re: Critique my pool and outdoor kitchen layout

Here's what I have learned the hard way:

1) Put some sort of retractable walls in the outdoor kitchen...even some plastic sheet walls that can stay rolled up and out of view most of the time. You will want the cover for the sideways rain we get from time to time.

2) If you have a fridge, ice maker, kegerator (highly, highly recommend), or anything else that relies upon refrigeration and they are built into cabinets, you need to install some venting in your countertops. The cavities inside of those cabinets will get to a billion degrees and will kill the refrigeration. Please trust me on this. I don't care if they are "outdoor" rated...mine are, too. Refrigerators are only designed to cool roughly 40-50 degrees below surrounding temperature. When you get that cabinet space to 130 degrees, an 80 degree fridge does nothing for you. A strategically placed vent in the countertop will make this problem go away.

3) Outdoor bathroom is the best investment we made. No one goes into our house wet. It's a bigger deal than you think it is.

4) Do not pay for an outdoor TV. Pick up a used flatscreen on craigslist for small money and use it til it goes...rinse and repeat. No reason to spend $2500+ on an outdoor TV. I've been using an old indoor 42" LCD for the past year. No problems.