Photos: ©2015 Ian Raymond. www.raymondphoto.com.

It was around mid-summer in 2013 when the couple became serious about creating an Outdoor Room. By that we mean serious enough to begin staking out an area in the backyard, discussing various products and brands, and actually talking to an architect.

Up to that point they had been relatively content with the 12-by-eight ft. screened porch in the front of the house. That was ample room for a loveseat, two comfortable chairs, a coffee table and an old wooden table with peeling blue paint. There was a music system, of course, as well as sconce lighting and a ceiling fan.

A floor of white oak and a ceiling of whitewashed pine tie the three areas together.

They used that porch year after year, when weather allowed. Then, in the spring of 2013, the weather was perfect every day, far better than usual. They began to start every day with coffee on the porch while watching the colors emerge over the mountain range and the deer at play in the field.

At the end of the day, when work was done, the couple would head straight for the porch where they could relax, catch up on a few things, and enjoy a bottle of wine and a bit of aged parmesan.

But the main attraction was just being outside – the freshness and smell of the air, the sight of a blue sky and the sounds of birds. It became apparent that the porch was way too small; its enjoyment had to be interrupted in order to cook meals, watch TV or get another bottle of wine. It was clear that more space was needed.

There was ample room in the backyard for the addition of an Outdoor Room, and that area would also be protected from dust churned up by the few cars that use the dirt road on which the house was built.

The couple’s first thought was of an open porch, large enough to house an outdoor kitchen, plus sitting and dining areas. Mosquitos and black flies were problems handled years ago with the purchase of two Mosquito Magnets – one at each end of the house. So there wasn’t a need for screening.

But birds would certainly nest in the rafters and sully tables and chairs with their droppings. That wouldn’t do.

Screening the porch would solve the problem of birds, but not the encroachment of snow, which would cover, and eventually damage, some of the furniture. Plus, neither of those first two thoughts would solve the problem of being outside cooking in freezing temperatures.

French doors connect the addition to the kitchen in the Cape. Sofas and chair are of banana leaf, the coffee table is teak.

After consultation with an architect, the solution became clear: Create a large addition – approximately 740 sq. ft. – with ample room for an outdoor kitchen, dining area and sitting area. Install Marvin sliding doors to fill five openings between 12 and 17 ft. in width and eight ft. in height. The ceiling itself would be 11 ft. high.

Because the house was built in 1776, with massive beams for framing, the same would be done with the addition. Hemlock was selected for the posts and headers, white oak for the floor, with horizontal pine boards covering the house wall.

The plumber recommended hydronic radiant heat for the floor, embedded in a concrete slab. It was felt that this alone would be sufficient to heat the area; however, a small gas furnace/air conditioner was installed in the attic as further protection against temperatures that drop to 15 or so below every winter and can reach 100 degrees in the summer.

It wasn’t surprising that the kitchen was the most complicated area of the addition to construct (isn’t that usually the case?). The kitchen cabinets had been ordered when the concept was to build an open porch; they are of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), a product originally designed for the marine industry. Now that the room would be undercover and totally enclosed, such a rugged product wasn’t really needed, but it was welcome.

The cabinets hold a 36-in. grill, power burner, warming drawer and refrigerator; a wine cooler has space for 40 bottles, and is placed beneath a countertop oven (for pizza, steaks, etc.) that has been encased in granite tile – similar to the capstone that runs the perimeter of the addition.

The kitchen has a power burner, warming drawer, grill, vent, refrigerator, wine cooler, countertop (pizza) oven, a sink and an Evo.

The entire line of appliances is backed by five casement windows to ensure proper draft. When those windows are cranked open, and the five large sliding doors opened, the feeling is similar to being outside. Even a slight breeze moves rapidly through the area.

The kitchen island is topped by an 800 lb. granite slab 10 ft. long and 4.5 ft. across; it holds a sink as well as an Evo grill, and rests on more HDPE cabinets.

When the Town Safety Officer and the Building Inspector were informed that a grill would be placed under cover, their reaction was that a mechanical engineer was needed to determine proper safety precautions. One was hired, and his recommendation was to install a vent hood with a 1,200 cfm fan. An air exchanger was also installed in the attic (although it wasn’t deemed necessary), protection against any smoke that might escape the hood.

Now, almost a year has passed since completion of the addition and that vent hood has done its job well. Not once has smoke escaped to soil the ceiling. Temperatures have so far dropped to 7 degrees F and the radiant heat from the floor has been sufficient to maintain the set temperature (70 degrees).

The only major problem is in the past. When heat was first turned on in the floor, the white oak boards buckled as they soaked up moisture from the concrete slab. The slab had not been left to dry – or cure – for a long enough time; the builder had little to no experience with radiant flooring.

The Twin Eagles’ Salamangrill, positioned above the True wine cooler, does much more than cook a pizza; the unit is encased in salt and pepper granite to match what is used on the perimeter of the structure.

The addition has taken over as the space is used morning, noon and night. Unlike the Cape itself, it has light flowing through those walls of glass throughout the day. It’s bright; it’s cheery, and everything is handy.  

The home is in northern New England, a cold climate with long winters and much snow. Like many others living in the Snowbelt, this couple had barbecued outside many times during the winter. They cooked ribs some Saturday nights when the temperature was 25 degrees F., and chicken on the rotisserie when temperatures dropped to 10 degrees and the wind chill made it feel like five below zero.

That was not much fun, but they both took some pride in roughing it like that – you know, the pioneer spirit.

But after many years of cooking in freezing temperatures, the fun had melted and they both wanted to find a better solution. That’s when they became serious about creating an Outdoor Room Inside.

How many other people and families in the Snowbelt love to barbecue but are tired of doing so in freezing weather that demands an outfit of boots, warm pants, heavy jacket, hat and gloves? This is a huge market that could be tapped in a variety of ways.

The couple in this article wanted a warmer way of barbecuing year-round. However, they also wanted a bright space with a lot of light that was lacking in their home, as well as a dining area and sitting area (for talking, TV, etc.). They wanted more than a warm place to grill.

Others could follow in their footsteps with far less cost. The space could be scaled down to 200 sq. ft. Heat could be provided with a wood or gas stove or fireplace. Just a grill and hood are needed, not a huge array of appliances.

It would require that local officials be willing to be a bit pliable, and defer to a mechanical engineer as in the case above. Checking with local officials at the beginning of the project is necessary. The result is well worth the effort.

Resources

Grill – Twin Eagles
Power Burner – Twin Eagles
Warming Drawer – Twin Eagles
Salamangrill (Pizza Oven) – Twin Eagles
Refrigerator –Twin Eagles
Wine Cooler – True
Hood – Proline ProV
Evo – Evo
Cabinets – Select Outdoor Kitchens
Dining Chairs – Summer Classics
Teak Coffee Table – Summer Classics
Fans – Casablanca