Yard How To & DIY
Improve the value of your home by discovering our yard step-by-step tips & ideas.
How to Build a Rain Barrel
Collecting rainwater is a no-brainer for gardening. It’s the ugly black barrels we could do without. So here’s a plan you can use to build your own rain barrel, one that’s both eco-friendly and aesthetically pleasing. It’s a simple project, thanks to an off-the-shelf diverter kit that connects to a downspout.
How to Prep Your Lawn for Winter
The end of summer signals the best time to lay the groundwork for a lush field of grass come spring.
How to Build a Cedar Ice Chest
Make a handsome cedar ice chest cooler to update a backyard essential.
How to Build a Picnic Table and Benches
We asked TOH fans about picnic tables, and they asked us for an update to the park-variety A-frame. Here's our answer.
How to Build a Rolling Grill Table
Use cedar boards and lawn-mower wheels to make a portable food cart
How to Build an Outdoor Bench From Dining Chairs
See a pair of vintage chairs transformed into an outdoor bench that can be enjoyed for years to come.
Creating a Secret Garden
Colorful plantings, winding pathways, and plenty of green screens transform an urban lot that's exposed to passersby on three sides into a private oasis
How to Build a Fold-Down Murphy Bar
Use cedar lumber and a doweling jig to create an outdoor piece that can handle its share of liquor.
How to Build a Durable Backyard Retreat
Composite decking is a beautiful, high performance, and environmentally-friendly way to create the outdoor oasis you've always wanted
Grow Espaliered Trees for a Slim Fit
Trained against a wall or trimmed into a living fence, espaliered trees and shrubs are an elegant small-space solution for any yard
Outdoor Kitchen Planning Guide
Whether you covet a grill and food-prep station on wheels or a built-in BBQ island with fridge and bar seating, don't hit the home center before reading our expert guide to creating a first-rate backyard cook spot.
39 Budget-Wise Ways to Create Outdoor Rooms
Transform an ordinary outdoor space into an open-air living room that adds value and comfort to your home year-round
How to Have a Successful Yard Sale
Check out these tips on how to rake in the big bucks when you put your old stuff out to sell.
How to Fix a Flat Wheelbarrow Tire
This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook shows how to repair a flat tire on a wheelbarrow.
How to Reseed a Lawn
This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook shows how to breathe new life into an old, tired lawn
How to Choose and Use Lawn Sprinklers
Watering smartly with This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook.
How to Take Down a Dead Tree
This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook and certified arborist Matt Foti show the safe way to remove a dead tree
How to Install a Sump Pump Dry Well
This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook shows how to collect discharge water from a basement sump pump.
A Garden Shed That Doubles as a Gate
Using some salvaged materials and a design all his own, TOH reader David Campbell built a great-looking passthrough shed for gardening gear
How to Rejuvenate a Dying Lawn
Advice from TOH landscape contractor Roger Cook on how to revive a half-dead yard of grass
Backyard Remodel: Living Large in a Small Yard
Check out these seven strategies for turning a not-so-big yard into a series of beautiful, useful outdoor rooms.
How to Build a Garden Arbor Bench
Use sturdy, all-weather cedar to build a DIY arbor with bench for a cozy seating spot in your yard.
How to Deer-Proof Small Trees
Learn how to keep deer away from young trees and shrubs with landscape contractor Roger Cook.
Rain Water Barrels 101
Collecting and using rainwater with rain barrels can be a simple DIY project, or they can be sophisticated systems that supply all your water needs.
How to Get Rid of Weeds
Learn how to kill weeds in your lawn without killing your grass.
How to Build a Pipe Ball Lawn Game
Learn how to cut and connect drainpipe into a rack for a simple but challenging ball-toss lawn game.
How to Make a Kubb Game Set
With a little more than a 4x4 post and a bunch of dowels, learn how to make this classic Swedish lawn game.
How to Plant a Privacy Hedge
Learn how to a low-maintenance evergreen screen from tall arborvitae shrubs.
How to Build a Shishkaball Ball-Drop Game
TOH's Team Saturday shows you how to entertain friends with a yard-size version of this ball-drop game, made from wire fencing and plant stakes.
How to Build a Ladder Golf Game Set
Entertain your guests with this game of wood rungs that catch golf ball bolas.
13 Types of Evergreens to Plant for Privacy
A line of evergreen trees or shrubs can provide year-round seclusion even better than a fence. Here are some of the best and fastest-growing evergreens to consider planting in your yard.
How to Build an Outdoor Bar Cart
Offer guests cocktails and brews by wheeling out this dedicated serving station.