Michigan Outdoor Living Construction by TRY

outdoorliving_tryconstruction TRY construction specializes in constructing fabulous outdoor living spaces for Michigan residents.

Recently featured in Be Your Best Magazine and The Grand Rapids Press, this outdoor kitchen is a perfect example of how TRY construction can create a functional and beautiful outdoor space for cooking, entertaining, and general enjoyment while increasing the value of your home or property.

Request a Quote

TRY Construction of Grand Rapids, Michigan specializes in the construction of outdoor living spaces such as:

Outdoor Kitchens
Outdoor Bars
Outdoor Grilling Areas
Outdoor Fire-pits
Stone Patio Work
Custom rock and stonework

TRY Construction of Grand Rapids Michigan has work featured in Be Your Best Magazine

Photo by Daniel Johnson, Johnson Graphics: http://www.crossroadone.com

Kitchens without walls

By Kim Racette

Serving a pizza on the curved granite counter top of his outdoor kitchen, Guy Hiestand can see the Port Sheldon Power Station almost 40 miles away.
It was that view that prompted him to install the kitchen – that and Floyd Havemeir, owner of Herman’s Boy in Rockford. Herman’s Boy is a shop that
sells, among many other things, outdoor grills and pizza ovens.

“We met at a football game, and after getting to know each other, Floyd kept bugging me to add an outdoor kitchen on the patio. He really inspired me,” explains Hiestand.

Hiestand’s home is situated at the top of “the ridge” in Gaines Township, one of the highest elevations in West Michigan. He can see greater Grand Rapids and beyond in three directions. His wife, Sandi, wasn’t so sure that adding an outdoor kitchen was a good idea.

“I got a lot of static from my wife when I started talking about it,” says Hiestand. “She didn’t feel it was worth doing because the season for outdoor entertaining can be short in Michigan.”

Against her better judgment, he went ahead with the project, installing cabinets that included a granite island with bar seating, a six-foot-long grill, an under- counter refrigerator, a sink with running water and, of course, a pizza oven.

The Hiestands aren’t alone in wanting to bring the indoors outside. Where in past years, grilling meant firing up the charcoal briquettes and breaking out the paper plates, gas grills are now the norm and features such as outdoor sinks and refrigerators are becoming more common.

Havemeir says that they have seen a growing interest in outdoor entertaining in general. In the section of Herman’s Boy called “the Outdoor Cook we sell barbecue supplies, and on Thursdays throughout the summer we do outdoor cooking classes, which are very popular,” says Havemeir. “Folks learn grilling techniques while we prepare food, and then everybody gets to eat.”

In addition to the pizza ovens, Herman’s Boy also features the Big Green Egg TM, which is not affected by extreme temperatures. Both a griller and a smoker, it is modeled after clay ovens that go back thousands of years.
“The oven has a ceramic coating, so the heat is reflected back into the center. There is very little heat loss, so it’s geared for use year round,” says Havemeir.

Terrace & Trellis, a locally owned firm that designs and builds outdoor living spaces, says that every year they, too, have seen an increase in the demand for outdoor kitchens.

“When designing a space, the homeowner needs to think how the kitchen will be used, and what they want it to include,” says Mandy DeVries, office manager. “Of course a water source and appliances are important, but maybe a television or other electronics should be included. Sheltering the area might also be important, depending on tree cover and how the sun hits the area. Trellises, canopies or maybe a gazebo roof might need to be considered.” Julie VanderArk, a designer at Williams Kitchen & Baths, suggests using outdoor-friendly materials that will last for years to come.

“Pressure-treated woods and cabinets will hold up well, and many times we cover the cabinetry with brick or stone facings,” she says. “Countertops made of cement, granite, tile or stainless can all be used. Appliances are almost always stainless steel.”

She explains that, due to the nature of outdoor kitchens, more unusual-shaped pieces can be used, making the space more fun.

“When the kitchen is not confined by walls, there are so many ways to do free-form design,” says VanderArk. agHiestand and his wife have no regrets about adding their outdoor kitchen.

“I started thinking this might be all too big, but really the kitchen, the stamped concrete sidewalk, the arbor, the koi pond, the upper deck – it all visually balanced out the house,” says Hiestand.

“The kitchen is great just for us, but a few years back we had a graduation party here, and it was so easy with everything right at hand. We found we can seat about 50 people in the backyard, no problem,” he says. “Really the only problem we’ve ever had since we added the kitchen is that, when people come over, they aren’t in any hurry to leave!”