We’re always hearing about “curb appeal.” For those without a constant diet of the various cable TV shows on home improvement, we’re not talking about going crazy with paint on the bumps that separate the street from your lawn. That would more turn the concept into “curb unappeal.”…more

Now that you know a little about Army Spc. Augustine “Augie” Pena’s circumstances. Well, his luck is about to change. Change for the better.

We want to tell you a little story about a hero that we know.

Why Ipe? Focus on Chairs Simply, it’s practically the hardest wood in the world. An accidentally dropped glass of your favorite beverage on any of your outdoor (or indoor) ipe-based furniture won’t leave a bruise.

In our last post, Part 1, we suggested the top three ways to make your backyard into an outdoor paradise. We hit you with the trinity: A deck, the perfect outdoor furniture and a kitchen that would bring tears to the eyes of a chef.

You don’t need an apple tree to have a paradise. Those who have yards bigger than a business card know full-well that there are ways to be tempted to have an outdoor nirvana without any fruit trees. Not to say it’s not wonderful to pick a peach, pear…more

You have an array of choices with your newly installed deck. Since you’ve chosen a superior quality hardwood, you can opt to leave it alone, letting it age to become a fine silver color. Or you can finish it off with a treatment which will keep it looking…more

You want to get your composite deck all set for Mother’s Day. That’s when you’ve invited a couple of moms — yours and your spouse’s — to your house to celebrate the yearly holiday. And if you’re lucky enough, they’ll bring along their parents. The house isn’t a…more

If you haven’t read “Creating a Backyard Shed, Parts 1 and 2,” this last installment is going to sound somewhat weird. Go back and take a gander at the first couple of posts which include a list of what you need for this project and assembling the frame.…more

You got all the materials that we told you about in Part 1, right? Terrific! Once again we want to thank our friends at Popular Mechanics for helping us with this project.