Add a Twist of Something Special to Your New Back Yard
With about a million things to think about, it’s understandable that if you’re planning to build a new home, you may not have spent much time thinking beyond the home itself.  The yard - especially the back yard - has likely settled toward the bottom […]

Backyard decks are smart choice for entertaining, outdoor living
They’re comfortable. They can be a private sanctuary or party central. They’re as close to home as you can get. And they often return as much money as it costs to build them.
They are decks - a practical and enjoyable investment for nearly any residence. It’s […]

View The Garlinghouse DIY Deck Plans collection.
This two-tiered, ground-level deck is made entirely out of ChoiceDek, a composite material created by mixing wood fibers (red cedar or some other type of softwood) with polyethylene, which comes from recycled consumer waste. Photo courtesy of ChoiceDek. Backyard decks are great because they offer level and stable platforms for all […]

If you think your living room furniture takes a beating, imagine what your outdoor furniture goes through. The “elements,” as we call them, will really do a number on any unprepared thing left to their mercy. Outdoor furniture has to take this beating, remain useful, and still look good.
 
Creating Backyard Comfort
As we turn more and […]

Today we cook outside for fun more than ever. It is estimated that Americans will cook and consume three billion-that’s 3,000,000,000- meals outside this year on 80 million grills, at about 37.5 meals per grill each year. But like nearly everything else we do today, we tend to “supersize” things. So it won’t surprise you […]