Cooking in the garden: How to build your own outdoor kitchen

In the first step, you’ll need all of the supports and beams for the outdoor kitchen module. Start by measuring out the corresponding pieces of wood (picture one) and saw them to the lengths specified above (picture two).
Then, sand all of the sawn edges (picture three).

When you’re finished, you should have all the supports and beams with the measurements specified in the list of materials in front of you.

It’s now time to take care of the sides of your kitchen module.
To do this, you first need to join two long supports (900 mm) together using a shorter beam (450 mm).
Do this by drilling two holes on each side (picture one) and then screwing the pieces of wood together (picture two).

Repeat this step again so you have two identical sides.

Now, take the two completed sides and stand them upright on your work surface.
You’ll need two additional wooden beams from step 1 with a length of 460 mm to connect them and form a frame. Position them between the two sides (picture one).
Then, drill holes on the inside of all four corners (picture two) before screwing everything together to form a frame (picture three).

You now need to attach two additional beams to the module to give it some stability. Do this by measuring 100 mm from the lower end of the four supports (picture one). Attach the beams in the correct position so they act as cross braces and drill holes through the middle of each to the beam beneath (picture two). Now, screw everything together (picture three).

For the next step, you’ll need a thin wooden board measuring 800 x 320 18 mm. You can cut this to size yourself or you can get one that has already been sawn to length at your local DIY store.

Now, insert the board into one side between the supports and clamp it in place.
Then, drill holes through just the board (picture one) and screw it to the beams behind in the four corners (picture two).

Repeat this step on the opposite side to form the second side wall.

You can’t have an outdoor kitchen module without a bottom panel.
As in the previous step, you can also get this wooden board already sawn to length (460 x 360 x 18 mm) from your local DIY store.

Insert the panel so that it is resting on the lower beam. Drill the appropriate holes and screw it down tightly in all four corners.

Now, attach a back wall to the kitchen module.
Make this easier by first turning the frame you’ve already built on its side so that the back side is facing up (picture one).

Now, place the corresponding wooden board on to the frame, drill holes in the four corners and screw the back wall on tightly (picture two) – just like you did before in the previous steps.

You can add the finishing touch to your kitchen module by giving it a splash of colour. Seeing as you’ll probably want to use it in the garden or on the patio, you should definitely use weatherproof wood paint.

A paint spray system is best-suited for adding some colour. It goes without saying that it’s entirely up to you how to decorate your module.

You can also cover up the front of the module with doors – as we have in our picture – depending on your taste and how you’re going to use your outdoor kitchen. To do this, you’ll need the right-sized wooden boards – it’s up to you if they’re painted or not – and the appropriate hinges.

In the previous steps, we have shown you how you can build a small module for your outdoor kitchen yourself in just a few simple steps (far right in the picture).
Of course, it’s up to you to decide exactly how you want your weatherproof kitchenette to look and how big you want it to be, as well as how you want to adapt it to the circumstances in your garden or on your patio.

The process for building larger modules is always exactly the same. Once you’ve decided on a size and built a frame, simply attach a suitable worktop to finish things off. In our case, we chose to use a wooden board made from oak.

To install one, you’ll need to measure out the right-sized hole in your worktop (picture one) and saw it out. It’s best to make use of plunge cut technology to do this (picture two). Our expert, Dino, will show you exactly how this works here [in German].
All that’s left to do now is insert the basin (picture three).

You can often find outdoor sinks that come in a set with taps at your local DIY store. In our case, installing the tap (requires the appropriate hole to be drilled) also fastens the basin in place. There are, of course, different sizes of sinks and taps. Get some advice from your local DIY store as to what’s best for your outdoor kitchen.

As you can see, the instructions for personalising your outdoor kitchen are not meticulous. This is where you can take over the planning yourself and unleash your creative side to adapt the modules as you see fit.

The end result will definitely be worth it – and you can enjoy lots of delicious meals and barbeque evenings with family and friends.