Deck & Patio Furniture Winterizing
Handis deck and patio furniture winterizing is the end-of-season visit that protects three to five thousand dollars of outdoor living gear from a Seattle-area winter — cushion bagging and storage, umbrella crank-down and stow, glass tabletop wrap or removal, grill propane disconnect and cover, fire-pit cover or gas-pit shutoff, planter staging, and patio-heater storage. From $200 for a single-set patio with cushions, umbrella, grill, and cover; up to $600 for a full back-yard outdoor living build with a sectional, dining set, multiple umbrellas, a grill, a fire pit, planters, and a patio heater moved into garage or covered storage. Pacific Northwest winters are not the deep-freeze problem they are in the Midwest, but constant rain, wind events, and UV-free months are hard on Sunbrella, teak, wicker, and the propane systems that drove the patio in the summer. The November visit puts the patio to bed properly.
Service
What Does Deck & Patio Furniture Winterizing Include?
The visit is a single end-of-season stow-away across the deck, patio, and yard furniture. The tech works from a fixed checklist; every cushion gets bagged or moved, every gas system gets disconnected and stored safely, every glass surface gets wrapped or removed. The standard package covers seven work categories on a single-set patio; the full outdoor-living tier scales up for sectionals, dining sets, and multiple umbrellas.
Cushion Bag Storage
Every outdoor cushion gets brushed off, dried if the weather has allowed it, and stored in a water-resistant zippered cushion bag. Cushions go into a covered space — garage rafters, basement, covered porch, or under-eave storage — per where you point us. Sunbrella and other solution-dyed acrylic cushions handle Seattle winters reasonably well; polyester cushions get more aggressive protection because they do not. If a cushion is already damaged (mildew on the underside, fabric splitting, foam compressed past usefulness), we flag it on the report rather than bag it to rot.
Umbrella Crank-Down & Stow
Every patio umbrella is cranked fully closed, removed from the stand if storage space allows, and either stowed indoors, in the garage, or in an upright umbrella cover. Wind-driven umbrellas are one of the most common winter property damage sources in a Pacific Northwest yard — an umbrella left open in an October gust ends up in the neighbor's yard or against a fence. Tilting mechanisms are checked for free movement; cracked or split umbrella ribs are flagged.
Glass Tabletop Wrap or Removal
Glass-top patio tables are the single most vulnerable piece in a winter wind event. The standard visit wraps the glass with a furniture pad and ties it down; the larger tier moves the glass to indoor storage. Tempered glass is more resistant to thermal shock than annealed glass, but a 60-mph gust does not care about glass type. If the table base is also unstable, we suggest moving the entire unit into covered storage.
Propane Grill Disconnect, Cover, and Tank Storage
Propane grills get the propane tank disconnected at the hose fitting, the tank stored outdoors and vertical (per propane safety code) away from the building, and the grill itself fitted with a heavy-duty grill cover (your cover if you have one, or a standard size we carry as an add-on). Natural-gas grills get the supply shut at the visible valve only — anything inside the wall on a gas line routes to a licensed gas fitter. Hose connections get a leak-check with soapy water if any concern is present.
Gas Fire-Pit Shutoff & Wood Fire-Pit Cover
Gas fire pits get the propane disconnected (portable units) or the visible gas valve closed (built-in units fed from a wall-mounted shutoff). The burner ring is covered or stored, and the bowl is covered. Wood fire pits get the ash cleared, the bowl drained of any standing water, and a heavy-duty cover fitted. Built-in gas pits fed from in-wall plumbing route to a gas-fitter for any in-wall valve work; we only operate the valve we can see.
Planter Staging & Drain
Terracotta planters get drained and either staged under an eave (where rain reaches but freezing standing water cannot crack the pot), stored inside, or wrapped if they are too large to move. Glazed ceramic, fiberglass, and metal planters get drained but most stay in place. Plants that need indoor storage get moved per your direction; we are not arborists, so we ask you about what stays and what goes.
