The common backyard swingset or treehouse or jungle-gym will never go away, but today's recreational landscape is also likely to have a full-featured sports court, a putting green, an outdoor kitchen for grown-up entertaining, or a board-game gazebo where the adults play bridge or mahjongg. Here, in one comprehensive book, are more than 25 complete DIY projects to create play spaces for family members of all ages--toddlers to old-timers. Also includes a detailed appendix giving rules and dimensions for all the popular lawn games, such as badminton and croquet. This is an ideal book for consumers traveling less and recreating at home more.

Provides step-by-step instructions for the do-it-yourselfer on how to build such backyard or garden structures as patios, decks and porches, fences, walls, pathways, sheds and outbuildings, and accessories.

"Shows homeowners how to build up, expand, refresh and accessorize their outdoor spaces using the most contemporary techniques, tools, and materials while following the most up-to-date codes"--

One of the hottest consumer trends is the new importance on outdoor living, and nothing brings the outdoor home to life like a greenhouse and other accessories to help grow and nurture landscape greenery. This book has plans and step by step for constructing and appointing greenhouses of several varieties, from glass-wall to hoophouse; some from kits, some from scratch; also includes plans and steps for other garden structures and accessories. Includes projects suitable to homes and landscapes of all types—urban, suburban, and rural.

Build a beautiful custom patio or walkway with the step-by-step, photo-illustrated guidance of BLACK+DECKER The Complete Guide to Patios – 3rd Edition. A patio is the hub and heart of any yard. It’s the hard, flat, well-drained surface where you can comfortably enjoy the sunshine, feel a cool breeze, relax with a cold beverage, or hang around the barbecue with your friends and family. Luckily, patios are relatively easy to design and install yourself, and don’t require a lot of expensive tools and complicated techniques. BLACK+DECKER The Complete Guide to Patios – 3rd Edition guides the way with easy-to-follow instructions to plan and complete virtually any patio or walkway undertaking you can think of. An extensive materials and design section helps you wrap your head around all the upfront planning, and the 30+ patio, walkway, and landscape projects are illustrated with detailed photographs to guide your progress. From flagstone to interlocking pavers or plain gravel, all options are covered, as well as design tips, excavation advice, how to install a subbase, and how to install the most popular surfacing products. You’ll also find a substantial section on earth-friendly patios that make use of recycled materials and keep water runoff to a minimum, conserving resources and removing pressure from our water-treatment facilities. Discover how to create captivating: Patio and edging projects using sandset brick, cobblestone pavers, mortared flagstones, tiled concrete, and more Earth-friendly patios using recycled plastic pavers, recycled rubber chips, composite permeable pavers, subsurface grids, and more Walkways and steps using sandset brick, concrete, flagstones, gravel, timber, and more Patio rooms and amenities such as an under-deck patio, patio enclosure, screened patio room, and patio kitchen Create the perfect patio for your needs with BLACK+DECKER The Complete Guide to Patios – 3rd Edition and you will truly understand how much enjoyment these humble structures have to give.

This expanded edition of The Complete Guide: Build Your Kids a Treehouse covers every aspect of treehouse building, from choosing a tree and safety considerations to adding interior furniture and even a zip line. Now featuring two all-new treehouse plans with step-by-step photo-illustrated instruction. For kids, a treehouse is a room that never has to be cleaned, a place for muddy shoes and bug jars and adventures real and imagined; a house that you can paint whenever and however you want, without gaining approval. For adults, it’s a room that never has to be cleaned, a place for muddy shoes and…well, you get the idea. But best of all a treehouse is up in a tree. And that’s just cool. Filled with inspiring photos of finished treehouses and easy-to-follow instructions for building your own, learn with your family treehouse basics—choosing a tree, planning and design, treehouse safety—followed by building techniques for: Platforms designed for various tree configurations Framing and finishing walls and railings Finishing interiors with paneling, shelves, and flip-down tables and bunks Doors, both classic and in fun shapes Windows, including shutters and pop-ups Building and framing roofs Modes of access, including ladders, stairs, trap doors, and a fireman’s pole Playthings, including swings, a zip line, a rock climbing wall, slides, and more You can get started right away by following the complete plans and step-by-step photos for making your choice of two popular treehouse designs: an open-air treehouse and a gable house with entry deck. To give you even more to choose from, you will find fully developed plans for six additional treehouse types that you can adapt to your particular trees and wishes. Build the treehouse you and your kids have always dreamed of with BLACK+DECKER The Complete Guide to Treehouses, 2nd edition.

This exciting new 3rd edition of the bestselling title, Black & Decker Complete Guide to Sheds has the perfect plan for anyone who is building his or her own backyard shed.

Once the arena of professional contractors, major landscape construction projects are now achievable by ordinary homeowners armed with new DIY-friendly tools and materials, the right information and the willingness to get their hands dirty. Black & Decker The Complete Guide to Landscape Construction is designed to guide the DIYer of any skill level through 60 of the most significant "hardscape" projects for the yard and garden. Projects range from basic earthmoving and yard shaping to creating privacy fences, pathways and watercourses, and everything in between. The book also features the latest in tools and techniques, as well as the latest landscaping products and materials popular with today's homeowners, including vinyl fencing, tumbled retaining wall block and outdoor fireplaces.

The most complete book on gazebos and arbors you can buy. The Complete Guide to Gazebos & Arbors shows basic techniques for building sheltering structures in the landscape, and provides complete project plans and directions for more than 12 versatile, flexible architectural projects. An overhead arbor can turn a patio or deck into a cool oasis from which to enjoy a landscape, while a gazebo can serve as a full-fledged outdoor room with protective walls, ceilings, and even electrical service. Every reader will find this book to be an indispensable source of planning, design, and practical how-to information.

At head of title Black + Decker. "First published in 2011 as The Complete Guide to Greenhouses and Garden Projects by Creative Publishing International."--Title page verso.