Hello @gidden81
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's fabulous to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your new outdoor bbq area.
I love the door you've created not only does it keep your bbq items secure but serves as both shade and cover. Is it a heavy door? I'm sure our members would love to know more about the lever mechanism you used to keep it up. did you use a steel frame and just covered it with timber or is it an all-timber construction?
Any other details you can share about your build would be highly appreciated.
Again, thank you for sharing your outdoor bbq project.
Eric
Hi
I`m loving your Outdoor BBQ area with door. I`ve saw something similar about a year or so ago, and want to build something similar here in the UK, to keep the weather out :-), and I`ve been putting it off for two reasons. one not sure what to make the frame of the building from, timber , steel, etc, and two where to get the closer/opener mechinism rams from?
Can I ask how you went about yours, please and what you used for the rams/mechinism closer?
Many Thanks
Colin
Hi Colin
There is a UK calculator for gas struts.
https://www.gasspringsshop.co.uk/gas-spring-calculator/
They also sell them...
As a welding instructor I would say welded metal frame.
I do like composite decking for outdoor projects it needs a gap for expansion though.
Timber is relativly easy to work with.
Welded steel easy for me, not so if you need to learn welding.
I like aluminimum posts with screen-up 19mm rear fix screen so you can get a flush finish to the outside, the joiner posts are less work but are center fixed.
At Bunnings there is a gate set of joiners for 50mm tubing, not the cheapest but it lets you build frames without welding and you can get mounting brackets for 25mm tubing to use for bracing. If you can 3d print you can design your own fittings. ( I am not there yet! )
Personal preferance plays a big part on how you want it to look, I prefer flush posts with timber inserts where Gidden went with inside posts covered with timber.
Hello @CobraCol
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's fabulous to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your question about building your own covered outdoor BBQ area.
It's great that you've received excellent advice from @Brad. Let me tag @gidden81 to make them aware of your kind words and questions. It's fantastic that this project has inspired you to build your own BBQ covered area. My first suggestion would be to visit your local council and find out the rules and regulations about building a small BBQ shed at the back of your property. It's best to find out if there are floor area and height restrictions. Once you've seen the rules you can begin to design your BBQ shed in accordance with the regulations.
Between a wooden and steel frame, I'll cast my vote to steel. If prepared properly it should withstand the open elements much longer and will not require as much maintenance as a timber frame. To further reduce the maintenance, you can use composite decking as the covering material. Would it be possible for you to post a photo of your proposed BBQ area? This will give our members a chance to assess the location. We can then make recommendations on the best possible configuration.
If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.
Hi Colin. the bbq area is made mostly out of timber expect for the door frame where it is made out of aluminium. I had a local guy that did the struts. but to figure out the weight I put a scale and a long bit of timber under where I thought the pivot point would be. Each strut had to hold 250kg each.
Thank you very much for sharing the extra construction details about your outdoor BBQ area. Let me tag @CobraCol to make sure they are aware of the additional information. I'm sure they'll find it handy when the time comes to plan their own BBQ area.
Hi @gidden81,
excellent work! I’m looking at building one similar. Would you have plans you can share. I’m interested in knowing specifically the dimensions of the door. Eg. what is the best height and pivot points to have good clearance to stand underneath. i like the idea that the open door acts as an extension of the roof for added shelter from the elements.
Hello @Heineken
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. Thanks for joining the discussion.
Let me tag @gidden81 to make sure they are aware of your kind words and question. A safe height for the opening would be 2040mm, however, I would add the thickness of the door so that it is at the proper height.
The measurement of 2040mm is the standard opening height of a typical household door. But it is not a fixed rule, and you can customize the height to your liking. Just keep in mind that you might have a few friends who are taller than you.
Please make sure to use personal protection such as gloves, goggles and a mask when working on your covered BBQ area.
Hi @Heineken
sorry mate no plans. I saw a picture and built it off that. With the door I have tall friends so I made it 2m. with the struts I got them wrong three time before figuring it out so a couple of extra hole in the frame. Each strut I think is gassed to hold 300kg. wish I could be more help but I’m not a build. First time a built something from scratch. But always happy to help more
Hi @gidden81 ,
Love the project. I have been looking to do similar and think maybe this year but the thing I'm least sure about is how to hinge the door. Can you advise how you approached this and/or what you used?
Thanks in advance
Kev
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community Kev (@Conquest247). It's wonderful to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about this amazing project.
Hopefully, @gidden81 will get back to us with some details on their project.
Given the weight of the door, I suspect several heavy-duty hinges were used. You've then got the gas struts that help raise and hold the door in position. The struts we keep in-store are of the lighter variety, so you might need to speak with our helpful team at your local Bunnings Special Orders desk to order some more industrial-sized versions from our supplier, Goliath.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
@Conquest247
I made a lot of mistakes when I was doing it. I design it so the do reopen on it self when it is shut that how it stay shut. Both of the struts hold about 300kg each. The door is made out of aluminium and so is the frame that the door is in. The rest of the bbq area is made out of timber. the hinge i used m12 hi tensile bolts for me it was all try and error. I wish I could be more helpfully
Looks wonderful @gidden81 👍
I made a lifting wall for my barbecue area - but it takes serious muscle to lift it.
