Cooking Under a Pergola: The Questions to Resolve Before Buying

Mid-way through dinner, the rain begins. The side screens are lowered and the louvres are closed. How has that affected the barbecue under them?

That question should be part of the design review, prior to ordering the kitchen and pergola. A picture of an open terrace cannot determine if all the setups people can make are appropriate for cooking.

The appliance receives a vote.

Start with its precise model, fuel, intended use and destination-market manual. A pergola company can't get rid of the cooking appliance restrictions by stating its roof is appropriate for outdoor kitchens.

For instance, one guide to Weber charcoal barbecues forbids using it under cover of overhead combustible construction or in an enclosed space. This is a limitation on the appliance that is covered by that document. It should not be used as a blanket requirement for other equipment.

An aluminium roof also doesn't end the argument. Other constraints can be imposed by nearby walls, coatings, screens, furniture and accessories. Nor does the capacity of a roof to control rain water prove that an appliance can run underneath it.

Provide full manuals and site drawings to the qualified professionals responsible for the installation. They must determine if the proposed use is allowed and if additional specialist design is needed.

Look at the terrace that people will be living on

The configurations that are relevant are not only the fully open configuration as in the sales picture, but also the one that people select when it's cold or raining.

Demonstrate roof and side closures in place. Include nearby building doors and windows, planned heaters and any other proposed enclosure. The project team must identify which configurations are permitted and how those limits will be managed during use. A reminder sign should not be assumed sufficient.

Outdoor gas appliances can be a deadly CO risk when used indoors, warns Energy Safe Victoria. The suitability of a specific partly enclosed site will depend on the relevant local evaluation. To say that it is an “outdoor room” is a description of the design, not that assessment.

What will happen to the smoke and ash?

The issues of rain protection and cooking conditions are separate issues. A protected worktop can stay dry while guests are impacted by smoke, grease accumulates above or heat impacts nearby materials.

Those questions must be answered by the appliance manufacturer and the appropriate local experts. If extraction is proposed, its suitability should be considered as part of the overall arrangement. The use of an open louvre setting, domestic range hood or extra fan is not a universal solution.

Space needs to be dedicated to maintenance in the review. The affected surfaces will need to be cleaned and the installation inspected by someone. If this means that some roof equipment unrelated to the problem needs to be removed, it is preferable to find the problem on a drawing.

Retain cabinetry behind site decision.

It's easy to get approval for cabinets before the questions are even asked about the installation. That can get the project stuck in an appliance position that no one has reviewed.

A good sequence for release is: define the cooking task and appliance model, get the relevant documents, sort out the location, and then arrange the cabinets and services. That is followed by final production approval. It cannot guarantee local approval, but it doesn't spend money as if it had been granted.

The record should include who has reviewed what. A comment by a cabinet supplier on a cut-out does not reflect an installer's evaluation of the cooking site. Any changes to the appliance or any side enclosure must be reconsidered when the appliance changes or a side enclosure is added.

One of the competitors' articles on kitchens and louvred pergolas can be a source of inspiration for a layout. It will not be able to determine the suitability of another product at another location.

Luvia Outdoor coordinates sourcing with specialist production partners for outdoor kitchens and pergolas. Take the reviewed arrangement to the product discussion. If local decisions are left to the professionals who will have to implement them, the sourcing can be brief and describe a package that the project can use.