Today a BBQ Island means much more than a barbecue grill and a cooler of beer and soda. While BBQ Islands still have the grill as the central fixture, many have evolved into an extension of the home’s living space. Especially here in Temecula Valley and Murrieta where the sun shines all year round, we want to have an outdoor living space for cooking, entertaining, and relaxing. We want to have the same conveniences that we have inside, if not more. Here at Valley Hot Spring Spas, we work with you to create a perfect BBQ Island that matches your house and your personality. Our Custom BBQ Islands can include pizza ovens, wet bars, kegerators, fire tables, side burners, smokers, warming drawers, and roasting spits.

Where to put your BBQ Island.

We recommend that your BBQ Island be situated near the main house. This allows for easy access to existing utility lines and makes it easy to transport food and other materials to the outdoor cooking area. We also consider wind, sun, shade, and access to amenities (such as a pool or lawn) before choosing the perfect place.

As always, it’s important to consider your outdoor living space’s primary function. Are you a chef-in-training? Then focus on the kitchen appliances, barbecue grill, and layout. Do you plan on throwing dinner parties? Will this be near a pool? Will it just be an area to lounge, eat and relax? Will you want to watch football outside? Will you need a ceiling fan?

Cooking space and the importance of the BBQ Island layout.

You want to be able to move effortlessly from area to area — particularly when working with a potentially dangerous medium like a grill. Take this into account when planning your layout — you don’t want to have to jump from place to place. Can you reach the fridge, pass dishes to your guests and get to the indoor kitchen? Your BBQ Island should have plenty of space to chop up vegetables and meat, mix drinks, and have a little serving station.

Try not to isolate the cook from the rest of the party! Nothing’s worse than getting stuck with grill duty and hearing everyone else having a blast behind your back. Cooking and entertaining places should be seamless, but with a decent amount of separation so there are no dangerous moments when you’re taking the ribs off the grill.

Which BBQ Grill and Appliances to get for your BBQ Island?

In terms of utility, the barbecue grill and appliances you choose for your BBQ Island are a very important investment. Quality is more important than quantity here. Yes, it’d be fun to go crazy and get a rotisserie, warming drawer, AND a pizza oven — but do you really need them all? Be sure to get what you’ll actually use, that it works well, and is made for the outdoors. One of your main decisions will be what size grill to go with.

Entertainment and dining area – Where people gather.

As it is in your home, the hearth is the heart of your outdoor space. Just as people tend to gather in the kitchen, people will gather around the grill. If you like to have people over, odds are you’ll be using your outdoor kitchen for a lot more than just the occasional barbecue. Make good use of this gathering space and set up seating around the BBQ grill and the fire table.

Choose seating that is flexible and can be moved around. Allowing guests to move to and from the dining and lounging areas creates a more casual, intimate environment. Install speakers around your entertaining areas to add to the ambiance.

Valley Hot Spring Spas is the leading retailer of BBQ Islands in Temecula Valley and Murrieta, CA. We would love to help you with designing your perfect outdoor living space.