There’s a point every year when something changes in the garden.
The furniture is still out, there are plenty of bright days and it’s certainly not winter, but suddenly you find yourself heading back inside rather than sitting outdoors.
It’s easy to assume the problem is temperature. In reality, autumn comfort is about much more than how many degrees it is outside.
Wind, low sun, increasingly changeable weather and earlier evenings all affect how comfortable an outdoor space feels. Deal with those individually and you can often continue enjoying your garden well beyond summer.
Book a consultation and we'll help design an outdoor space that's comfortable whatever the weather.
Is Cold Really the Problem?
One of the first things we look at when designing an outdoor space is exposure.
A patio might feel wonderfully warm and protected during the summer, but prevailing winds become far more noticeable as the seasons change. Even on a relatively mild autumn day, sitting in a constant breeze can quickly become uncomfortable.
This is why simply adding an outdoor heater isn’t always the answer.
Before thinking about heating, think about where the weather is coming from.
- Is one particular side of your seating area exposed?
- Does wind travel between your house and neighbouring buildings?
- Does your garden become noticeably breezier later in the day
- Is the problem actually low sun rather than temperature?
Understanding what is making the space uncomfortable helps determine what protection you really need.
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Start with Protection from Above
If your outdoor dining or seating area is completely exposed, reliable overhead shelter can make one of the biggest differences to how often you use it.
A bioclimatic pergola gives you the flexibility to respond to changing conditions. On a bright autumn day, the louvres can remain open to make the most of the sunshine. As conditions change, they can be adjusted or closed to provide protection.
A fixed glass roof offers a different solution. It provides permanent overhead protection while allowing maximum natural light through, which can be particularly useful when the structure is positioned alongside the house.
Neither is automatically the right answer. It depends on the property, the orientation of the garden and how you want to use the space.
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Don't Forget Where the Weather Comes From
A roof only deals with what’s happening above you.
Wind, low sun and driving rain generally arrive from the sides, which is why an open-sided pergola or existing garden structure can still feel exposed in autumn.
This is where automated retractable screens can make a significant difference.
A screen can be lowered on the exposed side while leaving the rest of the structure open to the garden. If conditions change, it simply retracts again. And you don’t necessarily need screens on every side.
The solution should respond to the garden rather than automatically enclosing every opening.
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Already Have a Garden Structure? You May Not Need to Replace It
This is particularly relevant at this time of year.
You may already have a timber gazebo, oak-framed outdoor kitchen, garden pavilion or pergola that works perfectly well throughout summer. If the problem is simply that it becomes too exposed as conditions change, replacing the entire structure probably isn’t necessary.
Automated screens can be retrofitted to many existing structures, provided there is a suitable square or rectangular opening and appropriate fixing points.
One of our projects in Cheshire demonstrates just how much difference this can make.
The client already had a beautiful 6m x 4m oak-framed outdoor kitchen, but exposure to wind, rain and cooler temperatures meant it could only really be enjoyed on the best days.
We retrofitted six retractable screens into the existing structure. Each can be operated independently, allowing the client to adapt the space according to the weather rather than permanently enclosing it.
The result? The client estimates that the outdoor kitchen can now be used around 80% of the year.
Sometimes making more of your garden isn’t about starting again. It’s about making what you already have work harder.
Cheshire Retractable Screens Case Study
When Is Sliding Glass a Better Option?
Retractable screens aren’t the only way to protect an outdoor space.
If you’re looking for a greater degree of enclosure while retaining uninterrupted views across the garden, sliding glass may be more appropriate.
And sometimes the best solution is a combination.
Our outdoor kitchen project in Beverley uses a 5m sliding glass wall on one elevation and two motorised retractable screens elsewhere.
The glass provides a more substantial barrier on one side while the screens give the client flexibility on the others. When conditions are good, the screens can disappear and the space opens back up.
This is why we prefer to design around the individual space rather than specify the same combination of products for every garden.
Beverley Outdoor Kitchen Case Study
Add Heat Last, Not First
Heating can make a huge difference to an outdoor space during autumn, but it works best when the fundamentals have already been considered.
Trying to heat a completely exposed patio while cold air continually moves through it isn’t particularly effective.
Reduce exposure first and strategically positioned infrared heaters can then make seating and dining areas much more comfortable.
Think of it as layers:
- Overhead protection from rain
- Screens or glass where additional shelter is needed
- Heating where people actually sit
This creates a much more effective outdoor environment than simply adding more heaters.
Then There’s the 5pm Problem
By autumn, another change starts to affect how we use our gardens: darkness.
In summer you can easily sit outside until late without thinking about lighting.
By October, the same space can be dark before you’ve finished dinner.
Good outdoor lighting therefore becomes just as important as shelter.
Integrated louvre lighting can provide useful illumination directly beneath a pergola, while perimeter lighting, spotlights and architectural lighting can create a softer atmosphere around seating and dining areas.
Rather than simply illuminating the garden, think about what you’re actually doing within it.
A cooking area needs good task lighting. A dining table needs enough light to see comfortably. A lounge area can be much softer.
Getting that balance right can add several usable hours to your outdoor space during the darker months.
How Do You Make an Outdoor Space Work in Autumn?
The answer isn’t necessarily to completely enclose it.
The most successful outdoor spaces give you control.
On a bright September afternoon, you might want the roof and screens completely open.
Later, you may lower one screen as the sun drops.
If the wind picks up, another can come down.
As evening arrives, lighting and heating take over.
Rather than designing an outdoor space for one perfect summer day, we design around the different conditions it’s likely to experience throughout the year.
That flexibility is ultimately what makes an outdoor space useful for more than one season.
Make More of Your Garden This Autumn
If you’ve noticed that your patio, pergola, outdoor kitchen or garden building has suddenly stopped being used as summer comes to an end, take a moment to work out why.
It may be that you don’t need an entirely new outdoor space at all.
Sometimes one carefully positioned screen, better overhead protection, some sliding glass or properly planned heating and lighting is enough to completely change how often you use the space.
At Rase Outdoor Living, we design new outdoor living spaces as well as upgrading existing structures with automated screens, sliding glass and other weather-protection solutions.