Don’t pack up your patio furniture yet
Five ways to make outdoor living last a little longer
You don’t have to hide out inside right away just because summer is over.
Outdoor design and lifestyle expert Carson Arthur of HGTV’s Critical Listing says most of us tend to pack up the patio far too soon. In fact, he says fall is the best time to rethink outdoor spaces.
“Any effort that you put into the backyard in the fall is going to pay off tenfold in the spring.”
If you’re considering redoing your deck or patio? Arthur says you can save by completing those projects in the fall rather than waiting for spring.
“This is when most contractors are available. They like to grab last- minute jobs to squeeze one more in versus in the spring when they’re booking two or three months in advance.”
You can also score some great deals on plants and gardening material. Post-summer “is a great opportunity to get plants, get them into the ground, and come next spring, they’re going to be blooming and look fantastic and you will have spent a fraction” of what you would spend in the spring, he says.
A few tips to prolong outdoor living:
1. Protect your deck
Fall and winter weather can wreak havoc on your wood deck.
“If you protect your wood deck in the fall … you actually preserve it significantly more than if you leave it and try to fix it next spring,” Arthur says.
He recommends a semitransparent stain that penetrates the wood for high-traffic decks or a solid stain for decks that are very exposed to the elements to provide optimal protection.
2. Bring your kitchen outside
Outdoor kitchens are one of the fastest-growing backyard trends in Canada. Building an outdoor kitchen can extend your backyard use into Thanksgiving and even Christmas. Arthur recommends using wall-mounted heaters that plug into natural-gas systems and project heat downward onto the areas where you need it when cooking outdoors.
3. Trade your lounger for cosy pillows
Autumn provides plenty of outdoor entertainment opportunities, but only if you have the right seating. Arthur recommends swapping summer deck chairs for alternative seating conducive to cooler temperatures.
“Aluminum and metal chairs hold the cold a lot longer than you probably want in the fall.”
Inexpensive plastic Adirondack or Muskoka chairs hold less cold, but can shatter in extreme cold, especially when weight is put on them.
Making use of multiple pillows and blankets is a great way to stay warm. Straw bales are another great seating option that can add to the fall ambience or simply create a pillow bench around a heat source.
4. Heat your outdoor space
Outdoor fire pits are a great way to extend the season, but Arthur warns to be aware of municipal rules before buying any outdoor fire source.
Other sources of heat include free-standing or wall-mounted outdoor heaters to add warmth.
5. Incorporate garden art
While colourful flowers provided natural artwork during the summer months, the fall means bringing in colour through accessories.
Autumn leaves offer a colourful backdrop, but only for a short time.
Jewel-tone hurricane lamps or candles and rust-coloured pillows and blankets can add a splash of colour to the otherwise dull ambience. Mixing in seasonal accents such as pumpkins and gourds can also help make the atmosphere festive, but might attract pumpkin-loving squirrels.