Renovation & Design
Renovation & Design
Outdoor kitchens add extra spice to our backyard retreats
Our backyards promise to be popular spots again this year with the prospect of continued social distancing. And with the arrival of spring, our outdoor spaces are now getting extra attention.
“The boundaries between the inside space and outside space are vanishing more and more,” said Lydia Thammavong, a marketing specialist in seasonal and outdoor living for Lowe’s Canada.
According to Thammavong, outdoor kitchens are a particularly growing trend. She noted that online searches and sales for charcoal barbecues and smokers at Lowe’s have increased since the pandemic. And for those eager to upgrade their barbecue setup to something more functional or refined, creating an outdoor kitchen is the natural next step.
For Mike and Janneth Nolet, installing an outdoor kitchen in their Weston backyard was a no-brainer. Mike is an avid barbecuer and grills four nights a week in the summer. Janneth, who is from the Phillipines, grew up with the traditions of outside cooking. Their outdoor kitchen was part of a large three-year backyard remodelling project, which included the installation of a pool, bar, outdoor bathroom and shower, sound system and outdoor television.
The Nolets enlisted the help of Glen Griffiths, owner of My Outdoor Kitchen, to design, source and install their L-shaped backyard feature. It includes high-grade stainless steel appliances from the California-based manufacturer Hestan: a commercial fridge, two power burners and a $10,000 gas barbecue. There’s additional cupboard space under the barbecue for storing tools. Pull-out garbage and recycling bins are built into the unit. The countertop is made of leathered granite and the sides are finished in granite.
The structure of the Nolets’ outdoor kitchen cost about $28,000 to install, while appliances totalled around $22,000. Their outdoor kitchen was completed by the end of the summer in 2020. “We got our yard done at the right time, with COVID and everything,” Mike Nolet said. “Sometimes three or four friends will come over in the evening and we’ll barbecue and watch sports on the outdoor TV.”
Griffiths said that interest in his outdoor kitchen company has been higher than usual this year. “People are more prepared and planning ahead. They know to get a jump on it, because last year there was a problem getting things like grills from manufacturers.”
The starting price for a simple 10-foot-long outdoor kitchen would cost about $15,000 — or $1,500 a linear foot — not including the cost of appliances. Condo terrace kitchens can cost more with added considerations including the floor it’s on, the size of the elevator and elevator access, parking, utilities and condo permissions.
Premium materials, such as stone and wood, can be selected to match your home’s exterior. “Something popular now is the large-format slabs made of Dekton (a manufactured marble-like material) on the countertop and the face of the island,” Griffiths explained.
Griffiths says that sinks are often a challenge for outdoor kitchen builds, due to the cost of installing plumbing and a drain line. But direct gas connections and power are more common, and more easily fulfilled requests.
Pergolas and covers offer protection from the elements, while built-in heaters can help extend the grilling season into early spring and late fall. According to Griffiths, high-end outdoor kitchens can cost upwards of $70,000. “People start looking at things like pizza ovens, fridges, ice makers and sinks.”
On the other end of the price scale, Thammavong said a simple, DIY outdoor kitchen with six feet of counter space can be built for around $2,000. This setup could be as easy as building a roll-out storage cart to go beside a barbecue, creating a small grilling station. As well, a waist-height wooden bench can be built to serve this purpose. If you DIY the project, you can incorporate custom features — like a drop-in beverage bucket to keep items cool, or a ceramic grill or smoker.
If you’re not so handy, Lowe’s offers a kitchen prep station and an outdoor storage cart, made to withstand the elements, for $400 to $700. Or, for a step above, a seven-foot ready-to-go outdoor kitchen with a grill cabinet, drawers, a bar cabinet costs around $3,700. Made of stainless steel, these kitchens are built for all four seasons if covered and protected from winter weather.
As a first step toward an outdoor kitchen, Thammavong recommends surveying your space. “How big can you go? How many square feet do you want to sacrifice in your backyard, terrace or balcony for the kitchen area?” she said.
Next, consider whether you’d like to install a permanent fixture, which will require weather-proof materials. Or, if you’d like the flexibility to move the kitchen around, carts and benches can also be stored indoors in the winter.
Lastly, determine your budget before you start shopping. “You can do a little or a lot, depending on how much you want to spend and how you want the space to look,” Thammavong added.
Renovation & Design
Window well installation an easy and important task
Question: My parents’ Westwood home has a significant problem with the grading. The soil at the side and backyard slopes significantly towards the walls. That inward slope begins about five to seven feet out from the walls, and gets steeper in the last few feet nearest the walls. The problem is, to add enough soil to make the ground slope even slightly away from the home will require nearly a foot of added clay-based soil. It will have to be placed against the walls, gradually lessening in depth to a point about six feet out from the foundation.
There is a basement window that is only around six-inches above the existing grade. Do I need to attach a metal window well around this window so that I can raise the grade enough? That will require packing clay soil around six inches up against the new window well, to slope slightly away from this window area. What sort of window well and sealant would work best?
Thanks you for any help you can offer, Greg Jowett.
Answer: Installation of a window well to protect a basement window is required, when adding a large quantity of soil to improve the grading away from a foundation wall. Ensuring the well is high enough to protect the window is the key, while preventing blockage for light entry or egress.
It is not too often that an inquiry not only asks a pertinent question, but also answers it in the same few sentences. Yours is one of those rare occasions, where you seem to have an excellent grasp of the situation in question. Many people do not know the true function of a window well, which is simply to protect a basement window from damage or leakage from moisture. This moisture may be overland water that is caused by heavy rains and melting snow, or from that contained within the soil in this area.
