Bitchin Outdoor Kitchen

2 days of hard labour and whalla, we have an outdoor kitchen! Used ikea stainless steel soft close cupboards / drawers from the old house plus the stainless steel bar fridge that was collating dust in the storeroom. I recycled the Merbau decking from the old house that was used as backing, kick boards etc, so all in all the exercise only set us back around $300, which converts to something like a $2,000 exercise without my labour of course. We picked up a $99 hard wood bench for only $50 as it was the last one and after some intense Chinese negotiation.. respect!

Great to have this done and dusted ready for the fly season. Again the Bosch professional cordless nail gun was a godsend. So it's tools down and ready for room reveal.

The Metricon Adventure: Solar Eclipse

The Metricon Adventure: Solar Eclipse: Now the the Outdoor room / roof is well... completed, it was time to look up to the sky. The solar / storage system that lived on the old ho...

Solar Eclipse

Now the the Outdoor room / roof is well... completed, it was time to look up to the sky. The solar / storage system that lived on the old house was in need of recycling. The system uses 6 x 100 watt panels linked to two massive 220 amp gel batteries / regulator and a 1,500w pure sine wave inverter. So 440 amps packs a punch and I upgraded the system by one panel and mounted them on this fantastic rack system from Sunlock (solid as a rock) mounted on the outdoor room's colour bond roof. System was from a great little outfit in northcote...



The system is not on grid, but powers a number of outdoor room led's and strip lighting and flood lights. it will also power a led TV which is soon to be installed and off course almost anything aside from an iron or a washing machine. The beauty of the "off grid" / battery system is you get power at night, either 12v or 240v. Here's some picks of the install....

Cederlicious

Well, just in time for christmas the roofers came back and installed to colourbond roof, phew, It was a great relief to have a lid on the room. And then it was time to line the ceiling, much lamenting ridiculous quotes, plastering, panelling mmm hard choices. The winner was rich cedar tongue and groove timber. But being such a bitch to install, I had to get technology on my side. Alas Mr Bosch came to the rescue with the brilliant professional cordless nail gun! Its a serious piece of kit and made a evil do-it-yourself job much easier. 9 x 12V lead lighting were installed along the way and points for solar and TV aerial pre-wired. In addition a stainless steel fan set off a fantastic , if not exotic space. Christmas day saw 15 of us munching down pork and other dead animals with the subtle aroma of ceder adding to the ambience.

Here is a snapshot of the process..

Roofalicious

Trusses are in, guttering, downpipes and Metal facia's installed on the outdoor room and roof goes on tomorrow! Mountings for ceiling fans, pre wiring for LED's and strip lighting plus solar power and in. Waiting for tomorrow's colour bond install.

Here's a pre-roof late night photoshoot

The Metricon Adventure: Hard Gardening

The Metricon Adventure: Hard Gardening: With spring threatening to arrive, it was time to get the side garden organised and also sort out the dreary path at the side of the house. ...

Hard Gardening

With spring threatening to arrive, it was time to get the side garden organised and also sort out the dreary path at the side of the house. Also the outdoor room needed some pre-work ready for the roofing truss's that will be installed shortly.

After a truckload of river pebbles and countless wheelbarrow loads up and down and down and up, it's done! and looks a treat. Roof will go on the outdoor room shortly and then its true alfresco time. Did a sweep around Metricon display homes last week for inspiration and I think we have Rocked The Kasbar with the end result, looks a treat and with some specimen plants and F.O. pots its going to be the place to be. Once the roofs on the outdoor room it's house warming time!