For many folks, the arrival of pumpkin spice lattes ushers in the fall season. This is the time of year when we can finally enjoy our backyards and front porches without dripping in sweat. Consider holding your holiday festivities outside with these accents that will create a festive mood.
Create an entertainment island. Replace old free-standing barbecues with a permanent grill structure powered with propane or natural gas from a line. Be sure to hire a licensed contractor to install the line. Counters with bar stools sheltered under umbrellas or ramadas make for a relaxing party atmosphere that the cook can be a part of. Add a pizza oven and make your own wood-fired pizza. A small refrigerator will keep you outside with your guests instead of running back to kitchen to refill drinks.
Forget the pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. Roast marshmallows and s’mores at your own fire pit (you can buy pumpkin-spice marshmallows). Gather your guests around the warm flames and make the traditional campfire treat.
Relaxing on cozy outdoor furniture that is easy to reconfigure and over-sized cushions are the perfect way to wind down while the tryptophan settles in.
Because of the occasional no-burn restrictions, fire features are a perfect outdoor accent because they are generally powered by natural gas or propane. Some are built to be viewed from inside the house, which adds a festive note for special events.
If you want to swim in the fall and winter, a solar cover will help keep heat collected from the sun in your pool. In the fall, the cover will keep your pool at 80 degrees for several more weeks — without using a heater. Winter visitors from the cold-weather states (anyplace below 70 degrees for us natives) will go (pecan) nuts swimming on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Watch those social media selfies fly!
Path lights leading to the front and back doors are more inviting for family and friends. They are also an important safety measure. Use lights as a navigational tool. Light up the bottom of steps, points in the yard or patio where there’s a change in direction and around any trip hazards.
For ambience after dark, mix solar fixtures in with low-voltage outdoor lamps on the patio and in the garden. Avoid placing all of the lights in a row. It can give your yard the look of an airport runway.
Vary the intensity of the lighting. Creating shadows and dark areas in your landscape is just as important as creating light. Err on the side of too few lights. Outdoor lighting should be subtle, not harsh, so it creates a mood.
Get your game on Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day with a weatherproof television designed for patio use. A tough weatherproof set could run around $4,000. Or, just take your old indoor set outside and use it until it conks out. Install it in a shady spot on a metal, heavy duty-wall mount that can pivot. You’ll need a cable or satellite connection on the patio. Connect the TV to external stereo speakers for an at-the-game experience. Your neighbors will love it! You may want to invite them over to keep the peace. Cover the TV when it’s not in use with a weatherproof wrap. Store it indoors in June through August.
Enjoy these twists to your holiday traditions. And, if you really must have pumpkin somethin’ this season, check out the recipes at www.fillyourplate.org.
For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 35 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8 to 11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and from 7 to 10 a.m. on KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
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Post time: Nov-05-2019