"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"--

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.

Find more than 150 projects for building custom decks, patios, fences, sheds, and more! From building a new deck to creating a garden pathway, the great outdoors is the most popular place for homeowners to showcase their creativity and skill. With more than 150 outdoor building projects shown with step-by-step photography, Complete Outdoor Builder has a project for anyone, guaranteed to improve your yard. This updated and redesigned book with a handsome hardcover is sure to find a permanent place on the shelf of anyone who wants to create and maintain a beautiful outdoor living space. Some of the projects covered in Complete Outdoor Builder include: - Attached deck - Fences - Composite railings - Sheds - Walkways - Playset - Treehouse - Landscape steps - Arbor - . . . and much more! The Complete Outdoor Builder includes a wide range of projects and appeals to all skill levels. Building decks and patios are among the most popular categories for outdoor construction, and you'll find all the techniques and skills--as well as complete lists of tools and materials required--to design and build your own. Complete Outdoor Builder also offers plans and revamped photography for more than a dozen designs that you can replicate or use as inspiration for a custom project. Designed, built, and photographed by professionals, the fun projects in this book also have the stamp of approval from Black & Decker(r), the most trusted name in DIY tools and equipment. Roll up your sleeves; it's time to build something great.

The most complete book on the market for homeowners, the BLACK+DECKER The Book of Home How-To Revised and Updated offers current, full color step-by-step photographic instruction for thousands of home repair and home maintenance jobs. Written and compiled by the knowledgeable editors at Cool Springs Press—recognized experts in DIY home improvement and maintenance with more than thirty years of experience in home improvement and hundreds of best-selling books under the BLACK+DECKER brand—this is DIY instruction you can trust. BLACK+DECKER The Book of Home How-to Revised and Updated is the ultimate reference for maintaining any type of home, from a small apartment to a mega mansion. This book is the most essential tool in any homeowner's belt, providing expert know-how on how to repair almost anything in easy, accessible instruction. This A-to-Z encyclopedia offers precise how-to instructions and clear photos on every page. With an expanded index that is incredibly intuitive and a simple, alphabetical strategy for organizing the information, you won't spend precious time wading through stuff you don't need to know. Finding first-rate information on home care has never been easier, and all the most common tasks around your home are covered—including: Electrical Plumbing Flooring Walls Windows and doors Cabinetry Insulating Heating and cooling Roofing and siding And that's just scratching the surface. Just about any repair or remodeling project you can imagine is right here, at your fingertips.

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.

Building a major addition to your house can take over your life or drain your bank account if you aren’t fully prepared with top-notch information. The Complete Guide to Room Additions is both an insurance policy for dealing with contractors and a planning guide that arms homeowners with vital information about the remodeling process. But it also is much more than that: it’s a hardworking how-to manual filled with hundreds of photos that show you the hammer-and-nail details that go into these major projects. From garage conversions to kitchen bump-pout expansions, dormer additions and more, this book will be an indispensable tool for any project that adds new square footage to your home’s footprint.

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.

Love all of your masonry and concrete projects--knowing that you did them yourself!--with help from our experts. No projects offer more aesthetic or financial satisfaction than DIY concrete and masonry projects. Homeowners can routinely save thousands of dollars in labor costs by buying and installing materials that are readily available. This updated 4th edition of Black & Decker The Complete Guide to Concrete & Masonry includes traditional techniques for laying concrete, adapted to make them easy for ordinary homeowners, and also features completely modern materials and techniques, such as tumbled concrete pavers, acid-etching for colored concrete slabs, and important green paving options, such as rain-garden arroyos and permeable pavers. Several cutting-edge projects, like polished concrete countertops and stamped concrete walkways, are included in this book. An exposed aggregate patio, a reinforced concrete block wall, and the latest tools and materials for handling new products are featured. A completely new section on foundation walls shows you all the options, including the latest structural insulated panels, that are now more DIY friendly than ever. No homeowner or do-it-yourselfer will want to miss this chance to master the best methods to create lasting beauty around the house.

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.

Be inspired by new design and follow the latest codes as you custom build the deck of your dreams. Architecture, building codes, and design are not static; they change constantly. That’s why there’s a new edition of the best-selling BLACK+DECKER The Complete Guide to Decks, incorporating updates to national building codes, as well as new developments in building materials and design. Calling attention to composite deckboards and railings, as well as other PVC products made from recycled plastic, the new materials systems featured in this book are environmentally friendly, easy to work with, rot resistant, and very low maintenance. Whether you opt for manufactured deck products or wood, the success of your project depends upon a sturdy deck undercarriage. Accomplishing this isn’t difficult, but building the framework requires that you have the latest information on building codes. In recent years, these codes have changed significantly, affecting everything from post diameter to allowable joist hangers to railing height and even the size of concrete footings. BLACK+DECKER The Complete Guide to Decks Updated 7th Edition is the only DIY deck book that’s fully updated to conform to the latest codes. Chapters covered in the book include: Deck Planning & Design Deck Materials & Tools Structural Support Decking Stairs Railings Accessories Finishing & Maintaining Your Deck Custom Deck Projects Gallery of Inspiring Decks BLACK+DECKER The Complete Guide to Decks Updated 7th Edition offers complete step-by-step photos and instructions, so even homeowners with limited DIY experience are assured of a deck that meets their needs. So, don’t wait any longer; build the deck of your dreams and start enjoying it!