Five Ways to Stay Warm Outdoors This Winter
In warm weather, it’s easy to love outdoor space. It’s a little more difficult when the temperature drops and every time you stand on the deck you feel like you’re in the Arctic. If you want to enjoy your deck, patio, or backyard during the winter months, you need a plan to keep your space warm.
Insulation curtains
When it comes to keeping your outdoors warm, wind and heat transfer are your enemies. One of the best things you can do is to create an enclosed space on your patio or deck by using insulated cold weather curtains . A DIY pergola will give you a frame to hang them on (and a roof that you can also cover for maximum coziness), but any simple frame will do, including simple tension wire attached to posts.
Thick rugs
One reason why your outdoor space feels cold even though it’s relatively warm and sunny outside in the winter? The ground is icy. A quality outdoor rug that is water and cold resistant will protect your deck or patio floor from the cold, making the entire space feel a little warmer without turning your feet into ice cubes. Paired with insulated curtains, you can really warm up your outdoor space.
Heaters
An obvious and effective option is to install heat sources on your deck, patio, or around your backyard. A few things to consider:
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Fire pits (or chimineas , or permanent fireplaces) are great outdoor seating and can produce a surprising amount of heat. But often they do not have a large range and radiate heat only in one direction.
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Propane, natural gas or infrared heaters can improve the heating of your deck, patio or backyard sitting area. Standing propane heaters can be placed around the perimeter, and infrared heaters can be hung on the roof of a gazebo or other structures, if available, to maximize the temperature.
Your choice of heater may depend on whether you have access to electricity or gas outdoors, but propane heaters work great and can be installed almost anywhere.
Heated floors in the yard
One way to ensure a comfortable (and impressively beautiful) patio: install heated floors . Heated outdoor floors will not only keep you warm in cold weather, but will also melt snow and ice, leaving the space free to use. There are two main types of outdoor heated floors: electric and hydronic. In the first case, wires are used under pavers or heated floor coverings; the latter uses warm water running under the floor.
Of course, this is a larger project than just installing curtains and heaters, but if you’re going to be installing a patio anyway, it’s worth considering as it will make your outdoor space much more comfortable in cold weather.
Party Tent
If you have a backyard but no patio or deck, an easy way to make your outdoor experience more comfortable is to pitch a tent. A small party tent can provide you with an enclosed space that you can outfit with a rug, furniture, and a heat source that will allow you to enjoy your backyard no matter how cold it gets.
When it comes to heating your tent, you’ll need an electric heater – propane heaters produce fumes, and in a closed tent this can be dangerous (and obviously an open flame in a campfire would be a very bad idea). ). You also need to be very careful about where you place the heater. to avoid setting fire to your beautiful new tent.