Cozy summer kitchen on the site: arrangement and decoration
A cozy summer kitchen will help not only to bring together all your relatives and friends, but also perfectly decorate your site Summer kitchen is created in a country house in order to spend time with guests in the fresh air, barbecue, enjoy nature and socializing in a cozy atmosphere. You can implement the idea with your own hands on a plot of any area, even on a standard 6 acres you can build a beautiful summer kitchen.
The best summer kitchens for a small plot
An important aspect on which the entire success of the project depends is the location of the summer kitchen..
What places are not suitable for a cozy stay:
- Close to the road;
- Close to a cesspool, dumpsters, chicken coop, cowshed or pigsty;
- In the lowlands, in a low marshy area;
- Near the anthill, hornet’s nest.
If a summer kitchen is planned right next to a pond, you need to take into account the mosquito population. Any rest can be spoiled by these meticulous bloodsuckers. It is best to take the kitchen out to a sunny and elevated area, where there is a lot of fresh air, no dampness and insects..
It is extremely important to choose the right place where the summer kitchen will be located.
A summer kitchen project usually provides for several functional areas.:
- The place where food is prepared;
- The room where the meal takes place;
- Space for relaxation, dancing, open area.
Food is cooked on the hearth or on the grill. After cooking, the dishes are transferred to the gazebo or to the hall, where tables and chairs are placed. Large and roomy summer kitchens with a gazebo suggest many tables, small kitchens are limited to one table. All these zones can be combined in one room, or they can be located separately from each other and connected by passages, paths, paths.
Summer kitchen project, the room can be:
- Closed, have 4 walls and a roof;
- Semi-open, have 2 or 3 walls and a canopy or roof;
- Open, have no walls.
The latter option cannot be used during the rainy season. In a closed kitchen, it is not convenient to barbecue or cook other dishes on the grill. The hearth in a closed kitchen is taken out to a separate area outside the premises. The semi-open kitchen is called the pavilion. This design provides a canopy or roof that protects from wind, rain and snow..
The hearth is installed directly in the pavilion, next to it a dining area is equipped.
If the summer kitchen will be used not only in the warm, but also in the cold season, you need to choose a pavilion or a closed version. For a small area, the kitchen plan should be as thoughtful as possible. Drawings must be created in advance in order to accurately calculate the amount of materials and financial costs.
When choosing a summer kitchen project, you should be based on whether it will be used year-round or only in the warm season.
The self-made summer kitchen was truly comfortable and modern if taken indoors:
- Electricity;
- Sewerage;
- Water pipes.
All communications are carried out either by hand or with the help of invited specialists. Electrical wiring will make it possible to illuminate the kitchen in the evening and at night. Plumbing will make the cooking process more convenient, help keep the kitchen clean and save the housewife’s time.
It is imperative to provide for the ability to shut off the water for the winter and disconnect the kitchen from the mains during the absence.
House project with a summer kitchen: proximity to communications
Laying wires and pipes if the summer kitchen is located at the other end of the site is expensive and inconvenient. Therefore, many people make a kitchen with their own hands right next to their home. The pavilion with the gazebo has a common wall with the living area, this is a practical layout. Drawings should provide for the possibility of leaving the house directly to the summer kitchen.
A kitchen with a gazebo can be decorated with pleasant additions:
- Pots with fresh herbs;
- A hedge of climbing plants;
- A small waterfall or artificial reservoir;
- Decorative panels;
- Open shelves for flowers.
The summer kitchen can have a common foundation with the house, be on the same level. It is imperative to think over the project of the summer kitchen and the device of the foundation, since without a solid foundation it is impossible to create a strong roof structure and install supports.
Climbing plants and decorative panels will perfectly complement the interior of the summer kitchen and make it even more comfortable.
A summer kitchen with a light or small canopy is a good option in clear weather and not a suitable option in wind, rain or snow.
If the dacha is used year-round, it is imperative to make a foundation for a kitchen with a gazebo. Pouring a cement foundation with your own hands is not so difficult, although professional advice may be required to clarify details.
Principal scope of work:
- Dig a pit;
- Install the formwork;
- Pour concrete;
- Allow to dry;
- Strengthen the load-bearing supports and assemble the roof on them.
