Fishing for Outdoor Barbecue Cabinets

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases (more).

outdoor cabinetsWell, they’re all the rage these days, so get ready, ‘cause sooner or later the Jones’ or the Smith’s are going to get them. And then you’ll get invited to the damn Smith’s or Jones’ and on the way home, even though you try your best to steer things in another direction, the comments will start. And it won’t do any good, even though you mention her hair, how young she looks, how old that Smith or Jones hag looked – even if you offered her another glass of wine…  it will all be to no avail. She’ll see through you like the plate glass window you are, and the whole time you’ll know it’s coming.

Take the Bait You Will – If She Wants Outdoor Cabinets

“So……. I see the (insert neighbor here) have some outdoor barbecue cabinets. They looked pretty cool.” (She throws out the bait.)

“Uh, they were OK, I guess.” (Indifference, first line of defense.  You don’t even notice the bait!)

“They looked expensive with the stainless steel .”  (She lets out a little more line.)

“Not really, the doors are mostly hollow.  I would order stainless steel pans and put some PVC in ‘em so they felt solid.” (just nibbling the edges, no worries, no hookup here!)

“Yeah, but you couldn’t make cabinets as nice as the (Insert friggin’ name again.) have.  They got theirs at (insert overpriced store here).” (She’s taking up the slack in the line, ever so slowly.)

“Are you kidding me? I could knock those boxes out in a week with better doors, better drawers and ……” (Oh no!  In the heat of excitement I may have inadvertently swallowed the bait!)

“Really honey? You rock!”

Now, I never knew my wife liked to fish, and to my knowledge she never has, but that night she set the hook so hard Captain Ahab himself would’ve been proud.

outdoor cabinets

Considerations To – Well, Consider – Before Building Your Outdoor Cabinets

So, where do you start? First, assess your exposure to the elements. Is it in direct sun all day?  Is there an overhang? Is it for your inlaws? The majority of rain in California comes from the north. Is there protection from that? If not completely, then how much? Is it foggy a lot?

Just think of everything you can and write it down. as this will be the key to long lasting awesome outdoor barbecue cabinets that will put a hurt on the G.D. Jones’, or Smith’s, or whoever!!!!

Alright, I’m OK.

Did I say I could knock these boxes out in a week? Was it the wine? Was I played? Well of course I was…. Have I done this before? So how do we make the best of it?

We make some kickass outdoor cabinets.

Next week, we’ll cover part 2 of this series, with what materials work best in which situations, which materials we can change after a period of time (I think you will be surprised at some of these), and maybe some design thoughts that maybe you hadn’t thought of…. (Only a distinguished wood butcher could come up with a well-crafted phrase like that….)

Photo of author

About Brad

Brad Baker is Vice President of Operations at Miller Woodworking in the Los Angeles area, designers and builders of custom cabinetry and interior millwork for the rich and famous. They make the impossible, and their work has been featured in fancy schmantsy architectural glossies more than a few times. All that high end creative stuff aside, he maintains a strong spiritual belief that the real sign of a good woodworker is all 10 fingers. He and his wife Ann Baker co-write for HomeFixated. Ann is CEO of Publicity Pros, a firm that provides “All Things Publicity” services and training for small businesses. She’s a hopeless nerd who revels in anything and everything having to do with the technology of attracting attention. And, no joke, she loves to bake.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Get access to free prizes, product sneak-peeks, reviews, how-to's and much more!

More Info | Email Privacy

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.