Many people who have decided to undergo a massive kitchen renovation, inside or outdoor, will rely on the advice of professionals or friends. Too often, weeks after completion, it becomes obvious that they've chosen the wrong style or worse-- the wrong material. This is particularly true in outdoor kitchens. Making the right choice can be the difference between years of sturdy use or expensive repairs, replacements and maintenance costs.

Stainless steel used to be a prized material in outdoor kitchen cabinets, but now many companies are finding that other polymers have a longer-lasting, more beautiful look. Werever products provide these economical alternatives, which are available in enough styles and designs to fit any look.

So, if you're considering stainless steel access doors, first consider the pros and cons of the metal look:

• Outdoor kitchen cabinets are constantly exposed to weather and the elements. Even if you live in a mild climate, direct sunlight, wind, and even splashes from the pool will cause most materials to show damage.
• Steel will eventually rust and corrode, although you can put it off with diligent maintenance and daily cleaning.
• Stainless steel will quickly show watermarks and scratches from everyday use. A single storm could change the look of your outside kitchen equipment forever. And unfortunately, it's hard to match the shade exactly when replacing part of your doors or cabinets.
• There are over 150 grades of stainless steel and even a few weeks of outside time will affect the color.

No matter what material you choose, you may need to replace part of your unit at some point. Accidents can happen, damage can occur and time will eventually wear any product out. It makes sense, however, to go with the more economical choice of a polymer. You'll save money on cleaning products, the polymer cabinets will last longer, and will not rust; furthermore you can avoid low-quality steel cabinets.

When designing your outdoor kitchen, you want to be well-informed in order to avoid costly mistakes. Consider a marine-grade polymer from Werever as a striking alternative to stainless steel. It may open your eyes to looks and designs you hadn't even considered until now. It will certainly save you a lot of time scrubbing and oiling, and it'll keep your cabinets brilliant year-round.

In the sunny span of summer, the family backyard calls, and parents and children tend to treat their lawn as an extension of the home -- and never is this more true than for families that have a quality outdoor kitchen. Such a locale blends the freedom and pleasure of the out-of-doors with the ability to entertain and socialize with family and friends. Outdoor kitchens, contrary to many folks' intuitions, have become more popular as the economy has stagnated -- because many families prefer to be able to entertain in a quality home environment rather than continuously spend money to take family and friends out somewhere. Being unexpectedly stuck in a home you were considering selling can also suddenly bring to front the notion that perhaps investing into making your home a place you'd like to stay is a good idea. Before you go about getting your backyard converted into an entertainment space with an outdoor kitchen, there are some basic things you should ask yourself:

• How can your backyard accommodate a kitchen? If it's not level, not well drained, or (if you're going to put your kitchen on a deck) it can't support the weight of the often-hefty equipment an outdoor kitchen involves, you'll need to solve those problems before a kitchen can become a reality.
• Is your backyard private enough to have a kitchen? It seems like a much less important consideration at first, but many parties will suffer a bit if your backyard is wide open to the neighbors or to an alley that gets frequent traffic.
• Are sun and wind going to be issues? Given the orientation of your property, an outdoor kitchen must be able to handle the prevailing winds, and some form of protection from the brilliant light of the setting sun is also often a necessity.
• Are you ready to work with an inspector and a contractor? Even the simplest of outdoor kitchens isn't an entirely DIY kind of proposition. You'll need an inspector to come out and look at any electrical fixtures, plumbing, and gas lines that the kitchen entails. Also, a contractor to assure proper installation of the counters and cupboards is a very wise investment.

Take those basic items into account, and you'll be well on your way to setting up an outdoor kitchen that the whole family -- and your friends -- will enjoy for years to come.

Outdoor kitchens have evolved more in the last few seasons than any other backyard landscaping concept. Back in the day, an outdoor kitchen was something you might see on the occasional Southern estate, primarily as a way to get food cooked without heating up the house. Fifty years ago, the barbecue grill planted it's hooks firmly into the GIs coming home from World War II, and the classic Grillin' Dad became the cultural icon that it is today. Families appreciated the opportunity to enjoy the unique flavors and out-of-doors experience when the weather was mild, and the patio or back porch became a commonplace addition to any home. Today, however, the typical outdoor kitchen is a much more sophisticated, elaborate place than the last two centuries would ever have supposed. Modern outdoor kitchens are well-stocked, fully-serviced facilities that allow their cooks to prepare, cook, serve, store, and clean up after food with style and ease. They often feature overhangs or awnings to give them some mild protection from the elements, though they are always open to the air. From tropical poolside cabanas with bartending facilities and floating service centers to open-air Tuscan pergolas featuring pasta drying racks and pizza ovens ready to produce uniquely decadent Mediterranean cuisine, outdoor kitchens come in as many varieties as there are homeowners who want one. The one feature that they all have is a grill of some sort, but from there, the details vary wildly. Dishwashers, refrigerators, sinks, heating drawers, smokers, turkey fryers, and even pools, televisions, and movie projectors have made appearances in outdoor kitchens across the country Oversize gas grills with side burners cook food that partygoers can eat while resting on everything from reclining lawn chairs to bar stools to pool edges. Your backyard might seem too small, too hilly, or too brush-filled to accommodate an outdoor kitchen, but dedicated families have found ways to create outdoor kitchens that span multiple terraces of a sloped yard, reach up into a nearby tree-bound deck to get over the brush, and even mini-kitchens that can be easily packed up and rolled inside at the end of the day to allow the kids some room to play. In the end, the decision to go for an outdoor kitchen shouldn't be limited by the details of your yard; a fertile enough imagination can turn almost any space into a cool, outdoor party area.

