As the temperature steadily increases, we try to spend more of our time outside. Whether it is lounging by a pool, stumbling through a boxwood maze of an English garden, or simply slapping a steak onto the grill, by the end of the day we return indoors, turn on the television, and fall asleep in air-conditioning.

Dining, watching TV, reading, entertaining, and just plain lounging keep this space abuzz all summer long. Oh, yes. There's cooking here, too.

"I like to spend as much time as I can outdoors," says Dawn Metz of Moseley, Va. "I spend most of the day inside at work, and I don't want to have to be confined inside the house to cook meals or watch television as well. So I brought as much as I could outside."

With ideas gathered mostly from magazines, Metz drew some sketches and presented them to Paul Pietrowski, contractor for Outdoor Kitchen Creations. After a couple of adjustments, he put several components, or "vignettes," together into a fully functional outdoor kitchen. An ordinary gas grill was enclosed with granite countertops and stone bases. There is a sink with running water in the bar area, a wood-burning fireplace, and even a swiveling flat-screen television sprouting from an urn.

"My daughter Savannah likes to sit right here," says Metz, pointing to one corner of the bar, "and watch her favorite DVD's." She flips a switch to turn on the built-in speakers. Another switch illuminates different colors of mood lighting beneath the bar.

Homeowner Dawn Metz and daughter Savannah can't imagine life without their outdoor kitchen. They're taking it with them when they move to Lynchburg.

For the moment, Metz and her family mostly prepare lunch and dinner outside. "I grill your typical fare: burgers, steaks, chicken. I haven't been too experimental yet, but I'll get there," she says about anything special she may have made. "But once without power during tropical storm Ernesto, I came outside to make biscuits." During brisk evenings, Metz lights a fire and allows her daughters to sit on the hearth and make s'mores. When the days stay warm, she'll bring out a griddle so the family can also enjoy their breakfast. There is no need to worry about covering everything up at the first sign of bad weather, either. Everything in Metz's kitchen, including the television, is weatherproof.

With an outdoor living area akin to a studio apartment, one of the greatest advantages of the kitchen is the ability to entertain larger groups of people. "Guests can be in the kitchen, where most people seem to gather anyway, sitting on the couches, or over by the lounge chairs and still all be in the same space without bumping into one another. It is also much more convenient when it's time to eat; I don't have to run in and out of the house carrying dishes every five minutes. I get to spend more time with my guests."

Currently, Metz is planning to relocate to Lynchburg where she has no plans to build another outdoor kitchen. She won't need to. All components of this kitchen were built off-site and shipped in; everything can easily be loaded onto a moving van and reinstalled at another location. The only addition she'll have to consider is the underground installation of water and electricity.

As for the kitchen itself, Metz's future endeavors are to add a freestanding ceiling fan for the warmer days and a heater for cooler evenings. At some point there may even be a microwave, dishwasher, and oven.

For a lot of us, it is difficult to find time to get outside on any regular basis. Too much of our lives take place within the car, office, and home. It would be a comforting idea to return home after a long day of work, or even a day at the beach, pour a drink, sit back to watch a good movie, and feel evening's breeze.