Winterizing the Backyard

If you’re new around here (welcome!), we renovated our backyard over the summer and have been stretching out it’s use until it’s absolutely too cold to hang comfortably. I hate to admit it, but that time is now(ish). It has already snowed in the mountains here in Utah, and the cold will be here to stay any day now. I’ve sported a winter coat a couple times now and am debating leaving it on the hook for the season. All of this to say, our backyard needed winterized and after A TON of work over the summer months… we wanted to keep it as protected as possible. Click through to see how we transitioned the space to weather the winter.

If you missed our backyard throughout the other seasons, you can find posts here: summer backyard & fall backyard. Gosh, I love how it turned out SO much. I’m not going to lie… it was a little sad to pack everything away. We’ve grown accustomed to relaxing back there with a drink in hand alongside a toasty fire or next to the heater as of lately.

I suppose I’ll dive right in and accept the inevitable. This is us winterizing the space and packing everything up for the season in real time. I took my camera outside with me and Emmett was a good sport about letting me document our process.

C L E A N I N G

First we gave everything a good clean. We wiped the tables and swept the paver patio. The dogs tend to play rough and mulch ends up all over the place.

Once that was taken care of, we moved onto basic winterizing for the grill and outdoor heater.

W I N T E R I Z I N G   W I T H   P R O P A N E

Emmett cleaned the heater and grill, and then checked the propane valves to make sure they were turned in the off position. Cash is so nosey- of course he thought he needed to supervise this task. Propane tanks should not be stored inside your house, garage, or shed to due fire hazards. It’s best to leave them outside for the winter.

That means purchasing protective covers to keep them from being exposed to the elements. We ordered a cover for the heater, as well as the grill.

We even cover the grill in the summer, just to keep it in tip top condition. You can already see the cover has done it’s job. It rained last week and you’ll notice the dust that has settled on top.

B R I N G   P L A N T S   I N S I D E

This one seems obvious, but don’t forget to bring all of your plants inside that aren’t able to tolerate colder temperatures or snow… depending on your zone / climate. I made room in my office (small house probs) for three giant planters of succulents and a dwarf lemon tree.

C O N S O L I D A T E   F U R N I T U R E

Prior to buying our protective furniture and patio covers, I thought logically about how certain pieces could fit into or under others. That saved us some money and space once it was time to winterize and put things away for the season.

For instance, our smaller cocktail table fits perfectly under our larger one. Rather than buying two table covers, we only needed one.

That brings me to our next step…

C O V E R   F U R N I T U R E

I measured everything that needed to be covered for the season and had covers purchased / ready to go for winterization. Emmett brought everything out and we began securing the furniture.

We’ve been getting a ton of questions about where we bought our furniture covers, so I’m linking everything in the collage below!

You can hover and click on the products above for the links! We weren’t super picky about colors, we just grabbed whatever our local Lowes had in stock. For any odd size they didn’t have in store or online, I was able to find it on Amazon.

There are a ton of options on the market for specific covers: chairs, stacked chairs, fire pits, outdoor heaters, dining tables, coffee tables, etc. If I couldn’t find the specific cover I needed, I just opted for something close in size. Sometimes you have to think outside the box… for instance, our round side table is protected by an outdoor pizza oven cover, but it works.

S T O R E   S O F A   C U S H I O N S

So… this giant storage tote is our secret for storing the cushions! We live in a very small house and there was no way those things were coming inside. That outdoor sofa is double the size of the one in our living room. This tote is supposed to be weatherproof, and I’m sure it is, but I wanted the cushions to be extra protected.

I bought waterproof bags we zip the cushions into prior to being stored in the outdoor tote.

Even though Emmett is camera shy on Insta stories, I’m telling you guys- this is real life. Ha!

We proceeded to pack the bags of cushions into the tote and they pretty much fill up the entire thing, but I rest easy knowing they’re super secure from the rain, wind, and snow.

Q U E S T I O N S ?

Other things you might be wondering about…

• Leaving the evergreen topiary out? After polling Instagram, I think it’s best I bring that one inside, or at least under the carport. I moved it right after drafting this post. Thanks for the suggestions!
• The sunshade fabric on top of the pergola? Emmett decided to leave it up. Snow will probably collect on it, and we’re placing bets on how it will hold up this winter. It was really inexpensive, so worst case scenario, we replace it with a new roll this spring.
• The string lights? They’re industrial, outdoor-rated, and should be fine left outdoors year round. We’ll see how it goes and report back, but they’re similar to Christmas lights that are weather-rated.
• The outdoor fan? That is permanent and cannot be moved inside- nor does it need to be. It’s wet-rated and if there’s one thing I’m confident that will weather the winter… it’s that fan. Pretty amazing, right? We’ll give it a good cleaning come springtime, but other than that- we’re all set!

Speaking of the fan, click here to get a special promo 10% discount! If you’re a fellow interior designer, you can also use that same link to apply for trade pricing, just FYI.

We’ve also had LOTS of questions about how our outdoor furniture and DIY sofa have been holding up. We completed the project at the end of July and so far, so good. We’ve entertained multiple times with friends in the space, as well as hosted lots of dog-friendly parties. From muddy paw prints to spilled drinks and food, everything has been really durable and cleaned up nicely. Come springtime, we’ll probably take a scrub brush to the concrete sofa, just to clean it up and get it ready for the season. Emmett is also trying to convince me to paint it next year. He’s ready for something other than white, although I like it. We shall see.

In case you’re interested in more backyard posts, check out the following:

• Paver Patio DIY
• Summer Backyard Reveal
• Fall Backyard Transition
• Custom Outdoor Seating DIY
• Cornhole Board DIY 
• Our Landscaping Design Plan
• Why You Need an Outdoor Fan
• The Backyard Budget

By taking all of these necessary precautions to protect our outdoor furniture and decor, it’ll be ready to go next spring. I’m already looking forward to the day we get to put the yard back together and enjoy it with friends! Other questions? Drop me a comment below!

*This post is brought to you in collaboration with Lowes. All content, ideas, and words are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that allow us to create unique content while featuring products we truly use and enjoy!

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