An Inexpensive Disguise Using OutDeco

Hey! It’s been a busy summer of project installations and I finally got out to photograph a few. Since we discovered OutDeco Screens 7 years ago at a trade show, they have exploded into the market. OutDeco continues to improve their products and bring more and more options to the market. UNFORTUNATELY (darn) COVID really took a toll on production, which has left us with major product shortages and shipping delays. BUT… Please give us a call, because we do keep a handful of patterns and sizes stock in our showroom!

The OutDeco project was a fairly simple design with huge impact. We use our house as trial and error and for inspirational ideas! For this project we wanted to hide our air conditioning unit that was was located on the southwest corner of our house and was visible from the front entry. Here is a look at how we did it!

Check out a sample of OutDeco option for sizes and designs HERE.

…Here’s the boss sitting in front of our hanging OutDeco…

Below is what it looked like BEFORE. Ugly, right?! The decking and railing had been completed a couple years ago in a previous deck renovation (using porcelain tile and silica grid system) on top of the old deck footings and supports. The A/C unit was in an awkward location in the front/side yard that was visible from the street. Utility lines entered the house right by the A/C, so we needed to make sure we still had access to all of them. There currently is also a gutter run, that will hopefully be turned into a downspout with drain tile later, but for now we needed to make sure it still had room to move water out. Nobody wants water in their basement (ugh!).

Challenges:

Access to Utilities
Downspout and Gutter Extension
Disguise a Large Air Conditioning Unit

The Result…

Much Better, Right? For under $1000 we transformed an ugly corner of our house into a stylish piece of art!

We hired MetalSmith’s Designs to navigate a moveable design. Tony came out a few weeks before installation and we brainstormed an idea together. He then worked his magically welding skills and came up with a hidden hinge system than can pop off one of the screens for utility access. Installation was super easy as well, with no footings or supports required, just a mallet to pound it in to the ground about 4″. We did go back and forth on the metal surround since we had used stainless steel for the deck railings, but thought a heavier steel (rusted out and clear coated) would be a sturdier option for keeping it on place.

Solution Solved by:

Creating a Steel Frame with Hinges for Easy Access to Utilities
Adding an OutDeco Panel for Visual Interest and Disguising the A/C
Choosing the Right Style of Outdeco for A/C Output
Created Enough Space for the (ugly-ha) Downspout Run

Since this was a trial project, I would have used a larger panel to extend both of them closer to the house. We had a different style Outdeco panel in the deck railing that we swapped out to match the A/C screen. Having the two different patterns was a little concerning to the eye.