Mangal area: how to do it right and beautifully?

A beautiful and comfortable barbecue area will become the center of attraction for the whole family. Therefore, you should devote time and money to the competent design of this zone on your site. But it is important to get acquainted in advance with how to do it correctly.

The choice of a place for a barbecue area on the site requires compliance with certain conditions.

• Safety as it is a source of open fire. The brazier should be located at a sufficient distance from the house or outbuildings to avoid fire. The brazier is located away from shrubs and trees.
• Wind protection. The flame of the fire should be covered from strong gusts of wind. To do this, use the natural relief or buildings, that is, place a recreation area on the windward side of the hill or the wall of the house. When choosing a place, the interests of neighbors should be taken into account, they should not be disturbed by the smoke from the fire and the noise of evening gatherings. Consider the presence of a barnyard or poultry house on the farm, the smells of animal life can spoil the dinner in the open air.

• The convenience of use. It is necessary to organize a convenient, non-slip, fairly wide passage with good visibility to the barbecue area, since the main period of use is in the evening. Such criteria are met by a place in the immediate vicinity of a country house, while it is convenient to use the kitchen and plumbing system at home and look after the children on the playground in the yard. The mangal area is often included in a complex with a bathhouse, placing these two facilities nearby. This provides access to water, and the sauna terrace serves as a covered dining area. Sometimes there is a separate location in the natural landscape of the estate; here it will be necessary to lay good paths and organize evening lighting.

• Aesthetic environment. It is advisable to place the barbecue area in a beautiful landscape environment, the eyes of people sitting on the site should not rest against the fence or wall of a neighbor's shed. You need to walk around the site, look at it from different angles and determine a suitable viewpoint.

At the next stage, a suitable project is selected. Design options for a barbecue site are of several types. The open type is a playground in a meadow or in an open-air garden. The brazier is installed on the ground or on a special support, benches and a table are located nearby.

This is the simplest type of recreation area that requires the lowest financial costs. Even a beginner in the construction business can build such a site. There are no special requirements for the size of such a recreation area, except for taking into account the size of the site and compliance with fire safety standards. The advantage will be the use of the adjacent territory for active games. The disadvantage is dependence on weather conditions.

The closed type involves the installation of a barbecue and a dining table with seating under a single roof on supports. A wall is erected along the back of the barbecue to protect it from the wind. Supports for a closed area are made of metal, brick or wood.

Dimensions are calculated according to the need to accommodate a certain number of people. The minimum width is 4 - 4.5 meters, this is enough for free access to a table with seats for a company of 8-10 people and to provide convenient access to the brazier.

A brazier and table for outdoor dining can be located on the patio. In this case, the recreation area is adjacent to one of the walls of the house, bath, or it can be arranged in the courtyard. The proximity to the house allows the use of kitchen and bathroom communications. The walls of the buildings are reliably protected from the wind, the barbecue is equipped with a chimney and a roof.

For fans of beautiful views, a universal type is suitable. This is a collapsible structure that is installed in any suitable place on the site, if necessary, it is transferred to another place. So you can enjoy barbecue, observing different landscapes according to your mood and weather conditions. The construction of the barbecue area is equipped with a light protection made of fabric or film from wind or precipitation. In hot weather, the awning shades the resting place; a beach umbrella can act as an awning.

Having decided on the type of site, you need to choose a project, you can order it in an architectural workshop or choose ready-made drawings on construction sites. Manufacturers offer a huge variety of metal barbecues. Ready-made metal braziers are installed directly on the ground or on a platform lined with stone.

Brick street ovens and barbecues have simple designs., available for self-construction, however, require the construction of a foundation. Do-it-yourself construction of a barbecue area according to the drawings is quite a pleasant experience. Let's consider in detail the process of laying the foundation with our own hands.

According to the size of the barbecue, markings are made on the ground, 10-15 centimeters in width and length are added, soil is selected to a depth of 60-70 centimeters: over the entire area - for a foundation in the form of a slab or around the perimeter - for a strip foundation.

It is worth noting that the strip foundation is less resistant to temperature extremes and soil swelling in the spring-winter period, so it is better to make a concrete slab under the entire base. The bottom of the trench is rammed using a manual rammer or an electric vibrating plate.

Formwork is being made, the slab foundation is poured with concrete from cement grade not lower than M200, 10 centimeters high. The height of the tape is 20-30 cm. You can lay the reinforcing rods for the slab in the form of a cage, and for the tape - in two rods. For hardening, leave for one to two weeks, then lay 2 layers of waterproofing with tar paper or roofing material, coat with liquid waterproofing mastic and start laying the barbecue.

The simplest standard brazier has the shape of the letter "P" in plan and dimensions are 90 cm wide, 100 cm high and 90 cm deep. From the materials you will need a solid ceramic brick or fireclay brick SHA-8. For the first five rows of masonry, a 3: 1 sand-cement mortar will be required, for the subsequent rows - a clay-sand mortar.

At the request of the owner, side tables made of bricks are added for making barbecue. The brazier can be equipped with a chimney, which will require some experience in brickwork. The stove can be equipped with an oven or grate bars for preparing various dishes in the summer kitchen or drying fruits and mushrooms. In the chimney, craftsmen mount devices for smoking meat or fish. The style of the barbecue is selected according to the general design of the suburban area or endows this area with a special colorful design.

