NKBA Market Research fires up a report on outdoor kitchens.
MARKET RESEARCH ANALYST: Tricia Zach; TEXT: Dianne M. Pogoda

 

The outdoor kitchen is definitely “a thing” — and exclusive NKBA research reveals what’s driving the phenomenon. Here’s a smattering from the latest report, just released this week, on what homeowners want, where challenges and opportunities exist, top choices in materials, products, features, lifestyle, usage and more. To order the report, click here.

 

15 Stats to BBQ By: The Outdoor Kitchen

  • Bottom Line: Typical spend is about $13,000 on an outdoor kitchen, but about 22% of homeowners are building very high-end kitchens ($30,000+)and 14% spend between $20,000 and $30,000.
  • Size Matters: Most outdoor kitchens (66%) are between 100 and 400 square feet, including a sitting area in the meal preparation space. 22% are more than 400 square feet, and just 12% are under 100 square feet.
  • Do It Right: Nearly all homeowners (84%) use professional installers for at least part of their outdoor kitchen installation.
  • Fuel the Fire: 31% of homeowners have two grills in their outdoor kitchen. 44% use propane, 45% connect to natural gas, 22% are charcoal.
  • Finishing Touches: Stainless steel is the grill hood finish of choice, by 77% of homeowners. 75% have additional burners, 57% have warming racks, and 50% have a rotisserie.
  • Look Up: About half of homeowners install some fixed overhead structure (52%); 30% install a pergola, and 13% have an adjustable/retractable structure; 12% have no overhead structure.
  • Border Patrol: 60% choose stone or brick, about 24% choose trees and shrubs; 23% use wood or lattice.
  • Creature Comforts: 62% of outdoor kitchens have a TV; 62% have built-in storage or cabinets; 58% boast a fire pit.
  • Helping Hands: 64% of homeowners used a designer, 41%used a landscape or garden architect/specialist, 10% used an architect.
  • Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Natural stone is the choice of 57% of homeowners for outdoor countertops, followed by quartz at 23%.
  • Not Invited: The biggest challenges in the outdoor space are keeping out bugs (29%), protection from full sun (24%) and keeping out animals/rodents (21%).
  • Cheers! 26% feature a wine refrigerator; 25% install an ice maker, 15% have a beer dispenser/tap system.
  • The Big Idea: 70% came up with project ideas on their own; 45% from friends’/neighbors’ homes, 45% from home-improvement retailers; 40% from home or design magazines; 39% from TV home-improvement shows.
  • “I wish I’d spent more time/money on…”: Shelter/shade enclosure, 12%; A bigger space, 10%; Counter, 9%; Atmosphere/temperature/lighting control, 7%; Cabinets/storage, 5%.
  • But Who Cleans Up? The male head-of-household takes the lead in outdoor cooking 75% of the time.