Grill, chill and build value

By Emma Peterson. 

Learn how you can help your clients boost their home’s value with an outdoor kitchen! 

Over the years we have seen the rise of house renovations and DIYs as a way to increase the value of an investment into a home or property. If you have clients interested in ways to increase the resale value of their home, one of the best ways to do this is through adding outdoor living spaces, like a kitchen!  

The ROI of outdoor kitchens 

Overall, home values are important even if the homeowner isn’t selling immediately, as investing in property can raise personal wealth through assets. So, how are these values determined? When a home is appraised, there are three angles the appraiser will use to assess the property:  

• Sales comparison: With this approach, the appraiser looks at comparable properties in the area and what they sold at.  
• Cost analysis: This uses a mathematical calculation that takes the price of land and adds it to the cost of construction and improvements made on the home. Then depreciation is subtracted, creating a value calculation. 
• Income capitalization: This method takes a future-looking perspective to determine not just the present worth of the property, but also the future benefits. 

While each of these methods look at a house’s value slightly differently, there are ways to improve a home’s value no matter which one is used, such as a new paint job on the home, an upgraded roof or added amenities, such as an outdoor kitchen!  

That last one, building an outdoor kitchen, is a great option for homeowners who are looking to add value, both to their lifestyle and their home’s worth. Not only do outdoor kitchens create a great space for them to host their friends and family, according to Absolute Outdoor Kitchens, they can also lead to a return on investments (ROI) of at least 100% or even up to 200%. While this range might feel wide, in comparison ROI on investing in an in-ground pool can be as low as 7%. 

What to include in an outdoor kitchen 

So, how do you build an outdoor kitchen that will garner a high ROI for your homeowners? The first step is to think about the project in context of the entire home. An article from Werever Products explains, “While your outdoor kitchen will obviously serve a very functional purpose, it’s important to remember that it will also become a key visual element in your yard. The look of any kitchen, whether indoor or outdoor, will impact the value that it adds. Make sure that the features and materials you choose create a seamless, beautiful experience.” 

From there, it’s time to look at your client’s budget and start choosing the appliances, materials and amenities that are going to be a part of the kitchen. This can be a challenging phase as “with any major project, it is natural for homeowners will want to keep the cost of installing their outdoor kitchen manageable. But it’s also critical not to set the budget so low that you sacrifice the overall quality of materials and installation.”  

Here are some top features to make sure to talk to them about investing in: 

• Grill: Creating a space for a grill is a great way to balance both function and visual appeal. By building it in, you can create a way to seamlessly integrate a key cooking tool into the aesthetics of the home and yard. 
• Cabinets: When working in outdoor spaces, durability becomes even more vital. It’s important to help your clients understand the value of investing in “strong material like UV-stabilized High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), which has the added benefit of requiring very little maintenance compared to other materials such as stainless steel,” for their outdoor kitchen cabinets. 
• Counters: Similarly, it is key to guide homeowners towards durable, quality materials for their outdoor counters. Not only do you want to provide them with a countertop that will look good over years of outdoor exposure, you want it to be highly functional as a food prep space!  
• Appliances: This is one of the areas that your client can pick and choose what they want to include in their build. Some things might be less necessary, like a pizza oven, while more universal appliances like a refrigerator has better chance of adding more value to a home. But no matter what appliances they want, make sure they are investing in quality products designed to be used outdoors. 
• Lighting: Incorporating lighting into an outdoor space, not just an outdoor kitchen, is a great, cost-effective way to increase the value of a home. This is also an area that its worth investing in more up front, as the ROI for lighting really depends on the type, quality and location of the features.  
• Ventilation: Too often ventilation is forgotten when working in an outdoor space. But it is especially important for outdoor kitchens that are covered or under the eave of the house. Not only does good ventilation make it more comfortable to cook, it is often required by local building codes and it can help avoid smoke damage that might lower the value of the home.  

Other factors to consider 

It’s important to make sure your clients know that increasing home value is not a one-and-done situation. Oftentimes, it is continual improvements, even if it is as small as planting new flowers in the front lawn, that can help keep up their home’s value. But, big investments in things like outdoor kitchens are a great opportunity to give that value a big boost, and create a new way for them to enjoy their space! 

Image source: Werever.com