DREAM HOUSE

A veranda is a wonderful place to relax and enjoy the good weather during the warmer months of the year, when you can sit back in your favourite chair and dream the days away.But when winter draws in you?ll be venturing inside Ð which leaves you with the problem of what to do with your veranda furniture.Whatever style of furniture you have, itÕs advisable to bring it in out of the elements if you can. A garage or shed is a good place to store it, but make sure you cover it with a tarpaulin for additional protection against the inevitable leaks that can sometimes occur. It will also help to keep the furniture free from dust.If you have wooden furniture consider treating it before bringing it inside, as it will help to protect it and keep it looking good for when you need to get it back out again. Another good tip is to make sure any fixings, such as screws for example, are oiled just prior to storage. This will prevent the damp making them rusty.If your furniture has soft cushions they should be brought inside, as any outbuildings tend to be damp and can result in your soft furnishings becoming musty.If you donÕt have a shed or garage it might be worth investing in an outdoor storage box thatÕs big enough to hold essential items of furniture. ItÕs a smaller alternative to a shed and is usually made from metal or plastic.Of course not everyone has the room to be able to store all their garden furniture inside. If this describes your situation you need to think carefully about how to protect it against the elements. Even though most garden furniture is quite robust and can be protected by treating it regularly to ward off any damage, it wonÕt be happy sitting outside on your veranda without any kind of covering over it at all.In this case buy the best Ð and biggest Ð tarpaulin you can find and make sure it covers every inch of your furniture. It will need to be firmly secured to the ground in some way; you can use heavy bricks or planters to keep it on the ground, or even tether it to something, but ideally you need to ensure the wind, rain and snow cannot get underneath it. Pull the furniture into a sheltered corner if you can, and group it together.In an ideal world we would all have a dedicated spot for storing our outdoor furniture, but regardless of where you store it just remember these two rules Ð protect it and cover it.

Filed under: Playroom & Children's Furniture