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.

Tired of replacing your lawnmower every couple of years? Are your backyard tools so rusty they look like they’ve been excavated from an ancient Mayan civilization dig? Do you have bags of fertilizer, garden insect spray and other outdoor chemicals for your garden piled-up in a corner of…more

We’ve done our share of grilling in the past. From little hibachis on the 15th floor patio to large, expensive gas jobs on our ipe decks. Invariably, we return to our Kamado Joe because outdoor cooking with these guys plainly tastes better.

It comes on April 22nd this year. Earth Day. While we only celebrate it once every 52-weeks, it may not be a bad idea to try to be “green” as much as possible. A few years back, the Great Lakes were considered dead. Thanks to eco-awareness, these large…more

Got gas? There’s been a resurgence of gas stoves in the kitchen. Chef’s swear by it. It gives-off an even heat. Electric burners on the top simply don’t get hotter or heat faster than propane.

America’s tax code. No one actually knows just how many pages are in it. The best we can do is pull some quotes from members of the Congress who have tried to explain the enormity of the thing.