AEI Corporation

Outdoor Grilling Areas For Multi-Family Properties

Posted: August 04, 2021 at 02:29 PM

5 minute read | Grills

One of the aspects of multi-family dwellings is the vacancy rate. When Multi-family units add amenities that improve the residents' quality of life, the vacancy rate tends to drop. Outdoor grilling is one way to add a luxury that people love and enhance the quality of life for the entire complex. Here's more about why outdoor grilling areas are a game-changer.

Reduce Risk — Improve Quality of Life

Many smaller units do not have the space for natural gas BBQ grills. A community commercial BBQ or grilling area sets up grilling in a safe spot and decreases the need for residents to have a grill in their unit. An outdoor grilling area allows tenants to enjoy cooking grilled foods and gives them more usable space outside their unit.

Depending on the size of the multi-family dwelling, the number of commercial BBQs varies. One grill for every three-five units is an excellent place to start. Units can reserve grills, or they can be first-come-first-serve. They can use their grill accessories or check them out from the management. For smaller communities, one-two commercial NG BBQ's or commercial LP grills is generally enough for duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes,

Building Community

Residents of multi-family homes are perfect candidates to utilize communal grilling areas. Outdoor grilling areas and other outdoor amenities help to expand the usable space of the unit. While not an official measurement, when you build outdoor living space, you give residents more space to enjoy life.

For larger complexes, more than one grilling area is beneficial. Some communities have a large grilling area that serves the community as a whole. These can be a mixture that includes a built-in BBQ grill, LP grill, or commercial LP BBQ and gas BBQ grills. 

Communal grilling areas bring families together. Whether families come because it is a holiday, special occasion, or weekly family outing, commercial BBQ areas bring families together. When you build community in a multi-family building, you improve the quality of life for everyone. Friends help each other, share resources, and bond. In addition, communal grilling areas present opportunities for people to introduce themselves, learn about their neighbors, and put a name to a face.

Build Multi-faceted Outdoor Living Experiences

You can combine outdoor living amenities. For example, a built-in BBQ grill area next to the pool area makes a day at the pool more convenient for parents and enriches the experience of everyone who uses the pool. Another option would be to add installed natural gas BBQ grills to the game area. Maybe next to the Bocce Ball court, tennis courts, horseshoe pits, and/or volleyball areas. Adding the option to BBQ or grill while playing is another way to improve the quality of life at multi-family units and improve the usage of outdoor living areas.

Plan the number of grills based on the number of people you expect to share those outdoor areas. You also have the choice of grill size. For example, do you want to install 3-4 larger commercial BBQ grills or 6-10 smaller grills? Do you expect to have a more significant number of people at pool parties or family gatherings? If so, larger grills accommodate more food and can feed more significant numbers of people faster. Determining the best number of grills for an outdoor area helps to reduce strife between residents. Grilling and BBQs are popular, and having a grilling area or sites helps improve the quality of life at multi-family complexes.

To Determine The Number of Grills for An Outdoor Space Focus on:

1. The number of units in the complex
2. The popularity of any other activity that might pair with grilling
3. The size of the grill needed to accommodate gatherings
4. The size of the grilling area

You can start slowly and add more grills as needed. If grilling is popular at your complex, expand the number of grills available to the community. You can add more to one area or add different areas for grilling.

Options for Mounting Your Grill

The Pedestal Mount — is probably the universal way to mount a grill. They work well when you need to fit more grills into a smaller area or add a single grill to a backyard or patio area. A feature of pedestal-mounted grills is that they are not movable. Instead, the grilling occurs where the pedestal placement occurs.

Cart Mounted Grills — The bonus with a cart-mounted grill is that they can be movable. People can check cart-mounted propane grills out from management and then wheel them to an approved grilling area. Another plus for grills on carts is that they require very little space. A third benefit is that you can shelter them from the elements when not in use.

Cart-mounted grills also give you more options for the size of the grill for an event. People can choose smaller grills for smaller events or go for a larger grill for more significant events.

There is some maintenance for pedestal grills and cart-mounted grills. Those chores involve cleaning the grill and housing and maintaining the gas tanks. With a pedestal mount, you can pipe LP gas directly to the grill, so you never need to make sure you have propane available.

Island Mounted Grills — The third option for community grilling areas is an island mount for grilling. If you are looking for an opportunity to add grills to your community and increase the visual aesthetics, a grill island is the answer. Depending on the size of the island, you can mount multiple grills in the same space.

With island-mounted grills, piped natural gas is an excellent option for your fuel source. Propane grills can also be used effectively on a grill island, with the propane tank seamlessly being stored below the grill island.

Powering the Grill

There are two options for powering the grill. The first is a propane tank, usually 5-gallons. You also have the option of running piped natural gas to the grill. For grills that are pedestal mounted, piped natural gas is probably the best fit. 

With an excellent outdoor living design, you can have piped gas at each grilling station. Even with mobile grills, you can have a piped connection. Though with cart-mounted grills, a propane tank is more efficient and less of a hassle.

How many grills does your outdoor living and grilling area need? While there are no actual rules, the simple answer is three-five grills for every five units. The positives for investing in outdoor grilling areas and grills include:

• Happier tenants
• improved communal space
• Enhancement of existing amenities
• Better usage of outdoor living investments
• Improved quality of life for your community
• Potentially improved vacancy rates

Can grilling improve the quality of life at your multi-family building? Grilling is amazingly popular and blends so well with outdoor living. It works as an excellent way to bring families together, build positive tenant relationships, and, yes, to improve the quality of life.

Learn more about how you can add a grilling station at your multi-family building or improve an existing grilling area. Learn more about our commercial-grade grills, LP grills, and outdoor BBQ accessories by visiting us online. If you have questions, we are here to provide answers. Give us a call to start a positive, low-pressure conversation about how you can add grilling stations to your property and the many options of grills available. We are the AEI Corporation and provide excellent service to multi-family buildings, commercial settings, and residential properties.