Question for those of you with Outdoor Kitchens

[WhaleinaTeardrop]

Or who just keep your gear outside on a deck or patios....

Do you have a problem with critters?


My plan for this summer was to extend my 9'x17' paver patio by 32" to 11'8"x17' and once my wife got on board, it quickly grew to expanding 96" to 17'x17' with a pergola/gazebo and Outdoor Kitchen. 

We're past the planning stage and are picking materials and finishes, but as we live near a park, we get rabbits, raccoons, opossums, grey squirrels and field mice in our yard.  Outside of the raccoon stealing my ashcan lid, I seem to have an understanding with all the critters, that is, all but the tree rats....they'd chewed holes on the supposed tamper-proof city trash carts so I would hate invest all this time and money only to have my kitchen and furniture destroyed within a week.

For those of you with critter concerns, outside of a dog(next year when my son is 8 and a little more responsible), what are you guys doing to protect your gear?

[Jammato]

I have a constant battle with the rats that live in the palm trees. I laterally kill 5 or 6 a month. Rat traps with peanut butter and almonds. Had a few raccoons, I sat up late one night with a buddy and a 20 gauge loaded with rock salt and peppered them. They were so offended they moved down the street and bother my neighbors now. About rabbits...... That is a useless battle. Those things just cannot discouraged. I had to install chicken wire around my bushes. You see my yard is an oasis in the middle of a desert. Those rabbits see it as the McDonald's of my town.