Simple Ideas for Better Homes, Gardens & Outdoor Spaces
Transform an open yard into a functional, architecturally stunning extension of your home. Welcome to our Outdoor Structures category, your ultimate destination for pergolas, gazebos, shade sails, sheds, and architectural elements that add both form and function to your property. Whether you are looking to create a shaded outdoor dining pavilion, build a cozy poolside cabana, or add a stylish storage shed to organize your yard tools, we have everything you need to anchor your outdoor living design.
Nothing ruins a crisp October morning like stepping onto your garden path in your good boots and sinking into a puddle that’s somehow always exactly where your foot lands. Fall rain doesn’t mess around. It comes in sideways, it pools where you least expect it, and by November your once-charming stepping stone path is basically … Read more
Standing water on your walkway after every rainstorm is more than annoying. It’s a sign your yard is fighting you, and every puddle is a little reminder that water has to go somewhere. If it’s not soaking into the ground, it’s pooling by your foundation, drowning your flower beds, or turning your favorite path into … Read more
Your windowsill is begging for plants, but every time you try to make it work, something either falls off, dries out in three days, or looks like a sad afterthought. I know that feeling. My first attempt at a window ledge garden was a single plastic pot of petunias that blew off my second-floor sill … Read more
My neighbor thought I’d lost my mind when I started digging a foundation in my backyard in October. “It’s nearly winter,” she called over the fence. “Exactly,” I said. By January, I was sitting in 185°F of cedar-scented bliss while snowflakes melted on the little window. That outdoor sauna changed my life — and my … Read more
My first fire pit setup was a disaster. I plopped a cheap bowl-style pit in the middle of the lawn, dragged out some mismatched lawn chairs, and called it a “backyard gathering space.” It looked like a yard sale. The grass died in a perfect circle underneath it, the smoke blew directly into everyone’s faces … Read more
Every spring, the same scene plays out in gardens across the country. You step out your back door, glance down at that eroded bank or crumbling old step, and think, “Someone really should fix that.” That someone is you. And you don’t want to spend a thousand dollars on a landscaper to do what is, honestly, a … Read more
Most carports look like an afterthought—a sad metal or wooden umbrella for your car that somehow manages to collect every rusted rake and flat tire you own. I’ve lived in houses where the carport was basically a glorified graveyard for failed DIY projects, and let me tell you, it kills your curb appeal faster than … Read more
Does your front porch look a little naked? Don’t worry, mine did too for about three years until I realized that digging up the entire lawn wasn’t the answer. I spent way too many weekends trying to grow a “perfect” English garden in the ground, only to have the neighborhood rabbits treat it like an … Read more
Is your living room floor currently a minefield of dried pasta, stray sequins, and half-empty glue sticks? I’ve been there. My first year as a “DIY mom,” I tried to make a life-sized ladybug out of paper-mâché that ended up looking more like a soggy, red boulder. It took three days to dry and eventually … Read more
I’ve always felt that a garden is an extension of the home, and the best ones have character—little unexpected touches that reveal the personality of the person who tends them. For years, I struggled to find the perfect stones for my path, the ones that felt artisanal and unique, not just mass-produced concrete slabs. That … Read more