Outdoor kitchen project (deck and awning)

[funksoulbro1]

G'day DIYers. Thought I'd share with you the biggest DIY project I've ever attempted. We're basically extending our alfresco area to include an awning, deck and outdoor kitchen. 

Here is the space, I hope you enjoy the journey as I embark upon new DIY methods never done before. I consider myself quite handy, happy to give anything a crack once. 

...

We started with the awning. I was going to purchase a kit and install it myself. Stratco kits were so expensive so I employed a local builder to supply and install for pretty much the same cost. 

The goal for the whole project was to produce a maintenance free area. So we chose the use of steel and composite materials throughout.

The awning consists of aluminium posts, beams and gutters. The ceiling is insulated and we incorporated 2 led lights to match the LEDs in situ under the alfresco.

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To ensure the space is weatherproof, I constructed a steel frame using Krauff tracks and wall studs from Bunnings. This is to support the blueboard sheets.

Mounting the sheets was difficult, just because of the weight of the material. Thank goodness for quick grips.

Then I applied the cement joint compound to cover the joints and screw heads.

We chose the finish the kitchen splashback with Dulux Texturecoat. First we primed the wall.

Nearly stopped the project there and converted the area to a home cinema,  but we pressed on and applied the texturecoat.

Then it was time to construct the deck. The sub-floor would be built using 100x500x2.0 galvanised steel bearers and joists on a single plane. The 2 main bearers would be attached to the side of the alfresco slab and attached to the awning posts. The bearer on the house side is 7m in length and extends beyond the alfresco to the retaining wall. Getting those 2 bearers installed was challenging due the weight and lengths.

After that I set the posts and attached the remaining bearers and joists.

Prior to this I ran power and water from nearby sources. I also have a stormwater drain at the rear corner where the awning gutters feed into. 

The sub-floor follows the level of the alfresco which falls away to the rear of the yard. This is evident when you see the bottom of the splashback and the level of the bearer. 

After completing the sub-floor, we ordered the composite decking from Bunnings (ekodeck) and installed the boards. I chose to install breaker boards to avoid any butt joints in the decking boards. 

And added some chairs for looks.

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Kitchen construction time. Another trip to Bunnings to purchase appliances and the material for the kitchen cabinets. In keeping with the maintenance free theme I choose 65mm Klauff steel tracks and wall studs. They were built around the 2 door Matadoor fridge also purchased from Bunnings. 

So that's where I'm up to as at 12 March 2021. Will keep you posted as I continue. Next step, connect power for the fridge, purchase cabinet cladding, bench tops and install sink and bbq rangehood.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Paul.

[funksoulbro1]

Hi @Ekodeck,

This reply comes from a DIY home owner who has never built a deck before in his life but was happy to give it a crack. The decision to use your product was based on the vast amount of tutorial information that was available to me (website, youtube etc) and to the composite material that ensured a long life due to its guarantee and warranty. The lengths are a little tricky to work with but is not impossible for one person to handle. Cutting the material is easy with a standard sized dropsaw. Once the first board is set, the rest of the installation is quite straight forward. The trick was to not fix them down until 3 rows are in place and all square. I installed a breaker board to avoid the use of butt joints, that was the best decision I made to ensure the best outcome and finish. Care needs to be taken with furniture or other items when moving them across the surface as the product scratches quite easily. I have 25% exposed to the elements and so far it's holding up quite well. Cleaning is easy, my tip is to squeegy the surface after washing it down for a good finish. Overall, very happy with my decision to purchase the Designer Series boards and would recommend their use to anyone embarking on a similar project.

[Asanga14]

Hi mate 

I was just wondering what kind of material was made for the cabinetry and is it suitable for outdoor use.

thanks

[Jason]

Thanks for joining in the discussion @Asanga14.

Let me tag @funksoulbro1 so they are alerted to your question about the cabinetry. 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. We're so pleased to have you join us and look forward to reading about all your projects and plans. Are you planning your own outdoor kitchen project? We'd love to hear more. 

Please don't hesitate to post anytime you have something to share with the community or need a hand with a project around the house and garden. We're sure you will get plenty of helpful information, advice and inspiration from our amazing community members.

Jason

[funksoulbro1]

Hi @Asanga14 ,

The cabinet linings are a composite material. The light grey lining under the sink and to the RHS of the fridge was purchased on eBay. The lining under the BBQ are offcuts from the ekodeck decking I installed, this is also composite. Both materials are OK for outdoor use, including the benchtops. Although my kitchen as you can see is under a patio awning but is susceptible to rain on windy days.

Cladding info - https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/LIGHT-GREY-Outdoor-WPC-Wall-Cladding-Timber-Wood-look-Paneling-Ceiling-P... 

Paul

[Asanga14]

Hi Paul,

Thank you very much information 

asanga

[Hall489]

This project looks fantastic, i know you have briefly described the material for deck substructure and steel structure for benches but can you explain the products used for me to find? were they from bunnings? Thank you

[EricL]

Hello @Hall489

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's fabulous to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your question about the deck materials.

Let me tag @funksoulbro1 to make them aware of your questions. Unfortunately, the deck steel framing is not a standard stock item. Information about the deck steel framing is available at the store's special orders desk. The composite decking is located in the store's timber yard. Please note that not all the colours will be in stock some of them will have to be ordered in. 

Are you planning on building your own outdoor kitchen area? Or are you only building a deck? 

If you have any other questions regarding this project, please don't hesitate to post them.

Eric

[funksoulbro1]

@Hall489 

Thanks for your kind words. The complete steel sub-structure was measured off my detailed drawings and supplied by infrabuild. The kitchen bench frames was supplied by Bunnings using Knauf wall partitions. Hope that answers your questions.

[Hall489]

Any tips on how you built your framework and cabinetry for this great looking setup?

[EricL]

Hello @Hall489

Let me tag @funksoulbro1 to make them aware of your questions. As a general rule, I recommend keeping the height of the cabinets at 900mm. This is the equivalent height to kitchen cabinets inside your home. so If you're using a 40mm stone top the steel frame should be built up to 860mm so that the total height will be 900mm. I also suggest keeping the cabinet widths to standard so that you will not have to make oversized doors.

For example, just keep the cabinet sizes fixed at 300mm, 450mm, 600mm, 800mm, and 900mm. This in turn will make it easy for you to measure doors for your cabinets. You then make doors sized at 300mm, 400mm, and 450mm. You then double up for the bigger sizes, 2 x 300mm for a 600mm cabinet and so on. It looks like they used composite decking for their cabinet covers, if they did this cabinet assembly will definitely last a long time.

The only frame and cabinet I believe that needs to be custom in size will be the one for the bbq cooker.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric