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I am just coming to the end of my Summer Kitchen project so it's been educational. We just ordered granite countertops and that will just about finish the project. (Yeah right, are you ever done? More stucco work, painting, shelves, doors, maybe a roof over the grill area, do I need a roof over the oven?, tool hangers, ash collection under the grill area?, water and drain for the sink, outdoor bathroom, maybe I do want a fridge......)
I must admit that it was a work in progress and ideas changed as we went along. Decided no fridge but I have an electrical conduit for future use. Decided to add a hearth for grilling and designed the size to accomodate a removable gas grill and also big enough for a paella pan. I found some old handmade tiles from a previous project and had enough to face the 8 cement walls used to support all the appliances/counters....and also the visible wall by the sink.
For sure we knew we wanted a wood fired oven to anchor the kitchen and we had the kitchen area created when we did some remodeling. The WFO was purchased at the local hardware and I covered it with insulation balls (Arlite that they use for roofs here) and plaster Then layered cement stucco for weatherproofing. I do not have an official roof so I cover the chimney with a bucket for now until I find a chimney cap. I will probably also need to extend the chimney for better draw and smoke diffusion.
The kitchen took up a defined area between three stuccoed walls. It has a tile floor that matches the adjoining terrace and naya. We did put in a drain and water when the walls were built but of course I moved the sink to the other side of the kitchen so now we will tap a garden water line for the sink. The sink was an impulse buy at the local flea market....but a hand carved stone sink! It fits the rustic kitchen very well.
Design wise it was close to our indoor and outdoor eating areas (dining room adjacent covered naya) which is close to the actual kitchen....so not too far to run between the two. Orientation was forced by location and winds may pose some problems.....but it essentially faces south and gets full sun exposure. There is a rosemary garden behind the oven used for the food and the fire.
What to do different?
Make sure everythings slopes properly for drainage.
Make sure everything is waterproof and sun resistant.
Get more help with the heavy stuff...my back hurts!
Put down a temporary floor to protect the non slip tiles (Lost count of how many times I've cleaned up that #@#$$%$ floor!
Get back my cement mixer.....
mmmm....have someone else build it? Nah!
...but it does seem to take a long time to get it done...
I must admit that it was a work in progress and ideas changed as we went along. Decided no fridge but I have an electrical conduit for future use. Decided to add a hearth for grilling and designed the size to accomodate a removable gas grill and also big enough for a paella pan. I found some old handmade tiles from a previous project and had enough to face the 8 cement walls used to support all the appliances/counters....and also the visible wall by the sink.
For sure we knew we wanted a wood fired oven to anchor the kitchen and we had the kitchen area created when we did some remodeling. The WFO was purchased at the local hardware and I covered it with insulation balls (Arlite that they use for roofs here) and plaster Then layered cement stucco for weatherproofing. I do not have an official roof so I cover the chimney with a bucket for now until I find a chimney cap. I will probably also need to extend the chimney for better draw and smoke diffusion.
The kitchen took up a defined area between three stuccoed walls. It has a tile floor that matches the adjoining terrace and naya. We did put in a drain and water when the walls were built but of course I moved the sink to the other side of the kitchen so now we will tap a garden water line for the sink. The sink was an impulse buy at the local flea market....but a hand carved stone sink! It fits the rustic kitchen very well.
Design wise it was close to our indoor and outdoor eating areas (dining room adjacent covered naya) which is close to the actual kitchen....so not too far to run between the two. Orientation was forced by location and winds may pose some problems.....but it essentially faces south and gets full sun exposure. There is a rosemary garden behind the oven used for the food and the fire.
What to do different?
Make sure everythings slopes properly for drainage.
Make sure everything is waterproof and sun resistant.
Get more help with the heavy stuff...my back hurts!
Put down a temporary floor to protect the non slip tiles (Lost count of how many times I've cleaned up that #@#$$%$ floor!
Get back my cement mixer.....
mmmm....have someone else build it? Nah!
...but it does seem to take a long time to get it done...
...enjoy every sandwich!