For over 5000 years, gazebos have been a vital necessity in gardens, backyard or front yard spaces, among other sections of your home’s exterior space. The hard-top gazebo serves as a resting area for beautification or an intimate space that offers privacy away from the main house. During winter, snow accumulation can damage the roof and other parts of your gazebo. It’s important to prepare it for the season to maintain its appearance and evade the harsh conditions. Here is what you need to know about preparing your hard-top gazebo for winter:
Consult a Professional
It’s one thing to own a gazebo and it’s a whole different case to professionally maintain it. Gazebo maintenance requires a set of skills and expertise that you might miss if you decide to go into it without proper knowledge. If you’re financially capable of hiring a professional to prepare your hard-top gazebo for winter, it is highly recommended that you go for it. On the other hand, you can save some money by paying for consultation and guidance but perform the physical task yourself.
Gazebos are made of different materials, shapes and sizes. That means you can’t apply a single set of skills to all of them. You must know the requirements for your gazebo winter care and work in that direction.
Get a Snow-Accumulation Tracker
In some areas, Winter comes with a lot of snow. As much as you may not be outside in the gazebo for long periods, it’s important to keep track of the snow accumulation. The roof takes much of the hit from this and can easily get damaged. When the tracker indicates a certain amount of snow accumulation, it’s time to organize a cleaning session and relieve your roof of the baggage. Again, you may hire a professional cleaner or make it a DIY project. Either way, ensure to maintain safety by wearing the right gear and using the correct tools.
Invest in a Heating Cable
It would help if you went the extra mile to maintain your gazebo during winter. Despite being relatively expensive, purchasing a heating cable and installing it on the roof saves you money that’d have gone into repairs upon damage. A heating cable on your gazebo’s roof prevents the accumulation of snow or ice by melting it up after formation. You can do this once a day or longer if the weather is not too harsh.
Get Gazebo Covers
When a heating cable is out of reach, gazebo covers step up to the occasion and serve a similar purpose. The only difference is that the latter affects your gazebo’s appearance by covering its beauty. If your main aim is protecting your structure from harsh weather conditions, then you’ll have no issue giving up its elegance until better weather arrives.
Your gazebo is a precious asset that deserves maximum protection. Harsh weather can take a toll on such structures, which is why you should prepare yours early, before winter comes. Take your time, make the necessary consultation and be ready with the additional materials. The tips mentioned above are bound to bring the best out of your gazebo during and after the season.
