Outdoor Kitchens in Tulsa - Upscale Summer Entertaining on the Grill

Kids playing in the yard, friends talking over a glass of iced tea, and delicious food on the grill – that’s the classic American summer, right? No summer scene would be complete without grilling outside. We love to be outdoors and cook outdoors when the weather is nice. And families in Tulsa can have all the conveniences of the indoors while they’re outside grilling. Tulsa outdoor kitchens remain a growing trend and for good reason. 

Not only do outdoor kitchens in Tulsa make for awesome ‘staycations’ or the favorite spot for hanging out on the weekends, but these outdoor spaces are a great investment for homeowners and can significantly increase the property value of a home. 

Today’s outdoor kitchens can be as over-the-top or as basic as you would like. These outdoor living spaces can have stainless steel appliances like burners, refrigerators, grills, and sinks. They can have extra storage space bins and custom built-in containers for utensils and other essentials as well as granite countertops. It’s important to include plenty of counter space to afford the cook enough prep space. State-of-the-art grilling and cooking equipment including pizza ovens make outdoor entertaining easy and more enjoyable.   

The outdoor kitchen can be located close to the outdoor living area to keep the person cooking fully involved in the action or separated, depending on your style of entertaining and how you want to utilize the two spaces. Bar seating can be built as part of the outdoor kitchen to allow guests to easily talk and eat with the cook. Often, homeowners have a spacious dining table and comfortable lounge area adjacent to the outdoor kitchen to fully enjoy their meal with friends and family. Placing the kitchen and grilling space near the inside kitchen makes for easy transport of food and other prep materials. 

An elegant pergola or steel arbor may provide a comfortable cover for the outdoor kitchen space and create a more distinct outdoor living space. Next to a custom pool or spa, these outdoor environments provide the definitive space to entertain or just relax. 

The amenities and styles of these outdoor kitchens are almost endless. Their style and theme can coordinate beautifully with the architecture and feel of your home to create one cohesive landscape design.  

So plan now to enjoy the classic American summer even better with a complete Tulsa outdoor kitchen area.

Updating Your Tulsa Landscape Design - Increasing Curb Appeal

Is your Tulsa landscape looking somewhat uninspiring? It’s important to maintain and make improvements to our homes, but what about our landscapes? Actually, outdated or poor landscape design can make your home look dated as well. On the other hand, elegant Tulsa landscape design can be a cost effective way to raise the value of your home and add curb appeal.

How can you renovate your Tulsa landscape and thus update your home as well?

First, make sure your shrubs, trees, and plants are not taking over your home. Over time, plants and shrubs can grow until they are no longer in proper proportion to your home or cover your windows. Trimming and pruning these can help prevent them from overtaking your home and property.

You can also relocate a shrub to another part of your landscape to give the landscape a slightly different look – sort of like adding or moving a piece of furniture in your home. Adding new variations of flowers and plants in an assortment of different colors and textures can liven up your landscape. Especially around the front door, updating containers and adding new flowers to them can really spruce up the look of your home.

Adding interesting Tulsa hardscapes is another way to bring subtle charm to your outdoor space. A flagstone pathway creates an inviting way to lead guests through your garden. Walkways can be designed using an assortment of hardscape materials that can highlight the architectural design of your home. These pathways create a visual way to connect your landscape with your home and stylishly guide visitors to your home’s entrance. 

You can also use hardscapes to edge flowerbeds to create a more modern and sleek design in your landscape. Retaining walls are another hardscape that can really give your home a sophisticated design feel by effectively separating portions of your landscape into more practical spaces while also shielding your landscape from erosion, all while using materials that come in a variety of decorative styles and colors.

Adding or updating water features like fountains or waterfalls can provide an interesting focal point for your outdoor space.

If you want to really modernize your landscape, building an outdoor kitchen or fireplace with a nearby outdoor seating – ‘living room’ – area will significantly increase the value of your home and transform your landscape. Today, these areas can have all the conveniences of home in a contemporary Tulsa outdoor environment. Outdoor kitchens, fireplaces, and fire pits create the perfect spot for entertaining friends and relaxing with family just about all year round.

