When it comes to planning and building your ideal outdoor kitchen, the first step should be hiring the right landscape architect or engineer for the job. Working with a qualified contractor not only ensures a job well done, but also reduces the likelihood of major problems throughout the process. To find a good contractor for your project, follow these guidelines.

1. Ask for referrals from family and friends. These are the people you trust the most, so count on their thoughts and opinions when it comes to the service and quality of work of their outdoor kitchen provider. Ask them which elements they like best about their kitchen, and what they might improve if they went through the process again.

2. Search for reputable landscape architects and engineers through professional organizations. These include the Better Business Bureau (BBB), the Metro Atlanta Landscape & Turf Association (MALTA), the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) and the Georgia Green Industry Association (GGIA). With the BBB, you can find out if there have been complaints filed against a contractor. Professional organizations require members to meet a list of ethics and standards requirements, which, in turn, promote quality throughout the industry.

3. Review portfolios, and call references for feedback. While pictures provide a good idea of a person or company’s work, nothing beats talking with customers firsthand. “Go and see five or six kitchens they’ve done,”
Rogers says.

4. Make sure they have the proper papers. These include a general cont-racting license, workers’ compensation insurance, general liability insurance and erosion control certification, all of which are necessary to being a good employer and responsible contractor. “All true professional contractors will have those,” Jones says. “It’s the law.”

5. Communication is key. In order to have the outdoor kitchen you’ve always dreamed of, it’s important to find a landscape architect or engineer that you feel comfortable with; one who listens and understands your vision for the project. Likewise, you need to feel comfortable enough with your contractor to listen to his or her advice and suggestions for the project. After all, you’re paying for this professional’s experience and knowledge, so why not use it? Just don’t let his or her ideas usurp your own. Keep in mind that you are the one who will continue to live with the finished product long after the contractor is gone.

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