Living the Good Life

“Like many Cape Cod homeowners, Michelle and Neil believe that summer weather (spring and fall weather, too) is to be coveted and equally worthy of investment as the warm interiors of the home,” says Glenn Meader of Good Life New England. This well-appointed kitchen, complete with the conveniences of an indoor kitchen, certainly encourages outdoor living.

Creating a kitchen underneath a deck came with its own unique requirements. A Best by Broan vent hood installed above the grill was key to prevent smoke from gathering and billowing up to any guests who would be hanging out on the deck. “We had the vent hood installed to be able to direct smoke out through duct work, which carries underneath to the far end of the deck where it exhausts and keeps out of everyone’s way,” explains Meader. To conceal the deck’s framing—as well as protect the kitchen from rainwater and foot traffic on the deck—Lineal installed a finished ceiling system. Plumbing work also required great consideration. “It’s a common challenge amongst many of our jobs that we need to create a finished space within a finished space and protect all the existing conditions while we’re doing so,” says Ben LaMora. “In the house, it wasn’t an unfinished basement on the other side of the wall, so any time we were inside or outside, it took some planning to cause the least disruption to the home.” The benefit to working right up against the house, though, was that no separate underground trenching was needed, as they were able to connect the plumbing directly to the home.

Additionally, LaMora and his team had to navigate the allotted size of the space to fit all of the program requirements. “We had to be very accurate with every layout detail—and keep it square and level,” he says. But working with Meader, LaMora knew that wouldn’t be an issue. “We’ve worked with him and the Good Life team so many times that we understand their exceptional planning ability means we can achieve whatever they drew,” LaMora explains. “A lot of times there’s a functional gap between the intention and the actual design, but never with Good Life. Their dimensions were done to a sixteenth of an inch, and they were right every time. So they do a phenomenal job with getting the owner’s vision to fit technically.”