Snow doesn’t just bring on the cold—it also brings on some damage. Your decks, porch floors, chairs, tables, and beams are at risk of developing rot or rust during the winter months, most especially if they are made of wood. These parts of your outdoor living space can sustain water damage without proper protection from melting snow and ice. Even fallen leaves can increase the risk of damage to these structures, for as these leaves rot, your furniture might rot along with it.
With regular expenses already draining your wallet, you wouldn’t want to lose any extra money to have these things repaired. Luckily for you, though, there are some precautions you can take to ensure that your outdoor living spaces stay safe during the cold weather and possibly even through warm weather as well.
Protecting Your Outdoor Living Spaces
Protect Your Wood
Starting with the most obvious, wood is more susceptible to damage brought on by the cold. As it is one of the most common materials, protecting it should be one of your main priorities come the winter months. All you need to do is a little preventative maintenance. Move all furniture and appliances off your deck or porch.
The next step is to sweep your porch, removing any dead leaves and debris that may aid bacteria in rotting away and damaging your wood. Once everything is cleared and clean, apply some water-tight sealer to prevent swelling and moisture damage through the colder months. Investing in a tarp to cover up your furniture would also be a good idea, so they will stay protected even when not in use.
Remove The Snow
Less snow means less water, and less water means less damage. Investing in snow-plowing service during winter would be a surefire way to keep your outdoor living space in tip-top shape. This service type usually costs only around $25-$75 an hour, making it a worthy investment, especially if you consider how much it will save you in repairs for possible damage. It would be best if you prioritized removing snow in places like the stairs, roof, and, of course, the main deck. That way, you can track in less now and have less snow falling in, leading to less damage.
Maintain Your Lawn
Your lawn is where fallen leaves and snow accumulate the most, and obviously, these are the things that help ruin your outside living spaces. So, in turn, you must ensure that your lawn is as snow-free and leaf-free as possible. Doing so can lessen the likelihood of you tracking in any of them as you enter your home, and you can reduce the possibility of them being blown in naturally as well. Maintaining your lawn is relatively simple to do too. You can hire someone else to handle it, or you can even do it yourself with a shovel, rake, and a couple of trash bags.
Tend to Your Outdoor Plumbing
The possibility of having frozen and burst pipes in your sprinkler system, water features, swimming pools, and overall plumbing isn’t something you want to deal with. This is especially true since any damage to your outdoor plumbing raises the likelihood of water getting on your outdoor space. The best thing for you to do is to flush out the water since you’re not going to be needing it this season anyway. You should remove hoses and drains as well. If you do have water features you don’t intend on completely draining, add winterizing chemicals to them. Other things to keep an eye out for are cracks or other damage you notice on your outdoor water features, and take care of them as soon as possible.
Winter is a fun time to play around and be with your family, but it isn’t enjoyable for your outdoor living spaces and possibly your wallet. Subsequently, you should take the proper precautions to protect your outdoor space. Doing so will keep it in good shape and save you some money along the way.
