Now that we got your attention with our snappy title, we’ll tell you all about our favorite outdoor living space hack: wheels.
Yup. You heard us right. Wheels.
Here in Pennsylvania, where our headquarters is located, we’ve got three months of outdoor living time, maybe five, but only if we are blessed with decent weather in May and if said warm weather stretches into September. The rest of the year, we either have to winterproof or store our patio furniture.
As we looked back at past orders and thought about blog topics, we realized that mobilizing outdoor living furniture is a bright idea. Wheel it out in the spring. Move it around in the summer. And roll it away when it gets too cold. Booyah!
Using wheels to roll your large furniture to and from storage is pretty self-explanatory, so we’ll skip the tips on that. But, we can’t stress enough the efficiency of being able to move heavy patio furniture and accessories around during the summer. Especially patio umbrellas because, well, the sun tends to move, too. Sometimes titling the umbrella only gets you so far. But being able to effortlessly move a bulky umbrella stand to maximize your shade? Well that’s just priceless.
We’ve been trolling Pinterest and set up a board to go with this post.
Items that we found those bright Pinterest users putting wheels on were:
Umbrella Stands
If you put your umbrella through that little hole in your outdoor table, well, this won’t apply to you. But, if your umbrella is big and stands alone using a weighted base, then adding wheels may be just the thing to easily manage your shade levels. You can add the wheels directly to the base or try out a little wheeled dolly. In the former, we recommend you empty the sand out before attempting to turn it upside down and install the casters. In the latter, get some help lifting the base onto the wheeled dolly. No point in throwing your back out.
Large Planters
Planters are a great alternative to stationary flower beds to add a pop of color to your outdoor living space each season without committing to massive weeding efforts. But, unless they’re small, they’re pretty heavy once you add all that soil and plant those flowers. So, save yourself and your back some aggravation and put some wheels on the bottom first.
Raised Gardens
Having a raised garden on wheels, especially for growing herbs, fruit, and vegetables is pretty convenient because it allows you to move the garden to wherever the best growing conditions are. A random frost predicted? (Which happens a lot here, by the way, especially at the beginning and end of the season.) Well, then you can move the garden inside the house, garage, or other outbuilding for the night and protect the plants you’ve worked so hard to cultivate.
Fire Pits
Obviously, we aren’t talking about fire pits made of pavers and embedded in your patio here. Those are staying wherever you put them. But, there are ones you can buy or design yourself using metal that you can pop some wheels on the bottom. Front yard. Back yard. Doesn’t matter. You can have those s’mores wherever you want them.
Bar Carts, Grill Carts, and Cooler Carts
While the fact that your outdoor space is, by definition, open concept, it means that people have plenty of space to mill about at your next party. Bar carts and cooler carts are great ways to keep your guests hydrated without requiring them to run inside to the fridge to get a drink all the time. And, a spiffy grill cart enables the chef of the house to be a part of the party even while cooking. Not a big entertainer? That’s okay. These work great for families or parties of one, too. Having food and beverages easily accessible on the deck, by the pool, or on the patio means you can stay outside and do your thing longer.
Lounge Chairs
Lounge chairs can be heavy. If they have wheels, they’re much easier to move when you need to change the position to catch some rays or soak in some shade. You can also follow the umbrella, fire pit, or bar cart around. Really, the world (or at least your backyard) is your oyster.
Of course, you can buy all of these things with wheels already on them. Or, if you’re crafty, you can DIY wheels onto your existing items and breathe new life into them. We are a caster and wheel company, so, yes, #wehaveacasterforthat, and our customer service team would be happy to help you find the perfect casters and wheels to optimize your outdoor living space. Just give us a call at 800-215-8220.
Like this post? Share it with your friends on social media. Then, let us know below which of our suggestions you think would be most useful for your outdoor space.