• Choose from cabinetry for your exterior kitchen that is waterproof, heat resistant, and can keep out bugs and dust.
• Think about the different appliances and cookware you’ll need for the kitchen, such as griddles, warming drawers, and side burners.
• Decide whether a stand-alone grill or built-in grill matches your specific needs.
• Determine what finishes and exterior walls will best match the aesthetics of your home and backyard.
• Locate problem areas or structures on your property that could prohibit the size of your entertainment area or kitchen.

Your Outdoor Kitchen is Built and Finished. Now What?

When the hard work of installing your new outdoor kitchen and entertaining area is complete, it’s time to enjoy your new space with friends and family. As with your interior rooms, it’s also important to remember to protect your investment. You’ll want to maintain the flooring, structures, and appliances, so they last a long time.

Our Quality Guarantee

With over 20 years serving homeowners in Naperville, we’ve established a reputation as one of the best when it comes to landscaping and hardscapes. We are family-owned and operated and care about our Naperville neighbors like family. Our excellent service, communication, and quality craftsmanship have helped us to win Naperville’s “Top 3” award for landscaping companies.

When it comes to hardscapes like outdoor kitchens, we build our products with the highest level of craftsmanship. If you trust a company that cuts corners, you’ll end up with a very short-term outdoor kitchen that needs ongoing repairs. Trust us, and you’ll get a beautiful product constructed by masters of craftsmanship that is built to withstand time and elements.

FAQs

Is a built-in outdoor kitchen worth it?

Investing in an outdoor kitchen can result in a 70% ROI when it comes time to sell your home. You shouldn’t just build an outdoor kitchen for the resale value, however. You should build one so you and your family can enjoy spending time eating and socializing outside. 

Listing your home at a higher price when you sell is nice, but think about all the years of memories and good times ahead of you if you’re considering adding an outdoor kitchen to your Naperville property.

Are outdoor kitchens still popular?

Outdoor kitchens became extremely popular during the COVID-19 pandemic because people were spending more time at home and there was a desire to prepare and eat food in more open spaces to help slow the spread of the virus. 

Although people don’t stay home as much as they did during the pandemic, outdoor kitchens are still going strong. Many people invest in them because they want to extend the livable space on their property and spend more time outdoors in the fresh air.

Do outdoor kitchens last?

Outdoor kitchens can last up to 20 years if they’re maintained properly. If you clean your outdoor kitchen countertops, grill, and other cooking surfaces and appliances regularly, you can lengthen the life of your outdoor kitchen. It’s also important to hire an outdoor kitchen expert who knows what they’re doing when they install it.

What is the average cost of an outdoor kitchen?

The average cost of building an outdoor kitchen from scratch is about $15,000. However, the cost varies significantly depending on what’s included in your project. Adding a simple cooking area next to your patio will be far less expensive than building a deluxe, fully-functional kitchen and living space to your backyard.

Free Outdoor Kitchen Quote for Naperville Homes

Call our Naperville outdoor kitchen contractors day to start building your outdoor kitchen. If you’re new to outdoor design or don’t know where to begin, we’ll walk you through the process using our sophisticated digital design program. You won’t have to imagine how things would look or fit with different options — we’ll show you so that you can visualize everything clearly. 

We can also show you multiple options from our gallery so that you can customize your outdoor kitchen to your exact needs and preferences.

Stop limiting yourself to your same four walls when there’s a whole world to be enjoyed outside. The kitchen is the hub of the home, so why not extend your kitchen outdoors so that you can enjoy the best of both worlds? Call (630) 885-6370 today for a free quote. We’re ready to build your dream space.