Q: I live in Guatemala, down in Central America. As in other countries, we have a rainy season, only ours lasts up to 7 months, and we are often hit by hurricanes. The rain, while it helps tremendously our lush and glorious nature, is an inconvenience when it comes to planning an outdoor space.
I have wanted to go ahead and come up with an outdoor space for entertaining and relaxing, like the many shared here at Apartment Therapy. But as beautiful as they seem, and no matter how much I want to copy - or try to, at least - this and that idea, I can't help but wonder how in heavens these owners of outdoor heavens maintain their spaces during the rainy, or snowy season for that matter.
From furniture, to plants themselves, to electrical issues, tips or suggestions would be great. It is important to come up with magnificent ideas for pretty projects, but it is also as important to figure out how to keep them in good shape when nature forces us not to use them.
Be well!
Sent by Claudia
Editor: Leave your suggestions for Claudia in the comments - thanks!
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Great question! In FL, we have a rainy season as well, so I'd love to see any suggestions. Between the rain and the need for screened porches to deal with the bugs, good looking yards are hard to create!
We don't have a rainy season, but we have a cold and snowy season, I usually store all the outdoor furniture and temporary installaytions either in the basement or in the shed for the winter. For the plants, we only put annuals in pots, so we empty out the pots at the end of summer in store them as well. When winter is over, we clean every thing up, remove weeds and dead branches and put everything back in place.
I'm just welcoming you writing in from Guatemala! I visited there a few years ago and found it the most beautiful, lush country I'd ever seen.
It's hard having expensive furniture outside when it's getting rained on regularly. Having furniture that's water resistant and doesn't have pads is probably your best option. That aside, where are these adorable chairs from??!
I think when you live in a rainy climate you just have to accept you can't have the same kind of outdoor space that people in, say, Southern California can have. You have to take cues from your own surroundings when you're creating an outdoor space. Anything you have needs to be waterproof, or you need to be able to store non-waterproof things indoors. I would avoid electrical and opt for candles/torches/chimneas/etc. Embrace the native plants that thrive in rainy environments and use them to create a backdrop.
I live in summer hail and wind country and have learned from experience (umbrellas and tables flying away with random sections of fencing in 50-70 mph winds) that one either drags everything in and out, or settles for a less "designed" look for the summer. Bringing the inside out is great in protected spaces, but sometimes just doesn't work when time is at a premium.
you are not alone! i live in thailand & we are just coming into our rainy season. what do you have issues with?
I live in snowy Minnesota. I store my cushions between uses and cover the furniture in the winter. All of the ceramic pots come inside (but could stay out if no freeze/thaw cycle), and my ceramic fountain gets emptied and put inside. I have outdoor wicker (plastic) furniture and aluminum table and chairs that stay out year-round (5 yrs, no issues) but the cushions and curtains get put away at night. Wooden end tables are stored during the winter. We have our pergola wired for a chandelier, it is an outdoor fixture that stays out all summer but gets put in during the winter. The outlet for that and the fountain is a GFI.
Basically, any fabric items need to come in if you have moisture...I don't care how "weatherproof" they are, at the very least the rain will make them dirty and therefore not good to sit on. It is all about making weatherproof "bones" - metal or plastic couches, tables, garden structures - and then figuring out how much easily accessible room you have in your house and garage for storing the cushions, curtains, pillows, etc. And how much stuff you want to drag in and out!
The perfect outdoor room is a fantasy in MN - mine takes some work to set up/break down when in use.
Maybe you could do something like this http://pinterest.com/pin/21955116903801841/