Patio Heater Storage & Sectional Move
Propane patio heaters get the tank disconnected, the heater itself either covered in place or moved into the garage. Heavy outdoor furniture (sectional sofas, dining sets, outdoor kitchen islands) gets moved into the garage, basement, or covered porch when access allows — point us at the storage space and we handle the move. Furniture too heavy or too fixed to move (built-in benches, anchored kitchen islands) gets a heavy-duty cover.
How the Deck & Patio Furniture Visit Works
Five steps every Handis deck and patio winterizing visit runs through — schedule after the last patio use of the season, sort and stage the gear, stow cushions and umbrellas, disconnect every gas system, and send the same-day photo report.
Schedule After the Last Patio Use of the Season
Most Seattle homes book the visit the week after Halloween or in early November — late enough that the last warm-stretch patio dinner has happened, early enough to beat the November wind events and atmospheric rivers. Customers who entertain through Thanksgiving book the day-after-Thanksgiving slot. The visit moves to whatever week works once the patio is genuinely done for the season.
Sort and Stage the Gear with You
Tech walks the patio with you on arrival and confirms what stays where, what moves indoors, what gets covered in place, and what gets flagged as already damaged. Sunbrella cushions handle outdoor bag storage well; polyester cushions get prioritized for indoor storage. Glass tabletops get a wind-risk call. Planters that you want to keep outside get drained and staged under an eave; ones you want inside get moved.
Stow Cushions, Umbrellas, and Wind-Vulnerable Pieces
Cushions brushed, dried where possible, bagged in water-resistant zippered bags, and moved to wherever you pointed us — garage rafters, basement, covered porch. Umbrellas cranked closed, removed from stands if storage allows, stowed in upright covers or moved indoors. Glass tabletops wrapped and tied down or moved indoors per the wind-risk call.
Disconnect Every Gas System and Cover the Hardware
Propane grill tanks disconnected, set vertical outdoors per propane safety code, away from the building. Natural-gas grills shut at the visible valve. Propane patio heaters tanked off. Gas fire pits closed at the visible valve. Built-in gas fixtures fed from in-wall plumbing get a visible-valve shutoff only; in-wall gas work routes to a licensed gas fitter. Grill covers, fire-pit covers, and heater covers fitted.
Send the Same-Day Photo Report
Same-day dated photo report with the bagged cushions, stowed umbrellas, covered hardware, disconnected gas systems, planter staging, and any furniture that got moved into covered storage. Items already damaged before the visit get flagged with photos. Add-on quotes if any (replacement cushion bags, replacement covers, in-wall gas-fitter referral, glass tabletop replacement after a crack discovered during the move) included on the report.
Deck & Patio Furniture Winterizing Pricing
Final pricing depends on the size of the outdoor living space, the number of pieces, the gas systems on site (grill, fire pit, patio heater), and how much storage you want done indoors versus covered in place. Larger outdoor builds and multi-deck homes price higher. Request a free estimate for an accurate quote.
Tell us what is on the deck and patio and where you want it stored — we will quote the visit.
Why Seattle Homeowners Book Handis for Deck & Patio Winterizing
A Seattle patio fails in winter two ways. The first is wind — a tilted umbrella in a 50-mph November gust ends up against a fence, a glass tabletop cracks against the railing, a cushion ends up two yards over. The second is mildew and rot — a cushion left wet on a wicker chair through six months of damp rots from the inside in a single season, a teak set left uncovered develops black streaks that no oil treatment fully removes, a wicker chair left exposed to UV-free wet months loses its weave. The visit prevents both. The tech who arrives in November has done a thousand of these stow-aways and knows which patio pieces survive what.
Bags, covers, and stand-up storage on the truck
Water-resistant zippered cushion bags in three common sizes, heavy-duty grill covers in two common sizes (Weber Genesis form factor and standard 60-inch barbecue width), patio umbrella upright covers, furniture pad wraps for glass tabletops, terracotta pot saucers for staging, and tank caps for disconnected propane cylinders — all on the truck. The visit does not stall because the right bag is not on hand.
