We look at attractive methods to hide your AC unit. If you live in a place where the summers are hot, there’s a good chance you have an air conditioner in your yard. Although an air conditioner can be a godsend when it comes to keeping you cool and comfortable inside, it can be a real eyesore outside. Don’t let your AC unit spoil the look of your otherwise perfectly styled backyard. Using clever landscaping architecture, you can effectively hide that unsightly air conditioning unit without compromising its ability to keep things cool inside. Before you start piling plants on and around your AC unit, remember that it does need space to breathe if it is going to work properly. Your AC not only blows cool air into your house, it also vents warm air out. Before you build any sort of covering for your unit, check with the manufacturer to find out their recommended distance that should be left around any enclosure you add. Recommended Reading
- Landscape Architecture: An Introduction by Robert Holden
- Landscape Architecture, Fifth Edition: A Manual of Environmental Planning and Design by Barry Starke
Fencing it Off Minimize the visual impact of your AC unit by fencing it in. This is by far one of the simplest and fastest ways of disguising your unit. Use fencing materials and design styles that are in accordance with the rest of the general landscape design of your yard. If your yard has a modern, sleek style, for example, ensure that any fencing you create around your AC has a similar style – no white picket fences here! Build a Dedicated Structure Another option is to build a dedicated structure for the sole purpose of hiding your air conditioning unit. This option has the added benefit of providing shade to the air conditioning unit even if it is placed in a sunny spot. The more shade the unit has, the cooler it will stay and the more efficiently it will work. That’s a win-win situation! Not only will your air conditioner no longer be an eyesore in your yard, it will also have the shade it needs to work more effectively. While you’re at it, why not make the AC enclosure multi-functional? If you make it big enough, it can also serve as storage for other unsightly garden paraphernalia such as your hose, lawnmower, pool implements and gardening tools. This is especially useful in a smaller yard that may not be large enough to accommodate a garden shed. For that matter, you could incorporate the air conditioning unit cover into the design of your shed, as long as the layout of your yard allows for it and you remember to leave enough space within the interior of your shed to allow the AC to properly ventilate. Otherwise, you could end up having to take down your shed to allow for AC repair NYC homeowners. Top Related Articles:
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If you are up for a bigger project and are in the mood for a yard renovation, that’s the perfect opportunity to cleverly disguise your air conditioning unit. Whether you are working with a landscape architect to design a backyard oasis or simply doing it yourself, this is the perfect time to design a spot for your AC and other utilitarian objects that are necessary, but may not necessarily be pretty to look at. That can take the form of a spot tucked behind a high garden wall, behind some high-growing shrubs, in an enclosure, or in a structure such as a cover or even a shed. Recommended Reading
- Landscape Architecture: An Introduction by Robert Holden
- Landscape Architecture, Fifth Edition: A Manual of Environmental Planning and Design by Barry Starke
Article by Aamir Rafiq
Return to Homepage Featured image: “2008-07-11 Air conditioners at UNC-CH” by Ildar Sagdejev (Specious) – Own work. Licensed under GFDL via Commons
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