Special Outdoor Projects

Building your own picnic table not only saves you money, it is a practical project. You can use the picnic table to eat or as a common meeting place. Most picnic tables seat at least six people....

Blocking a stack of fire wood can be the cause of some frustration. Oftentimes, the end pieces fall out, causing half the stack to go with it. Stacking firewood outdoors or under a porch can be...

Urban gardens are a green escape from steel and concrete grays. Too often, however, these gardens are surrounded by the very walls urbanites seek to escape. One way to conceal brick, mortar and...

You can bring a bright flower, vegetable or herb garden to your window by building a simple window planter. Design the planter, calculate the materials needed, cut up the wood, predrill the holes,...

Window flower box treatments are an easy way to add a splash of color to your home and help improve curb appeal. They're also perfect for anyone who wants a garden but are too busy for large-scale...

Greenhouses are essential to growing plants in their natural conditions during harsh winters, or for simulating a warmer climate for more tropical plants. PVC pipes and plastic sheeting are the...

A metal carport can be a quick and easy solution for getting your car or recreational vehicle out of the weather. You can complete a typical metal carport installation over the weekend if you have...

Pine is a great material to make compost bins, because the natural odor of the pinewood disguises many of the unpleasant odors of a compost bin. However, working with scrap wood, whether it is...

If you don't provide the true vines in your garden with something to climb, they'll find it for themselves, which usually means they'll climb and choke neighboring plants or spread out beyond the...

Curb appeal is something that many homeowners talk about having a strong desire for. Some custom-made window planter boxes with an array of flowers can give your home a stunning look and help set...

One of the disadvantages of garage doors these days--especially vinyl garage doors--is that they look unsightly as the central presence in the house's curb appeal. Building a wood arbor over your...

A ramp for a utility shed needs to be solid enough to accept any weight that may be applied to it in the future. For simplicity, you can use solid 2-by material to form the majority of the ramp,...

If you like the casual and welcoming look of a country garden and rustic garden furniture, you'll like what a handmade rustic trellis can add to your planted areas. With a bit of creativity and...

One of the best things about the outdoors is the ability to relax and share it with someone. If you have a nice outdoor area, you may want to think about how you are going to seat yourself and...

Get some friends together and have a fun afternoon being creative and making your own mosaic tiled stepping stones. You can use tiles left over from a bathroom project, old plates, glass marbles...

You can make your own worm bin from wood, using one of the many plans available in worm care books and online. This particular plan offers a simple, flatter profile than many others and can be...

Gardens are wonderful places where you can escape and create a beautiful, living environment. Trellises can be a nice addition where plants can climb and wind their way upward into interesting...

Concrete posts will last a lifetime. The procedure is identical to pouring concrete columns and pillars, except that the scale is much reduced. The finished product will be an 8-inch square post...

A vegetable trellis is a good way to make sure that the vegetables in your garden (particularly vine-like plants such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peas, and different types of melon) thrive. It is...

When constructing a set of stairs, it's important to choose a strong material that will keep the people who will be walking on them safe. A good material for this is concrete. Concrete is...

If you love honey, there's a chance you'll want to harvest your own. This means building and maintaining a beehive. Carpenter bees are known for their habit of excavating and "building" their...

Giving your children their very own play set is a great project to tackle. If you build them a play set, they will have the memory of spending hours on something that you did for them. While you...

Properly cured firewood burns hotter and cleaner than green wood. Burning "green" wood can lead to creosote deposits in your chimney. Different types of wood are seasoned for different amounts of...

Landscaping your backyard can help that space become a relaxing oasis for you and your family. In any relaxing oasis, there needs to be places to sit. One of the most common types of seating you...

Landscaping your back yard can help that space become a relaxing oasis for you and your family. Part of landscaping is placing different kinds of furniture in the yard. One of the most common...

If you like to work with wood, a building project can be a fun and rewarding way to spend your weekend. Building projects are also a good way to use the leftover lumber you have laying around....

Decorative wood shutters are a great way to dress up a plain-looking house. There are numerous styles available that you can buy ready-made and simply hang up next to your windows, or you can make...

Everyone is spending more time outdoors. The patio and backyard are becoming more of an extension of the home than ever before. While using this area for everything from cookouts to volleyball...

Bats are one of the best natural defenses against mosquitoes and other flying pests, with each bat devouring over 1000 flying insects every evening. Bats are interesting to watch as they streak...

Hummingbirds are beautiful birds that are impressive to watch. Their wings move so fast that they appear to be floating in the air. They typically have a long, distinctive beak and are spotted in...

Garden ornaments can be almost anything, from an ornate four-tiered fountain to a rusty old shovel. They can be simple handmade pieces or elaborate works of art. The saying "one man's trash is...

If you have a wood stove or wood-burning fireplace, you know how enjoyable a blazing fire can be. You may also be frustrated by trying to keep your wood pile neat, organized and well-ventilated. A...

One way to dress up the backyard is to build a grapevine arbor. Similar to a trellis and sometimes referred to as the same, a grapevine arbor speaks peace after a long day at the office. If you...

Flagstone is frequently used for patios and walkways. The beautiful, natural stone blends into the surroundings, making it look like a natural part of the landscape. Installing the flagstone can...

Although flower planters can be built in many different shapes, a box-type, wood flower planter is a good choice for your first one. It's fairly simple to make, and it doesn't require a large,...

Building backyard wood playsets can seem daunting. The kits generally come with hundreds of unlabeled wood pieces and a jumble of metal hardware. The instructions can be difficult to follow and...

A window box is a great way to dress up a plain window, by holding pots of flowers or herbs, or by filling with potting soil and planting directly. There is an infinite number of designs. Using...

Whether you are planning to decorate a community garden or your own back yard, a giant chess set can add originality and character. During parties, it's bound to be a conversation piece, and a...

Boat docks can be built in many sizes depending upon where they will be used and what type of floating craft will be attached to them. Docks can be a simple floating deck with lawn chairs for...

Purple martins are beautiful birds, gracing your garden with color and free organic pest control. They are social creatures that live in large flocks. All purple martin houses should accommodate...

Building a 7-foot square wooden storage shed on your own can save you money rather than buying a pre-made unit. Sheds are beneficial if you lack space in your home or even at your workplace to...

There is an almost endless number of swingset materials and designs to choose from. Even if you settle on wood and decide to build it yourself, the array of choices is still staggering, with kits...

Do you have bikes but do not have a place to safely store them? A great solution for additional storage is a simple wooden bike shed. This article provides easy directions on building a 5-foot...

Beautiful, elegant stained glass stepping stones can be expensive in home and garden stores. You can create your own at home for a fraction of the cost. Making your own stepping stones allows you...

This article will instruct how to build a very simple and relatively small trellis. It can be scaled up to create a medium size (about 4-6 foot high) Trellis. Very fun and simple project. Please...

When you're building a storage shed, one of the main elements of the building will be the walls. By building the wall elements on the ground, and then placing them into position on the foundation...

Versatile and hardy animals, goats require little in terms of housing. A three-sided goat shed provides protection from drafts and rain, the two major causes of serious goat illnesses such as...

A Torii gate is a traditional entrance to a Shinto shrine in Japan. It marks the entrance to the sacred space within the shrine. This simplified version has been adapted to a Japanese garden as...

The most successful gardens incorporate function and beauty, but occasionally you just want to add a feature or garden art that is purely aesthetic. Better still is if the art is a product of your...

You can pay a lot for a chintzy iron gazebo that blows over at the first hint of wind. You can pay a lot more for a solid iron gazebo that takes bodybuilders to hook up and costs $500 in shipping...