Sunbrella versus polyester, wicker versus aluminum — material-aware stowage
Sunbrella and other solution-dyed acrylic cushions handle a winter in a sealed bag in a covered garage rafter just fine. Polyester cushions get more aggressive protection — indoor storage if the space exists, otherwise the most sealed bag. Synthetic wicker (resin or all-weather poly) survives outside under a heavy cover; natural rattan does not and gets moved indoors if possible. Teak, ipe, and cedar handle the season uncovered but benefit from oil treatment in the spring; aluminum and powder-coated steel handle anything. The tech checks materials first, then assigns the stow-away path.
Same tech, same notes, same patio year over year
The fall tech opens last fall's report before arriving — the cushion that was already mildewed last year does not get bagged this year, the umbrella that needed a stand-cover got one on the spring visit, the grill that needed a new cover got one last year. The patio gets put to bed properly because the same person has seen what survived and what did not.
Honest scope — handyman work only, gas fitter handoff for in-wall
The visit operates valves and connections we can see. Anything inside a wall — a built-in gas fire-pit fed from in-wall plumbing, a natural-gas grill connection inside the deck framing, a patio outlet that needs new wiring for a heat lamp — routes to a licensed Washington gas fitter or electrician. We name the issue in the photo report and recommend who to call. Outdoor outlets that exist already (for heat tape, low-voltage lighting transformers, pond pumps) we plug into; we do not run new wiring.
Insured, background-checked, 30-day workmanship guarantee
Every Handis handyman carries liability insurance and has cleared a background screening before the first job. The 30-day workmanship guarantee applies to the visit — if a cushion bag we sealed leaks because of a defective zipper we did not catch, a grill cover we fitted blows off in a wind we did not warn you about, a propane disconnect we made leaks at the hose fitting, or an umbrella we stowed in an upright cover falls because the cover was undersized, we come back and fix it at no extra charge.
Estimate
Tell us the size of the outdoor living space, the count of cushions, umbrellas, and tables, what gas systems are on the patio (grill, fire pit, patio heater), and whether you have garage or basement storage for heavy pieces. We send back a clear estimate for the visit.
Customer Reviews
Recent deck and patio furniture winterizing reviews from verified Seattle-area customers.
We host Thanksgiving and the back patio is part of the spread until then. Handis scheduled the deck stow-away the day after Thanksgiving — cushions in zip bags up into the garage rafters, umbrella down and stowed, grill propane disconnected, fire pit cover on, planters lined up under the eave. Took two hours, looked like the patio was put to bed properly.
Mercer Island home with a full outdoor living build — sectional, dining for eight, two umbrellas, grill, fire pit, patio heater. The tech and his partner moved the sectional and dining into the garage, covered the fire pit, disconnected the patio heater, set the propane tanks vertical outdoors. Came back in May to reverse it. Whole winter, zero damage.
Bellevue townhouse, small patio, one Sunbrella loveseat, an umbrella, and a Weber Genesis. Standard visit. Cushions bagged into the basement, umbrella stowed in the laundry closet (he asked first), grill covered and propane disconnected with the tank moved to the side yard per code. Done in 45 minutes for $200. Did not have to think about it.
Old wicker set on a covered front porch — looked great but was not surviving winters intact. The tech flagged that the natural rattan would not last another season uncovered even under the porch. We moved it inside per his recommendation. The teak set on the back deck got cleaned and oiled in the spring. Caught two problems we had been ignoring.
Vacation home on Vashon. Patio winterizing got added to our snowbird program. October visit took down everything, moved the heavy pieces into the garage, covered what stayed out. We did not have to fly back for it. Photo report had every cushion bag and every covered piece logged. Came back to a patio in May that looked the same as we left it in October.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Handis deck and patio furniture winterizing — pricing, scope, materials, gas systems, storage, and what routes to a gas fitter or electrician.