A brazier and a picnic area can be located right on the grass, but then you have to depend on the vagaries of the weather. The grass may be soggy, or cold rain may interfere with your outdoor dining experience.To make your stay comfortable, it is better to pave the rest area. Paving is made of paving slabs, clinker bricks, natural stone, pebbles or other natural materials. It must be taken into account that the paths and the platform must be finished with the same material.

A hard coating will allow you not to be afraid of dampness, barbecue and garden furniture will stand steadily on the surface. The coating must be chosen non-slip to avoid injury after rain or frost. The finishing material is chosen to be frost-resistant and not amenable to chips when cleaning, if it is supposed to use the recreation area in the winter.

Arrangement of a paving site is prepared as follows:

• On the ground, markings are made according to the selected shape and size.
• Along the marking lines over the entire area, soil is removed by 20-30 cm, tamped and covered with a layer of sand of 5-10 centimeters.
• This is followed by a layer of gravel of 5-10 centimeters and again a layer of sand or sand with cement, on which a stone or brick is already laid. All layers are regularly checked with a building level.
• Paving slabs or stone can be laid on concrete, instead of the top layer of sand, formwork is built, beacons are installed according to the level, along the beacons and poured with a cement-sand mixture, they wait until completely dry for 10-14 days.
• After that, a finishing material is laid on the concrete base with the help of cement mortar, observing the slope for water drainage.

Manufacturers offer a wide range of lumber and artificial analogs for garden parquet and decking. Wood flooring has a shorter lifespan, but many people like the warm texture of this material. In this version, the boards are laid on logs, which can be made of wood, metal or concrete. The logs are supported on a strip foundation in the form of a platform or rest on a concrete base. All structural parts are treated with an antiseptic against corrosion and decay.

To bring the structure under the roof, pillars are installed, which are made of timber, brick, metal. Here you need to take into account the weight of the roof, whether it will be a capital roof made of metal tiles, asbestos-cement sheets or andulin, which will require reinforced supports. Budget summer cottages have a light and practical covering made of film, fabric or polycarbonate. For brick pillars, a point foundation is prepared, on which the columns are erected to the desired level. Metal pillars are reinforced with small pebbles in the borehole, which is filled with cement.

Rafters are attached to the pillars, which should have a finish from below, since in structures of this kind there is rarely a hemmed ceiling. Structural beams are specially played to create a chalet style in the recreation area. For equipping a warm platform, it can be closed with a stone or brick wall from one or two adjacent sides.

Capital stone structures for barbecue are not such a frequent occurrence in suburban areasMost are limited to a roof and side awnings made of fabric or film that can be fixed to poles or swung open depending on the weather. Glazed panoramic seating areas allow you to use the room in any weather thanks to sliding structures, light weight and good insulating qualities of glass units. Glass in such systems successfully replaces polycarbonate of various colors. The main focus is on the thermal insulation of the roofing material from the chimney.

The barbecue area is divided into two main areas - the cooking area and the dining area. The brazier should be installed at least 2 meters from the dining table; it is best to install the brazier in the corner or at the far wall of the site. The dining area should not block the approach to the fire, therefore the table and seating are located in the front part of the gazebo. The mangal area is conveniently placed in the patio, which creates a natural protection from the wind from the walls of the buildings. The table can be placed on the veranda or a canopy can be built with support on one of the walls of the house, the brazier is left in the open air or placed at a distance under the canopy near the house.

A recreation area at a summer cottage in the open air can be formed around a central barbecue. In this case, much attention is paid to the design of the barbecue, since tables with sofas are placed around the summer stove. It is good to plant a hedge around the perimeter of the recreation area, which will give comfort and protect from prying eyes. A fence from the wind can be a decorative wattle or woodpile. A beautiful option is to place a recreation area on the shore of a natural or artificial reservoir.

Garden furniture will help to make the site beautiful. Furniture can be made with your own hands in a traditional rural style that will look harmonious in the natural landscape. A patio barbecue area in a modern high-tech or minimalist building will require simple cubic shapes from furniture of the appropriate style. In open areas, it is more convenient to use plastic furniture, such furniture has a different design and a wide price range, is resistant to atmospheric moisture, it is easy to keep it clean or rearrange it in the right place.

A comfortable rest in the evening will require lighting over the dining table, brazier and around the perimeter of the site. Lighting devices are connected to the electrical network or run on solar panels. LED lamps and illumination of flower beds around the recreation area look very impressive. LEDs allow you to create multi-colored light compositions in the garden landscape.

The decor of the recreation area is of great importance. Plant fragrant flower beds or lilacs with chubushnik nearby so that the evening air is filled with their pleasant scent. Around the supports of the covered gazebo are beautifully flowering vines: clematis, honeysuckle, climbing roses. It is very pleasant to sit in the shade of a grape vine and enjoy the fruits. Picturesquely arranged flower pots or garden sculptures will decorate the barbecue area, peasant household items will add a traditional rural flavor to the barbecue area.

Also, the following types of design can be considered as examples:

• Colonial style outdoor terrace with barbecue grill.

• The minimalist design of the barbecue area is suitable for small areas.

• Round playground made of natural stone.

• Oriental design of a panoramic summer kitchen in the country.

• Laconic outdoor recreation area at the dacha.

For information on how to make a brazier and a brick oven under a cauldron, see the next video.