Big Bend Landscaping wants to help you prepare your outdoor living space for winter. You’ve invested a lot of time and money in making your yard an inviting place. And we know you want to protect your beautiful investment. So let’s look at two aspects of what to do with your outdoor living space as cold, wet weather approaches:
- Tips to help you make sure your outdoor living space remains in top condition during extreme temperatures.
- A few more tips to help you continue to enjoy it, even during the coldest weather.
Prepare Your Kitchen, Fire Pit, and Outdoor Fireplace
If you have a fire pit, make sure it’s properly covered with a heavy-duty vinyl cover. Ice and snow can rust your burner pan. And moisture can damage any fittings you might have if you burn natural gas or propane.
The same goes for your outdoor kitchen appliances. Shut off the water and drain the lines to your outdoor sink, refrigerator, and ice maker. This will protect against frozen and/or burst pipes. Make sure everything is scrubbed and wiped down. So when you want to use it all again, you can uncover it all and go right to work.
Cover your BBQ grill, stovetop, and sink with the same kind of heavy vinyl cover mentioned above. Do NOT cover your refrigerator as this can actually cause more damage than leaving it uncovered can.
Pay close attention to any stonework structures in your outdoor kitchen. Outdoor fireplaces and brick ovens are designed to withstand extreme heat. But extreme fluctuations in temperature can damage them. If you decide to use either during the winter, you’ll need to remove any ice or snow that’s accumulated on the outside before lighting one of them. Keep all the doors to fireplaces and brick ovens closed when not in use to prevent ice and snow buildup. If your countertops are stone and you haven’t already done so, apply a sealant to protect the surface.
Prepare Your Patio and Walkways
Move anything that’s portable off your patio (plants, toys, decorative items, grills, outdoor furniture) and store it out of the weather. If you haven’t already done this, examine your pavers for cracks and arrange for repairs soon as you can. Big Bend Landscaping works with the highest quality pavers and materials by companies like Belgard, Pavestone, and Romanstone. But freezing and refreezing moisture can put unnecessary wear and tear on your beautiful outdoor living space if you don’t take preventative measures.
Clean out gutters so that they drain properly and don’t run over onto your equipment and onto your paver patio or walkways. Check your drainage systems, swales, and dry creek-beds to make sure those aren’t clogged or backed up with debris like leaves and sticks.
Prepare Your Water Features
Shut off the water to your water features and cover them to protect against any debris that might create clogs or damage fixtures.
Prepare Your Wooden Structures
Any wooden structures such as decks or porches can sustain water damage during snowstorms if not protected. Make sure and sweep them clean, check for leaks from any overhangs and apply a waterproof sealant to the porch surface if needed.
Safety Tips
The pavers Big Bend Landscaping uses will withstand all kinds of conditions, including salt absorption. But here are some additional ideas offered by Belgard that can help you make sure paver patios and walkways last for many years.
- Mix deicing salt with sand before applying to your pavers. This will ensure even coverage.
- Do not over-salt. A little dab‘ll do ya when using deicing chemicals.
- Salt is for melting ice! Not for snow removal. Sorry. You’re still going to need a shovel for that.
- Once the ice begins to melt, manually remove it with a broom to avoid build up.
- In the spring, wash any leftover residue off your pavers.
- Every three to five years, reseal your patio and walkways with protective sealants.
How to Enjoy Your Outdoor Living Space during Winter
Just because you prepare your outdoor living space for winter doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it again until spring. To the contrary, this is a great way to use your firepit, brick oven, and fireplace. A change in routine helps ward off cabin fever. Have a Super Bowl party or a Snow Day celebration!
Pull the cover off your clean, dry fire pit and build a fire—or turn on the gas—and enjoy a toasty change of scenery. Cook some marshmallows, sip something hot like tea or hot cocoa or a hot toddy, and enjoy the surrounding winter wonderland. Just be sure and clean up afterward and cover your fire pit back up, so it will be ready for you the next time you want to use it.
The same goes for outdoor fireplaces! The winter is an excellent time to have a cookout! Like the fire pit, clean up any mess afterward and make sure you close any doors on your fireplace.
Want to use your outdoor oven or stove! Go right ahead! Just a reminder: sweep off any accumulating snow or ice first. This will prevent undue stress on the brickwork as the oven warms up.
Conclusion
Your outdoor living space is part of your home and we want you to enjoy it for years to come! We hope we helped you prepare your outdoor living space for winter! If you have any questions about caring for your patio, firepit, walkways, or outdoor kitchen during winter weather, give Big Bend Landscaping a call. We’ll be happy to help!
Big Bend Landscaping has a Level 1 Certification from the National Concrete and Masonry Association. We’ve taken extra steps to ensure that we are using up-to-date methods and materials. We are experts in our field. When we present you with your options, we will offer you the newest and best landscaping solutions.
We guarantee all our work; this includes parts and labor. If for any reason you have a problem with something we’ve done, call us and we will make your satisfaction our priority.
Do you like what you’ve read here and want to know more? Give us a call or contact us for an online estimate!