Do I need a site visit?

Here at Grillo, we often get asked whether a site visit is needed prior to the purchase of one of our kitchens. In short, the answer is no and there are several reasons why this is the case.

When it comes to purchasing an outdoor kitchen, it’s fair to say it’s rather exciting. As outdoor kitchens are, what we call, a ‘considered’ purchase, there’s lots of research involved before making the decision between a straight, U, or L Shaped layout.

At Grillo, we are aware that an outdoor kitchen is an investment (one that is definitely worthwhile) and therefore we understand that customers want to get it right. We are sometimes asked whether we do site visits before install and we believe that this is because customers want to confirm that everything is correct before going ahead. It is important to us that installation runs smoothly, however rest assured we manage that without the unnecessary expense of a site visit beforehand. To ensure that this is the case, there are several questions that we ask, at the checkout stage, prior to the purchase of one of our kitchens. They are as follows:

For us to ensure that installation runs smoothly, there are several questions that we ask, at the checkout stage, prior to the purchase of one of our kitchens. They are as follows:

1. Are there any access issues that are likely to cause a problem for our install team? (Please note, we need 800mm wide external access to the install site)
2. Are there any obstacles? (e.g. Steps between the offload point and install area, garden walls, etc.)
3. Is there parking available for a large van? (If not, please tell us where we will be able to park nearby)
4. Do you have a flat surface for your kitchen to be positioned on? (Ideally, this would be a smooth, level, flat surface such as a patio. We strongly recommend reading our patio guide, especially if you are planning to install on decking or loose/compacted stones. Click here to read our full guide)
5. Have you got the correct services and connections in place for your outdoor kitchen layout? (Follow the link to read our article on services and connections)

In addition to having our customers answer these questions, we also request that images are sent, prior to installation, on where their outdoor kitchen is going to be positioned. This allows our operations team to plan ahead and, if there are any potential issues, contact the customer as soon as possible so that they can be resolved in advance of the installation date.

There are several reasons why we do not offer site visits. These are explained in the following sections:

No site visit – No additional cost 

At Grillo, we know our customers are already making an investment and therefore we want to ensure that we are avoiding any additional, and unnecessary, spending. Opting out of site visits saves our customers money. We do not need to sneakily up the prices of our kitchens to cover the additional costs of sending our operations team out to analyse a space. Instead, as previously mentioned, we ask our customers to answer questions and send us images of the area where their kitchen is going to be positioned. This provides us with all the information we need, making the need for a site visit completely obsolete.

No site visit means time saved

As we deliver all over the mainland UK, there would be a substantial amount of time to consider when travelling around the country carrying out site visits. By removing this step from the process, we, not only, avoid wasting the time of our valued customers but we are also able to save ourselves time. We can then invest this into delivering the best possible service across other aspects of the business.

The Nature of Grillo

As we provide a modular solution, our units are all a standard size and so the exact measurements of your layout will be provided in our online configurator. This removes the need for site visits. Customers love that they are able to have creative freedom, producing their own designs using our online configurator and then being able to see how it would look in their space using our 3D and AR features.

To conclude…

Hopefully, this post has helped you to understand why a site visit really is unnecessary when buying a Grillo Outdoor Kitchen. Obviously, no two installations are the same and we do sometimes come across some challenges but – take it from us – we have never not been able to complete an installation. It works every time!

If it’s the reassurance you are looking for, our friendly design team is just a phone call away. Alternatively, you can book a free online consultation with us to go through your designs and get our expert’s opinion.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to our team if you have any further questions. We are always happy to help!