There should be a rise to the roof in case the roof needs to be repaired. Plumbing and sewerage pipes need to be decorated but are available for renovation. It is quite possible to collect water supply and sewerage with your own hands..
Most of the work, in particular, the laying of water supply and sewerage, can be done by hand.
What to look for when assembling:
- The valve that shut off the water supply to the kitchen must be in the house;
- It is more convenient and safer when the switch for turning off the power supply is also in the house, and not outside;
- The sewage system can be installed in the floor, however, so that the pipes do not freeze and do not burst in the winter.
A summer kitchen with a fireplace, electric light and running water is a great place to celebrate the New Year, celebrate an anniversary or a special date.
Garage project with summer kitchen
The summer kitchen is united by one wall with the garage in the event that it is impossible to use the site on the side or in front of the facade of the house. This option has advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantage of this arrangement is the presence of unpleasant odors. The garage is often located as a gate to the road, the noise and exhaust gases of passing cars will make a good rest impossible..
The advantage of this location is that you can easily carry out communications if they are carried out to the garage..
If in front of the garage there is a parking lot already filled with concrete, you can take this area as a foundation and thus save time, energy and money. The barbecue area is usually located where there is no exhaust.
In the case when there is not enough free space on the site, the summer kitchen can be combined with a garage
Near the hearth can be equipped:
- Woodpile or coal storage;
- A bench or a chair in which the person who grills the barbecue can sit and look at the fire;
- Locker for inventory, skewers, barbecue grills.
The hearth is made with your own hands from any non-combustible material, most often because of its practicality and beauty it is made:
- Brick;
- Made of stone;
- Concrete decorated with tiles, mosaics or stucco.
The hearth can be easily made independently from any non-combustible material, be it stone or brick
In addition to the one-piece built-in hearth, there are portable and lighter options. With your own hands, you can make a metal brazier or a pit for a fire with reinforced skewer racks. It is worth considering the typical wind direction so that the summer kitchen is not located where the smoke goes..
If the house does not have an ordinary kitchen, in the summer one can equip a place for an electric or gas stove.
Summer kitchens with a gazebo: choice of materials
The capital summer kitchen, which stays cozy all year round, is made of durable materials.
For example:
- From a bar;
- From logs;
- Brick;
- Of stone.
In the event that a year-round use of the summer kitchen is envisaged, it should be carried out from strong and durable materials.
If the summer kitchen is designed as a semi-open pavilion, you can hide it from prying eyes using:
- Live hedge;
- Carved wood screens
- A woven curtain, like in a tent;
- Metal openwork lattice.
If the kitchen serves only in the warm season, you can use the option when the woven tent is put on a frame made of metal or wood. When cold weather sets in, the tent folds up, and the frame endures the winter without damage. This option can be done by hand using materials at hand.
Summer kitchen project with insulation
To keep the summer kitchen warm in bad weather, you need to provide a heating supply. If the dacha has a gas or water boiler, you can do it yourself with a pipe system from it. If the dacha is not heated, then the hearth must be placed directly in the kitchen..
What you need to pay attention to when insulating a kitchen:
- Windows must be airtight, PVC is best;
- The joints of the floor and walls must be closed with a plinth;
- For the floor, choose a coating with additional insulation, if financial possibilities allow, you can carry out a warm floor;
- Insulate walls with expanded polystyrene or similar material.
With your own hands, you can transform an unused veranda into a summer kitchen, carry out communications there. In this case, the hearth will be taken out of the former veranda. In a closed kitchen, wall decoration can be carried out with exactly the same materials that are used for the home. In an open kitchen, only fade-resistant, durable and waterproof materials should be used..
If you want to make a truly all-weather summer kitchen, you should think about additional heating.
Floor covering suitable for a summer kitchen:
- Boards;
- Ceramic or stone tiles;
- Linoleum on top of an insulated concrete floor.
It is better not to use coatings as fragile and unstable to moisture changes as parquet. Plank flooring is quite simple to make. This type of flooring is resistant to wear and tear and does not require specific flooring skills. To make the boards look beautiful, they need to be impregnated with linseed oil and covered with varnish that does not wear out over time..
Summer kitchen (video)
A summer kitchen, created with love with your own hands, according to the author’s project and concept, will become a decoration of the summer cottage and a favorite resting place for friends and family members.