Outdoor Kitchens can be as simple or as elaborate as your desire and budget can accommodate. With a granite countertop, a couple of side burners, and a quality grill, you can cook. If you want to serve drinks, you'll need to add a refrigerator, an icemaker, and probably a good blender to your list. But that's just the beginning. Imagine what your outdoor kitchen would look like with a dishwasher, a trash compactor, and a flatscreen television with Dolby Surround Sound. Or built-in water features that feed into an infinity pool with a floating bartending station. Or an espresso machine, coffee grinder, and rack of flavored syrups. The possibilities are endless, and the right outdoor kitchen company can help you put together almost anything you can imagine. But if your budget -- or space -- are limited, it helps to think first of what you use most in your indoor kitchen, and how to minimize trips inside. In general, for example, you're going to keep your dishes inside anyway, so an outdoor dishwasher won't actually save you any trips. On the other hand, you probably won't want to run inside every time you need a little water, so an outdoor sink is an excellent thing to plan for in almost every outdoor kitchen. In general, the most basic outdoor kitchen that sees regular use is going to need a grill with some side burners, a sink, a mini-fridge, some counter space, a spice rack, and some cooking utensils. The cost of such a kitchen will vary widely depending on the materials you choose to use, but in general you want to plan on about $1000 per square foot of countertop. It's a rough estimate, but that will generally leave you with plenty left over after the cupboards and counters are designed to get appropriate appliances to fill it out with. If you plan on going crazy with the gadgets and entertainment, double that. The process for selecting individual appliances should be centered on three things, in this order of importance: how well they'll survive being outside all year round, how much you enjoy using them, and how much they cost. Getting a $50 blender instead of a $200 blender is going to cost you in the long run if you have to replace the blender every Spring because it doesn't survive the winter. Invest in your outdoor kitchens up front, and they'll do you well for many years to come.

When you've got a great backyard, you want to do something with it -- and when it comes to stuff you can do with a backyard, outdoor kitchens rank pretty high on the 'cool' scale. Offering something for everyone, the ability to grill, cook, and entertain entirely outside - with no awkward shuffling in and out through the back door to get ingredients or socialize - is rapidly becoming the sign of a great party. Here are 5 amazing ideas -- think of them as jumping-off points -- to help you design a great outdoor kitchen Nature Imagine a nature-themed outdoor kitchen with fine stone countertops, wooden cabinets, and leafy decor. Complemented nicely by a fire pit and adding a colorful ambiance to any grilling experience, a nature themed outdoor kitchen can be built to blend in with the backyard or with the house itself, either way creating an entertaining space that looks like an entirely natural extension of the area around it. Old School If you'd like to have a retro, turn-of-the-last-century feel to your outdoor kitchen, look to build the framework out of red bricks. Top that with some wrought iron implements and slate countertops, and the look will be perfect. The slate may be a little more costly, but the brick will be cheap enough to make up for it. Both are very durable for an outdoor environment and pretty easy to get your hands on Modern Even an outdoor kitchen can easily be given a modern feel by combining shining stainless steel fixtures with a polished concrete countertop. Combine that with some up-to-date appliances in glass-fronted cupboards, and you're well on your way to a modernist kitchen for the ages. The Mini-Kitch Maybe you don't have a half-acre sprawling backyard with a pool and a putting green. Maybe you're dealing with a relatively small space -- but that doesn't mean you can't have a decent outdoor kitchen. All you really need to make it happen is a sink and a bit of storage space. Everything else, even the grill, can be small and portable so you can store it in the garage when you're not using it. The forms and functions that today's outdoor kitchens can take are phenomenal -- check them out today!

Building your own outdoor kitchen is becoming a more and more popular thing to do in the warmer southern areas. Of course, few homeowners have the wherewithal to actually DIY an entire outdoor kitchen; a designer and a contractor are virtual necessities if you're going to come up with killer outdoor kitchen. It might seem like this trend runs counter to the general state of the economy, but for the right families, an outdoor kitchen can make an incredible investment.

