Home Outdoors
ByFamily Handyman
Updated: Mar. 22, 2024
Stop dreaming about your perfect deck or patio and start planning. Take a look at some of our favorite projects, and then build one (or more!) in your backyard.
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Family Handyman
Living Wall with Movable Planters
If you have a ground-level deck or patio and would like a bit of privacy, consider building a living wall. It can shield you from the neighbors, surround you with flowers and providefresh herbs just steps away from your kitchen or grill. The planter boxes are easy to build, and a drip irrigation system provides automatic watering all summer long—no worries about missing a day of watering or losing all your plants when you go on vacation.
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Island Deck
Built with composite decking and hidden fasteners, this maintenance-free backyard deck is designed to go together fast and to fit in anywhere in the yard, without footings or ledger boards.
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Grillzebo
You can entertain and feed your guests without ever having to leave your shish kebabs unattended! If you’re looking for outdoor bar ideas or DIY gazebo plans, this “grillzebo” is perfect. It’s big enough to accommodate most standard grills but small enough that it might just fit on your existing patio. Customize your own with lighting, grill accessory storage, wine glass racks, or built-in coolers.
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Build a Deck Over a Concrete Patio
Is your old concrete patio an eyesore? You can avoid the cost and mess of tearing it out by just screwing down wood sleepers and decking over it.
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Classic Pergola
Build a vine-covered pergola in your backyard to shade a stone patio or wood deck using wood beams and lattice set on precast, classical-style columns. The dappled sunlight created by the overhead latticework creates a cool, relaxing environment perfect for backyard entertaining—like standing in the shade of a tree on a hot summer day.
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Family Handyman
Planter-Edged Deck
This deck design incorporates a ton of modern features and techniques for building first-class decks, including planters, shading ideas, stairs, durable materials, privacy screens, and curved railings.
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Small Deck with a Pergola
This small deck is packed with cool touches: composite decking, cantilevered seating nooks, a cedar pergola, custom railing, cascading stairs—all illustrated with solid, easy-to-understand construction details. Check out these patio ideas for small spaces.
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Screened Porch
You can add a spacious and airy outdoor porch to your home. We’ll show you everything you need to complete the project yourself, including how to frame the porch, attach it to your house, and all of the finishing details. Sure, it’ll take a lot of time and work, but once it’s done, you can beat the bugs and spend more time outdoors during the summer.
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Cedar Deck Railing With Glass
We’ll show you how to dress up a dull deck with a sturdy, handsome railing that provides a wide-open view. The tinted glass is strong and safe, adding a unique flair to your outdoor space. Spruce it up with deck railing planters.
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Wood and Stone Deck
Construct an eye-catching cedar deck surrounded by a veneered stone wall that provides both privacy and seating. The contrasting look of the wood and stone will create a striking, distinct look for your deck.
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Family Handyman
Garden Pond and Deck
Let us show you how to add this easy-to-build pond and easy-care deck to your garden. This serene retreat can be built by a novice and doesn’t require a lot of expensive tools, yet it offers a unique design. Here are the full plans for this oasis, where we’ll show you the plans and techniques needed to construct the pond and deck.
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Family Handyman
Patio Privacy Screen
This airy screen provides the perfect solution to a less-than-private patio or deck by screening in your outdoor living area. The screen offers an attractive look and unique design, which will enhance your yard, yet it’s also DIY-friendly to build.
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Flagstone and Stone Block Patio
Stone is always in style, and it blends well with any backyard. We’ll show you the step-by-step information on how to build a classic, squared bluestone patio enclosed by curved blue ledge stone walls. Don’t check out these great DIY backyard ideas and get building.
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Outdoor Living Room
Turn your patio or deck into a comfortable, protected outdoor room. This DIY-friendly design features exposed, natural wood beams and massive-looking (but easy to build) wood piers.
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Backyard Retreat
This shaded retreat looks complicated, but it’s actually surprisingly easy to build. Place it next to your deck or anywhere in your yard.
Originally Published: March 22, 2024
