HEAT WAVE Layering heating sources creates a year-round livable space By Sara Graves
I
CAN SEE the snow coming down hard in the window behind David Schwank, co-owner of Colorado Custom Decks and Mosaic Outdoor Living, as we are talking over video conferencing. It hardly seems like the kind of weather you’d go outside in, let alone in a T-shirt, but that’s what he did—thanks to his outdoor heating. “I was in short sleeves, and I went out to grill. It was just starting to snow so I turned on one of my electric heaters— it makes it much more comfortable,” says Schwank, whose outdoor living company completes 100-150 projects a year, and has three Colorado locations along the Front Range. He’s not alone. “Some clients don’t mind going outside and donning a hoodie or a Polar Tech in the wintertime, so then we would put in a few less heaters,” Schwank explains. “Sometimes we have clients that want to go out in a T-shirt at all times and then we have to add more heaters.” Schwank, whose crew was featured on DIY Network’s television show Mega Decks for three seasons, is no stranger to working with outdoor heating. “I’ve been doing this about 30 years now. The only outdoor heating was those big, clunky gas heaters and they had to hang down from the ceiling about a foot, and when (you) ignited them, they made kind of a funny sound,” he recalls. Outdoor heating has come a long way since then. With a myriad of heating options now available—including electric, gas, and natural heating sources—it’s no wonder builders have improved how they incorporate it into their projects.
16 | Deck Specialist | March/April 2023
TOP: Fireplaces alone may not be enough heat for the entire outdoor living space. Layering heating sources and building them of heat-retaining materials help combat heat loss. BOTTOM LEFT: Recessed heating above an outdoor living space directs the heat toward the customer.