If you're the kind of gang that often invites over guests and would often take them somewhere in town to enjoy the warm evenings and the sunsets, an outdoor kitchen can actually save you thousands of dollars in "nights out" over the years. It's actually cheaper in the long run to invest once in a high quality outdoor kitchen than it is to continually drive into town to feed your guests.

With the myriad of pieces of equipment that are available for use in well-built outdoor kitchens, and companies like Werever offering free equipment consultations, it's easier and funner than ever to build yourself the perfect outdoor cooking paradise. The process is very straightforward -- call your designer, tell them what you're looking for. They'll come out and survey the space, talk to you about your budget, and come up with a few options for you.

You have innumerable options; the classic gas grill is only the centerpiece of a top-notch outdoor kitchen. Accessories like smokers, side burners, refrigerators, pizza ovens, and even bartending stations make frequent appearances in modern outdoor kitchens. Some companies sell these items as built-in pieces of your kitchen, others will require you to work with their contractor to find or build the right space for any accessories you want.

Of course, depending on your environment, you'll want to take different things into account. If you live in or near a wetlands, you'll want screens or at least a place to put some citronella torches to keep the mosquitoes at bay. If you live further north, you might want to consider a woodstove or some built-in heat lamps to let the party run further into the night without breaking up due to cold.

Whatever you end up building, the basic process holds: get a designer, get a survey, and talk shop -- then find a company that can provide you with the parts and pieces, and get to building. Creating your own outdoor kitchen has never been easier or more fun than it is today.

If your kitchen is the heart of your home, the outdoor kitchen is the soul. The expanding trend of outdoor kitchen making has turned grilling from a summertime art into an almost year-round standard that transforms your backyard into another room in the house. A room where kids do their homework and wives talk about their workday while Dad grills up some brats for dinner -- away from the TV and the subtle hum of the compact fluorescent bulbs. In the early spring, an outdoor kitchen can grill up some teriyaki-pineapple rubbed salmon with a side of roasted peppers in a matter of minutes, all without pulling the cook away from their family -- or giving the cook the perfect chance to get away from the family, as the case may be. As summer gives way to autumn, the ribs and brats give way to roasts and grilled potatoes, but the action doesn't have to come inside. Rotisserie chicken made over the grill has a unique appeal as an outdoor dinner for the fall, as well. Moreover, Halloween parties can be catered from the middle of the action, so the cook doesn't have to slave away in a separated, lonely room while the party echoes down the hall. But don't think that meats are all that outdoor kitchens are good for. A modern outdoor grill is a commercial-grade cooking machine with features that are carefully designed to maximize the grill's usefulness. A standard modern grill can handle the usual variety of meats alongside fish, corn and other vegetables, and of course the ubiquitous potato. Moreover, in a truly luxury outdoor kitchen, the grill is only the beginning. High-end outdoor kitchens can include a wide variety of optional accessories, from turkey fryers to bartending stations to built-in televisions and even garbage compactors! Almost anything that could be found in an indoor kitchen has a modern outdoor variant that can be worked in if you're willing to work with your contractor. Among those are space heaters, heat lamps, or directional heaters -- specialized tools that allow you to grill, and your family to enjoy the space -- even in early spring or late fall.

Having an outdoor kitchen is kind of like having a time machine. Or at least being able to save a few hours every week. Usually, you've got to go out of your way to find the time so socialize with your kids, chat with your wife, or generally interact in a meaningful sense with your family. Add an outdoor kitchen, however, and you've changed all of that overnight. The dynamic is just so different when you have the ability to cook outside while your family joins you. outdoor kitchens allow you to interact and get all of that vital social time in an environment that's not plagued by televisions, video games, and other distractions. Of course, the central item in this shrine to family values is the grill. What's more classic than Dad, hanging out under the open sky, searing tasty meats over the heat of a butane-powered flame? Grilling in an outdoor kitchen gives you an excuse to spend more time with your family, delicious food to share with the ones you love, and a chance to get everyone to appreciate freedom from the four walls all at once. Grills themselves are usually stainless steel, and they come in thousands of variations. When you're talking about an outdoor kitchen, however, you're not talking about a standalone grill -- you need a real man's grill; a grill that is built directly into the bricks, steel, or stone that comprise the foundation of your kitchen. No pansy wood here -- that stuff would burn. The counters that get set up around the grill -- your prep surfaces -- are usually also stone, though some brave types run with steel. It takes a brave man, as well, to purchase a grill independently of setting up their outdoor kitchen; it's much easier to work directly with the contractor that builds your kitchen and purchase a grill that is made to fit in the gap you'll have. Getting the grill that's right for you is central to making sure that you'll actually use and get value from your outdoor kitchen -- if you don't love your grill, you won't use it, plain and simple...so do it right the first time.