If the soil adjacent to the foundation walls is near or above the bottom of a basement window, moisture intrusion and damage is almost a certainty. Because most basement windows are installed directly onto a lowered area in the concrete foundation wall, or on top of a thin wooden buck, there may be very small gaps at the bottom and sides of the window frame. These may have been filled with sealant or blown-in foam insulation during installation, which can deteriorate or shrink over time. Rarely will homeowners look to reseal this area, unless obvious leakage has occurred. Even with this area sealed, there could still be leakage through the window if the soil is too high or snow sits up against the window.
Regrading to provide a reasonable slope away from a foundation, where soil has eroded or settled, is a regular part of general maintenance in any home. You are to be commended for proactively planning this upgrade, even if it has been left untended for a long time. You have also identified one of the few complications of this simple but strenuous task, raising the grade higher than openings in the foundation wall. The equally simple answer to this dilemma is to install a window well, high enough to protect the window from future damage and leakage. Most homeowners elect to install corrugated metal wells, due to their durability, low cost, and ease of installation. These galvanized metal components are typically an elongated U-shape, with short right-angled bends at the terminal ends. These bent areas allow for attachment to the foundation wall, which can be done with a few different types of fasteners.
The most effective way to install a manufactured window well is to ensure purchasing one that is the appropriate height, width, and depth for your situation. The width is the easiest dimension to address, as the well should be slightly wider than the opening in the foundation wall where the window is installed. The height of the metal enclosure should be sufficient to allow about 10 cm. of clearance to grade below the window, after installation, and the top no higher than halfway up the window. The depth may be trickier, as it may depend on the size and type of the window it is meant to protect. If the basement window is only for ventilation and some light, then the well may only require a minimal depth of approximately 30 cm. If the window is larger, and also designed for proper egress from the basement in case of fire, then a well that protrudes further out from the foundation will be needed. In that situation, the fill in the bottom of the well may have to be raised to within a few cm. of the window frame, to allow easier exit in an emergency.
Installation will likely require slight excavation of the existing soil, which can be filled in later with granular material, to aid drainage. The well should be sealed at the foundation wall with either exterior grade sealant, or a moisture resistant foam rod. The foam rod may last longer and should not require regular replacement like the caulking method. The well should also be attached to the foundation wall, to avoid pulling away due to typical soil pressure and erosion. This is normally done by installing a drive-in or lag shield and bolt, and will require a masonry bit and hammer drill. Alternatively, a Hilti-gun with a hardened steel nail may be used, which will permanently bind the metal well to the concrete wall.
Due to the location of your existing basement windows, and the depth of soil required for proper regrading, installation of a window well is an essential part of your proposed maintenance. Choosing the properly sized well, and properly fastening and sealing it to the foundation wall, should be straightforward but must ensure that it allows proper emergency egress, if needed.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and the past president of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors — Manitoba (cahpi.mb.ca). Questions can be emailed to the address below. Ari can be reached at 204-291-5358 or check out his website at trainedeye.ca.
trainedeye@iname.com
Renovation & Design
Easter bread a timeless and delicious tradition
Question: What is Easter bread and is it difficult to make? Tami
Answer: Easter bread is an Italian and Greek tradition. It's a soft, sweetened, yeasted dough with coloured eggs baked right into the dough (that you don't eat), formed into wreaths or braided. Festive and bright for the Easter holiday, it’s not especially difficult to make, but it does take time.
Question: What is the best way to store raisins? Elmer
Answer: Store raisins in a cool, dry, and dark place. Keep them away from moisture to prevent mould growth, and heat and light so they won’t dry out. A pantry is a great place to store raisins.
Question: I spilled grease from fast food on my leather (smooth leather, not suede) jacket. What do you recommend using to get the stain out? Dilpreet
Answer: Always start with the easiest solution and then move to the trickier solution if needed. Sprinkle the area with one of the following: baby powder, cornstarch or baking soda. If the stain is fresh the powders will absorb the grease and once you brush the powder away, the grease will disappear. If the grease stain is a little older apply one of the powders with a little water to make a paste. Leave it for 15 or 20 minutes and wipe. You can also wipe the area with dish soap and a bit of water since dish soap is created as a natural grease cutter. Another option is to hold a hot hair dryer onto the area and massage the leather to lighten the spot.
Question: I did a cold-water laundry load of my coloured tops these are all items that I have washed before. After the wash, I put all items in the dryer, not realizing that a purple top bled into my favourite turquoise blue sweater. I soaked it overnight in Oxi Stain Remover, then hand washed with soap. It lightened some, but still stained. Is there any recovery for this? Bertha
Answer: One of my favourite stain removers is Sunlight Bar Laundry Soap. Scrub the area and rewash it, this may take a few attempts before you see results. Washing soda and borax are also excellent stain removers. Patience, trial, and error are the keys. Worst case scenario is to redye the blouse with fabric dye.
Question: Do you have any ideas for dyeing and decorating colourful Easter eggs without purchasing a dye kit? Winney
Answer: Make your own egg dye with water, vinegar, food colouring or water and onion skins. Remember, the more colour you add and the longer they soak, the more brilliant the hue. For an interesting design, wrap elastic bands around eggs and soak them in dye solution. Another option is to glue colourful leaves to eggs using white glue or glue the leaves to the eggs and dye the eggs. Remove the eggs from the dye and peel off the leaves to create a leaf imprint. Extra tip: If you don't plan to eat dyed eggs, make glow in the dark eggs by microwaving them for 10 seconds. One in three eggs will glow!
Note: Every user assumes all risks of injury or damage resulting from the implementation of any suggestions in this column. Test all products on an inconspicuous area first.
Have a great suggestion or tip? Please send an email at: info@reena.ca. Reena Nerbas is a popular motivational presenter for large and small groups; check out her website: reena.ca.
