DIY Outdoor Kitchens in High Demand During Recession and Low Gas Prices

Homeowners Are Building Their Own Outdoor Kitchens and Saving Thousands of Dollars.

With the current recession combined with the huge savings on gasoline prices many homeowners are going ahead with their Outdoor Kitchen projects. But unlike the good old days when they would take out an equity loan for ,000 and pay their contractor to build it. Homeowners are now more frugal and going with the DIY approach.

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"It's amazing how much money our family saved by building our own outdoor kitchen" says Jacqui Webb of Santa Barbara. We used a BBQ frame kit that screwed together. My husband was able to put the frame together in half a day. He then installed the cement board and finished it with a Travertine countertop and stucco siding.

We saved with a 5 burner Jenn Air grill from Lowes, a Firemagic access door, a Costco fridge and a bar sink form the Home Depot. This combination of appliances cost us under 00. This is very inexpensive for an outdoor kitchen. We are very happy with the results and it is something we use all the time.

The average homeowner can build an outdoor kitchen. Most homeowner have experience with projects such as tile, basic power tools, etc. However, many have no experience with steel framing. Homeowners find steel framing to be wobbly and difficult to make 90 degree angles because they have not been taught the professional techniques to avoid these common problems.

There is little information about framing BBQ islands at your local book store. The truth is that no one in the industry wants to teach people how to build their own BBQ islands. They much rather sell it to you for 20 or 30 times the price of materials as a luxury item. For most homeowners it is best to purchase a pre-cut steel frame kit. These kits assemble similar to Ikea furniture.

Make 2009 the year your family adds this wonderful amenity to your home. Stay home, invite the family and friends over and enjoy a great time with your new outdoor kitchen. And just thinking of all the money you saved in the process will really make you smile.

DIY Outdoor Kitchens in High Demand During Recession and Low Gas Prices

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How to Build an Outdoor Step With Retaining Blocks

Building outdoor steps doesn't have to be hard or expensive. You can spend hundreds of dollars measuring and cutting out wooden stairs. In fact you'll even need to use higher math to figure out rise over run, the correct angle and such. It's a pain and your time is better spent putting in a stair system that is not only as attractive but lasts longer. Why not build some outdoor steps with retaining blocks? All you need to learn how to build an outdoor step with retaining blocks is a little bit of planning, and some sweat.

The first step is to measure how tall, wide, and long your steps will be.

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With these measurements you can place an order at a home improvement store and get exactly what you need delivered right where you want it.

The only tool you should need to build the steps is a shovel.

Like any building, a safe sturdy foundation is the key to success.

Remove any grass or plants from around the entire step area.

Smooth and level the dirt using one of the retaining blocks to compact the dirt.

Now that you have a level area for your steps you can start laying the retaining blocks.

Start at the back of the stairway. This is where your highest step will go. Lay a row of retaining blocks the entire width of the stairway you've designed.

When laying these blocks be sure that they sit flush with one another and don't move around. You can twist and tap them into place until you have a secure fit.

Repeat this for the entire length of the stair run.

Now that you've laid the first set of steps do the same thing again.

Start at the back and lay another row on top of the first moving towards the front of the stair.

The second row will stop about 12 inches, or 1 retaining block length before the bottom row.

That's all there is to learning how to build an outdoor step out of retaining blocks.

Keep repeating the pattern, checking for stability in each row, until you've finished off the top step.

For added stability grab a few bags of really fine sand and sweep it into the stair cracks. It isn't required but can add some extra stability.

Depending on how high the stairs are you may want to build handrails. This isn't as hard as it looks. All you need to do is measure from the ground to 4 feet above the top stair.

Sink a post in the ground to this height

Sink another one at the foot of the stairwell 4 feet above the ground.

Lay a plank across the 2 posts and nail together.

Setting up a set of stairs using concrete retaining blocks is an easy affordable job that anyone can handle. All you need is a little time, materials and this guide and voila you know how to build an outdoor step with retaining blocks.

How to Build an Outdoor Step With Retaining Blocks

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