Living Under a Patio Cover Through a Puget Sound Winter

Every fall, the same ritual plays out on decks across the Puget Sound. The cushions go into the garage. The grill gets a tarp. The chairs get stacked and strapped down, and the patio sits empty until the first dry weekend in May. Plenty of homeowners put a cover over that patio specifically to end the ritual, and the people who've done it tend to describe the winter differently afterward.

Leaving the furniture out all year

Teresa McCausland, one of the Google reviewers for Action Installations LLC, put it in a sentence: "We are able to leave our patio furniture out all year. No more storing and tarps!" That's the day-to-day payoff of a roof that actually keeps the patio dry. You stop managing the seasons. The table stays where it is, the chairs stay where they are, and a Tuesday in January with a break in the clouds becomes a usable evening instead of a project.

Her review goes on to describe the rest of the experience: the cover "lets in beautiful filtered light during all seasons, keeps the patio dry, and looks good even during the fall and spring pollen season." For anyone who has lived through a Northwest winter, the filtered light part matters just as much as the dry part. A roof that keeps the rain off but turns the space dark isn't one you'll sit under in December.

Needles, leaves and pollen

If your yard has Douglas fir, cedar, maple or alder nearby, you already know what a wet autumn does to a deck. Needles lodge in the gaps between boards. Leaves turn into a slick, brown layer. Pollen shows up in spring as a yellow film on everything horizontal. The company's own copy points out that a quality cover does more than block rain, because it keeps the deck or patio clear of pine needles, leaves and dirt.

Notice that this is about the surface under the roof. The cover itself still collects debris on top, and that's where the upkeep question comes in.

What the upkeep really looks like

Teresa's account of maintenance is refreshingly short: "An easy rinse cleans off debris a couple times a year if you're fussy and it's good to go." That matches what most homeowners find with a solid or glass roof. A garden hose, a long-handled soft brush if you want to be thorough, and a mild day are about all it takes.

A few general habits make that easier. Rinse after the heaviest leaf drop in late fall and again after the pollen settles in spring. Keep an eye on the gutter or drainage edge, since that's where needles collect first. Use a soft brush rather than anything abrasive on glass. And if there's a tree directly overhead, a light trim in late summer saves you from most of the winter cleanup. If you're unsure what's safe for your particular roof material, ask the installer at the estimate, because the answer depends on the product.

Making the space comfortable, not just dry

Dry is the baseline. Comfort is what gets you out there when it's 42 degrees and drizzling. Homeowners in the area tend to build up the space with a few simple things: an outdoor rug that can handle damp, string lights for the early dark, a throw or two kept in a lidded bin, and furniture with fast-draining cushions. Put the seating on the side of the patio that's sheltered from the prevailing wind, and keep the grill near the open edge where smoke can drift off.

Sideways rain deserves a mention. A roof handles rain that falls straight down. On windy days around the Sound, rain can arrive at an angle, and the outer foot or two of any patio will still get wet. Arrange the furniture a little back from that edge and you'll likely never notice.

What winter does to a cedar deck

A covered deck usually stays drier than an exposed one, and that's good news for the boards underneath. Without constant wetting, moss has a harder time taking hold and the surface doesn't cycle between soaked and sun-baked as often. A cover isn't a replacement for ordinary deck care, and it won't stop the boards from weathering over the years, but it takes a lot of the seasonal stress off the surface you walk on.

A short list for the first winter under a cover

• Leave one set of furniture out and see how it holds up before you commit the whole patio.
• Rinse the roof after the big leaf drop in November and again once spring pollen has settled.
• Check where the roof's water leaves the structure and make sure it isn't landing on a walkway.
• Note which edge of the patio gets wind-driven rain and arrange seating accordingly.

A patio you can use in January is a different thing from a patio you tolerate in July. If you'd like to find out what that looks like at your house in Orting or anywhere in the Puget Sound, call Action Installations LLC at (253) 886-3525 for a free estimate. Travis and the crew will come out, look at the space, and talk it through.