These backyards were designed for grilling, gathering and good times
By Anna-Rhesa Versola | Photography By Hillary Graves
Outdoor kitchens offer advantages to homeowners by expanding livable space, adding appeal for family gatherings or entertainment and increasing a home’s resale value. Paul Kindem, owner of Original Grills in Durham, says building a space for alfresco dining is becoming more popular in North Carolina. Paul estimates a typical outdoor kitchen in Chatham County can cost between $10,000 – $50,000 and an outdoor living space between $20,000 – $150,000. The added value can net between 100 to 200 percent return on investment.
THE GRILLFATHER
Tim Mann grew up in Lewiston, New York, a town north of Niagara Falls along Lake Ontario. “Well, this is gonna sound unusual, but we cooked outside year-round,” Tim says. “There could be 3 feet of snow, and we would grill, so it just seemed natural to me.”
Tim, who has lived in North Carolina for nearly 30 years, first moved to Chatham County in 1994 and now lives in Governors Club. Outside of his work as chief operating officer of NC Subway Group, Tim spent about a year envisioning what he wanted and worked with Paul to finalize designs for the covered, walk-out patio measuring roughly 33 feet by 28 feet.
A stone wall encloses the area with rocking chairs surrounding a gas fire pit. All of the flooring is bluestone, and the island’s concrete veneer is made to look like rough cedar to mimic the style of the house. “It’s indestructible,” Tim says. “You don’t have to treat it. I power-wash it and leave it alone.”
The dining table seats 10 while the bar seats up to 15 people. The stone countertop is twice as deep as normal bar tops so it can double as a serving space. Commercial-grade kitchen appliances include a sink, two Perlick refrigerators (one for beverages and one for food), a Twin Eagles grill, a gas-fired Ooni pizza oven and Twin Eagles stovetop burners with warming drawers. “All the furniture outside is eucalyptus,” Tim says. “I prefer eucalyptus over teak because all you do is hit it with linseed oil once a year and it maintains its beauty.”
Tim says he and his wife, Kerry Mann, entertain anywhere from several times a month to several times a week, especially when their three adult children come over to visit or when the neighbors gather for a fun time.
“So imagine, the women are around the fire,” he says. “The men are grilling and watching a ballgame, and then dinner is served. … I came up with what I thought would work, and we were happy with the way it came out.”
THE PARTY’S IN THE BACK
Anissa Hager says she and her husband, Chris Hager, built their Polks Landing home in 2018 and added their 20-by-30 patio two years later during the pandemic. “We immediately realized it wasn’t big enough,” she says. So she worked with Amy Strunk Designs because “we just knew we needed more of everything,” Anissa says, adding that a typical gathering in their backyard involves 30 to 60 people.
Today, their backyard oasis has 1,700 square feet of pavers and turf to accommodate guests who can play cornhole in a dedicated green space, find shade beneath the pavilion or help Chris at any of his six different grills – one is just for bacon. There’s also an Alfa pizza oven and a fire pit. “My husband absolutely loves grilling,” Anissa says. “You can tell that feeding people is definitely his love language.”
Anissa, who is an information technology project manager at Truist, has three adult children from a previous marriage and four grandkids and between her and Chris, so they have a lot of extended family. “So Christmas is usually like 17 to 20 of us, and everybody stays at the house.”
Chris is a project manager with Verizon and a part-time offensive football coach at a new charter school in Johnston County. “He watches a ton of football,” Anissa says. “He watches a ton of grill videos. He’s a whiskey, bourbon and cigar connoisseur, too. The only thing missing right now is a TV out here.”
Subcontractors spent seven weeks installing the new outdoor space and finished on Oct. 31 – Chris’ birthday. The outdoor lighting sets the mood, reminding Anissa of resorts she’s visited in the Caribbean. “It’s just super serene,” she says. “That’s the vibe at night. It’s so beautiful. I’m so excited that we did this.”
Both Chris and Anissa grew up on farms in the Midwest and feel connected to memories when they sit outside. “The Halloween party was our first night using the space. And the first night we were like: ‘This is exactly what we wanted. It was like perfection for what we had envisioned, for what we wanted for an entertainment space. It was absolute perfection. This is exactly what we wanted.’” She adds. “This summer will be amazing.”
