Two of our favourite alfresco picks right now: the Whispair Boston 120 rangehood and the Sirius 5-Burner Gas BBQ. Here's a closer look at both, a new installation video, and what to check before your own installation day.
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Spring is close, and for a lot of Melbourne homes that means the alfresco area is about to get a proper workout again. If yours is due for an upgrade, or you're planning one from scratch, two products keep coming up in our conversations with customers this season: the Whispair Boston 120 alfresco rangehood, and the Sirius Drop-in 5-Burner Gas BBQ.
We install both regularly, so below is a closer look at what's actually in each one, a new video walking through a real Boston 120 install, and the essentials worth checking before your own installation day, backed by a free downloadable checklist.
We explain the challenges of alfresco rangehood installs, and why planning early gets you the best result.
More alfresco installs get complicated over clearances than almost anything else. Get these sorted before you fall in love with a specific rangehood or benchtop layout, and the rest of the job goes a lot more smoothly.
Tap the diagram to zoom in
Built for outdoor kitchens. It's a slim, shallow unit, so we can usually get it in tighter to the ceiling, handy when a structural beam is in the way. The flexible ducting also gives us more room to route around obstructions a rigid system couldn't handle.
Whispair build their hoods in Dandenong, with German motors, and the motor can sit away from the hood itself, so your alfresco area stays as quiet as the extraction is strong. Marine-grade stainless, built for outside.
Onboard motors keep things simple but run a little louder and make the hood itself bulkier. Off-board or in-line motors run quieter, but need duct runs and neighbours factored in. Worth talking through with us before you choose.
150mm duct, 53.9dB(A). Simplest setup, motor built into the hood.
200mm duct, 56.5dB(A). More extraction, still all in the one unit.
200mm duct, 56.6dB(A) at the motor, quieter in the alfresco area itself since the motor sits away from the hood.
Three stainless burners, an infrared teppanyaki plate and a 7kg-capacity rotisserie mean this drop-in BBQ can grill, sear and slow-roast all on the same afternoon. It runs on LPG as standard, with a natural gas conversion available, and drops straight into the benchtop for a clean, built-in finish.
Before we arrive to install a BBQ or alfresco rangehood, there's a fair bit worth checking, clearance, catchment, gas type, cabinetry timing and more. Our free checklist covers all nine essentials, so your installation day goes smoothly.
Download the free checklistWhether it's a rangehood, a BBQ, or both going in together, here's what our team works through, from quote to handover.
Send us photos of the alfresco area and we'll talk through clearances, catchment and the best model for your setup, then quote the job. For more complex installs, we may arrange a site visit first.
Our team handles gas connection, any conversion pack fitting, electrical for lighting and controls, and duct runs for the rangehood, without needing separate trades.
We test the BBQ, rangehood and any interlock together, and walk you through it before we leave, so it's ready the moment the tongs come out.
Tell us about your BBQ, rangehood or outdoor kitchen and we'll confirm the right setup before anything is booked.