From little improvements in flowers, containers, and landscaping to more extensive Tulsa landscape design additions, there’s an almost endless variety of ways to update the look of your landscape while also increasing the value of your home and neighborhood.

Tips to Keeping Your Tulsa Home Safe While Traveling

Are you going out of town this holiday season? Many Tulsa homeowners may be planning to travel to visit family or friends this time of year, but before you go, there are a few simple things you can do to keep your Tulsa home safe while you’re away.

The objective is to not give the appearance that you’re gone. Thus, while you may have a home security system, you can also do little things to make your home less appealing to burglars.

1. Keep up the lawn care. – Interestingly, having regular Tulsa lawn maintenance and landscaping will help your home look like you never left. We’ve all seen houses where the lawn is not mowed, and we may think that there’s either no one living there or they’re on vacation. Thus, when you’re gone, keeping your lawn mowed, your leaves raked, and your snow shoveled will give the appearance that you’re home while also making your property tidier and much nicer to come home to.
2. Keep trees and shrubs trimmed. – Burglars love things to hide behind, so an overgrown tree or shrub next to a window creates the perfect hiding spot. Thus, try to keep windows and doors visible by regularly trimming trees, shrubs, and hedges.
3. Put your lights on timers. – Programming your interior lights to turn on and off using a timer is another good way to make your home look like everything’s normal. Having your home lights come on for a few hours in the evening will keep up the appearance of a normal routine. Motion sensor lights for your outdoor landscape can also help deter thieves.
4. Stop your mail and newspapers. – Having a pile of mail or periodicals by your door is of course going to make your home look vacant. You can put your mail on hold at the post office for up to 30 days. Have your newspaper put on hold as well. But there may still be other packages that are delivered to your home, so have a neighbor or friend stop by regularly while you’re gone to pick these up.
5. Hire a house sitter. – The simplest way to give the appearance that your home isn’t vacant is to have a friend or neighbor stay there while you’re on vacation. If you have pets, a pet sitter can also be useful, not only in taking care of your pets while you’re gone, but also by checking on your house.
6. Tell a trusted neighbor you’ll be gone. – If you don’t have a house or pet sitter staying, let a trusted neighbor or two know when you’ll be gone and ask them to stop by periodically to check on your home and pick up any flyers or items left at your home. You may even leave a copy of your house key with them for emergencies. They may also be able to pull your garbage or recycling receptacles out on trash day to make everything look normal.
7. Unplug electronics. – Turning off and unplugging electronics and appliances like your home computer, television, coffee pot and even your garage door can save you money, prevent a house fire, and, by turning off your garage door, prevent thieves from breaking in.
8. Keep valuables away from windows. – Make sure your big screen television or computer isn’t plainly visible from outside your home. You may want to walk around your house to see what is visible from outside.
9. Make sure everything is locked. – In the hustle and bustle of vacation packing, you may forget to lock all the windows and doors. Make sure every entrance to your home is secure, including sliding glass doors to your patio. You can help secure these further by placing dowel rods or poles in the slats when you leave.  Advertise and activate your home security and surveillance system. Walter T. Shaw, a former master thief, told MSN Money that alarm system warning signs and decals should be placed in the backyard where thieves are most likely to case out and try to break-in your home. These warning signs can prevent thieves from thinking your home is an easy target.
10. Be careful about what you share. – While today’s world shares everything online, sharing when you will be on vacation may not be the best thing to post on Facebook. Thieves can check up on you on social media platforms and may easily be able to find out when you will be gone just from what you post. Shaw also noted that many people often casually talk about their vacation plans with people they come across at the grocery store or mechanic shop. Be careful about what sensitive information you share online as well as what you share with strangers or people you may not know well.

To have the best vacation this year, make sure your home is secure and still gives the appearance that you’re home even if you’re far away.