Long summer evenings are the best part of a Wisconsin year, and an outdoor kitchen puts the cook in the middle of them. Planning one here means looking past July: an outdoor kitchen in Wisconsin has to handle strong afternoon sun, sudden thunderstorms, chilly spring and fall nights, and a long winter of freezing and thawing.
Most of that is settled on paper, long before construction starts. Our approach to outdoor kitchen design begins with the grill: a commercial-grade, built-in unit with natural gas run to the island. From there, we plan for what your evenings require, and the island can grow into a full kitchen with a sink, a pizza oven, built-in refrigeration, and bar seating.
Whether you are planning an outdoor kitchen in Appleton, Green Bay, or a town nearby, here is how to work through the decisions, with examples from our own projects.
First, decide how often you cook outside, how many people you usually feed, and whether the kitchen is mainly for family dinners or for hosting.
For many households, a built-in grill with generous counter space is the whole kitchen. Counter on both sides holds platters and tools, a short run of bar seating keeps two or three guests close to the cook, and storage drawers keep utensils handy. Natural gas run to the island means there is never a tank to refill.
If you want to cook whole meals outside, the island grows to match. A full sink handles prep and cleanup without trips back to the house. Built-in refrigeration keeps ingredients and drinks cold, and a pizza oven turns Friday night into an event.
Hosting shifts the priorities toward guests. Bar seating on the far side of the counter puts the cook at the center of the evening, facing friends while the food cooks. Drink refrigeration, a kegerator, or drink taps at the guest end of the island let people serve themselves without crossing the cooking area.
Like a good indoor kitchen, a good outdoor layout gives the cook clear working areas and keeps guests close without putting them underfoot. Most have five zones:
A straight island suits a grilling station, and an L-shape or U-shape adds counter and gives the bar seating its own side. Keep the route from the back door to the grill short and clear, since the cook will walk it all evening.
The best spot is usually close to the indoor kitchen, inside the natural traffic pattern of the house and yard, since food goes out and dishes come back every time you cook. Set the grill where the usual breeze carries smoke away from seating, doors, and windows, and check the sun at dinnertime: a cook facing west can spend summer evenings squinting into it.
Size the patio for cooking, dining, and the walkways between them. The ground under a heavy masonry island needs careful excavation, a compacted base, and good drainage, the patio fundamentals our comparison of paver and concrete patios in Wisconsin explains. Near a pool, keep the cooking area out of the wet, barefoot path to the house and give the cook a view of the water. A fire feature a short walk from the grill gives guests a place to settle while dinner finishes.
Our project, Pool Party, in Appleton puts a built-in kitchen with a kegerator and a rectangular gas fire table together on the lower patio, with a hot tub on the 400-square-foot upper patio. At our River Renovation project, also in Appleton, a built-in kitchen and a round gas fire table with a custom stone sit-wall anchor a 525-square-foot upper patio, with natural stone steps leading down to the river. Our guide to planning a complete outdoor living space in Wisconsin shows how these pieces fit together.
Cover changes how often a Wisconsin outdoor kitchen gets used. A structure over the cooking area keeps the cook out of hot afternoon sun and sudden thunderstorms, shields counters and appliances from rain and snow, and stretches the season into cool spring and fall evenings.
The two common choices work differently:
Our timberframe pergolas, pavilions, and pool houses are designed from the property itself: its grade, its sight lines, and the way the afternoon sun moves across the yard.
On our project, Countryside Haven, in Freedom, a timberframe structure runs the length of the house and shelters a built-in kitchen, a smoker, and a fireplace under one roofline. Our Poolside Paradise project in Appleton raises a timberframe pavilion on stone pillars over the outdoor kitchen and a custom stone fireplace, and at our Quiet Solitude project in Omro, a pavilion with a built-in storage area covers the kitchen and shelters the patio from weather on both sides. The outdoor kitchen at our project, Modern Getaway, in Appleton also sits under cover.
A pergola attached to the home keeps shade near the back door, and a freestanding pavilion or pool house brings cover out to the pool. Our project, Outdoor Oasis, in Green Bay has both: a pergola attached to the home and a timberframe barn-beam pool house with its own bathroom.
A grill under a roof also needs ventilation designed into the structure, so plan the two together. Our project gallery shows more of our covered kitchens and structures.
Freeze-thaw damage starts with water. It soaks into small pores and cracks, freezes, expands by about 9 percent, and works a little deeper with each cycle. Northeast Wisconsin sees many of those cycles each fall and spring, so choose every part of the kitchen for how it handles water.
Masonry and natural stone make a durable island here: they carry the weight of a grill and countertop, stand up to freezing and thawing, and are non-combustible. Facing the island with the patio's pavers or the stone of nearby walls ties the kitchen to the rest of the yard.
Dense surfaces that absorb very little water handle freeze-thaw cycles best, which is why granite is a common choice in cold climates. More porous stone and concrete counters need regular sealing, and tile with many grout joints gives water more places to get in.
Choose appliances built and rated for outdoor use, and ask about the grade of stainless steel, since lower grades can rust in a wet climate. Outdoor refrigerators and kegerators are built for summer heat and humidity, and many are meant to be shut down through freezing weather. Keep pizza ovens dry, because trapped moisture can crack an oven when it freezes or heats too quickly.
On the outdoor kitchens we build, water, gas, power, and ventilation are planned at the design stage. The lines run beneath the patio, so their routes are set before the pavers go down, and they can be sized for appliances you might add later.
When you compare outdoor kitchen builders, ask how each one will handle these four.
Summer dinners here often run past sunset, so lighting belongs in the same early plan, and wiring is far easier to run under a patio before it is laid. The cook needs clear, focused light on the grill and prep counter. Softer path and step lighting keeps people moving safely between the house, patio, and pool, and up-lighting on a structure or nearby trees adds depth after dark.
At River Renovation, custom lighting on the hardscape keeps the walk down to the river usable at night, and lighting on the Quiet Solitude pavilion carries that space into the evening.
Before the first hard freeze, an outdoor kitchen in Wisconsin needs a short closing routine. Follow each manufacturer's instructions for the details. In general, winterizing includes:
Winterizing goes faster when the design includes a water shutoff you can reach, lines that drain completely, and storage close by. In spring, reverse the routine and look everything over before the first cook of the year.
Some homeowners grill all winter on a built-in natural gas grill. The water lines and refrigeration usually need to be drained and shut down before the first hard freeze. Cover, overhead heaters, and a nearby fire feature make spring and fall evenings more comfortable.
Cover is optional and very useful here. A pergola breaks up hot afternoon sun, and a pavilion or pool house with a solid roof also keeps rain off the cook and the appliances. If the grill will sit under a roof, plan ventilation at the design stage.
Look for a dense surface that absorbs very little water, since freeze-thaw damage starts with water soaking in. Granite is a common choice in cold climates for that reason, and more porous stone or concrete needs regular sealing.
Before the first hard freeze, shut off and drain the water lines, faucet, and sink trap. Empty, clean, and unplug the refrigeration, and prop the doors open. Clean and cover the grill, turning off its gas if you will not grill in winter, and bring cushions and accessories inside.
Close enough to feel like part of the evening, and out of the wet, barefoot path between the pool and the house. Many families like a clear view of the water from the grill.
Our team designs and builds outdoor kitchens for homeowners in Appleton, Neenah, Green Bay, Oshkosh, Menasha, Omro, and nearby communities. Schedule a consultation to talk through how you want to cook and gather outside.