Is Your Dayton, NV Outdoor Kitchen Too Hot When Cooking? Add a Pergola for Shade
Cooking outdoors in a Dayton, NV outdoor kitchen is a joyous pastime except when the heat makes you and your guests feel uncomfortable and sweaty. Create a significantly cooler environment with the addition of a custom pergola over the cooking and dining area. This lovely vertical structure offers shade from the direct sun’s rays, increases visual interest in the patio area, and keeps your guests cool as they sit at the counter and chat with you while you prepare a yummy meal.
The Importance of Shade for Outdoor Living
A shady spot can make outdoor spaces more aesthetically pleasing and inviting while also providing a place for people to gather and socialize. When you want to entertain in an outdoor living space, shade encourages guests to spend more time outdoors and enjoy all the outdoor living spaces.
Protection from UV Rays
The sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays can cause skin cancer, premature aging, and eye damage. Shade provides a barrier against UV rays, helping to protect you and your guests from these harmful effects.
Reduces Heat Exposure
Shade can make a significant difference in temperature, especially on hot days, helping to prevent heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and other heat-related illnesses. Grilling and cooking even in the open air can be quite hot at certain times of the day, especially in the summer months, so having shade that blocks some or all of the heat is essential.
Pergolas for Shade in the Outdoor Kitchen
While pergolas reduce the direct heat from the sun, they also increase the aesthetic appeal of an outdoor kitchen, enhancing an already inviting and comfortable atmosphere for cooking, dining, and entertaining into an area you want to use more often in the hot weather.
The open design of a pergola with its heavy posts and decorative beams overhead ensures the breezes can filter through, further increasing the cooler temperatures in the outdoor kitchen space. Planting climbing perennials that trail up the posts and fill in the overhead beams creates dappled light below for a delightful visual effect.
Choose a Light-Colored Roof. Light colors reflect sunlight, while dark colors absorb it. A light-colored roof will help to keep the pergola cooler and reduce the amount of heat that radiates down into the outdoor kitchen. Ceiling fans on the beams can be set to circulate the air at a comfortable speed.
Install a Misting System
A misting system can be a great way to cool down the pergola and the outdoor kitchen on hot days. Misting systems are most effective in hot, dry climates, reducing the temperature under a pergola by up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Misting systems can also be used to increase humidity, which can make hot days feel more comfortable.
A misting system for a pergola works by using a high-pressure pump to force water through a series of nozzles. The nozzles are typically mounted on the rafters or beams of the pergola, and they produce a fine mist of water droplets. When the mist droplets evaporate, they absorb heat from the air, which has a cooling effect.
With the addition of a pergola, ceiling fans, and misting system, you can create an outdoor kitchen that is cool and comfortable to use, even on the hottest days of the year.
Related: Experience Family Game Nights on a Paver Patio in the Reno and Carson City, NV Areas
About the Author
As one of Northern Nevada’s leading landscape companies, Antonucci Lawn & Garden offers fresh ideas and quality craftsmanship to improve outdoor living. Since 2009, Antonucci has been focused on enhancing beautiful landscaping. Whether starting from scratch or renovating an existing backyard, our knowledgeable staff and certified team of contractors will explain everything you need to build your perfect outdoor retreat.
