Yards
Summer Checklist: Small Projects that Pay Off
Warm weather has finally arrived! It’s time to head outside and give your house and landscape some TLC.
Smart Home: A Brainier Backyard
As smart tech aimed at outdoor living evolves, the range of tasks it can handle—from lighting the patio to freeing you from the grill to robo-mowing the grass—is more impressive than ever.
Ingenious Hot Tub Deck Ideas
Give your hot tub the extra special touch it needs with these great deck ideas.
6 Fun Outdoor Bar Ideas
Entertain and impress your guests at your next backyard party with these great outdoor bar ideas.
Outdoor Rooms Roundup
Looking to eke a little more living out of your backyard patch of green? As the past year has made clear, outdoor spaces are vital to our well-being—and they can double our dining, entertaining, and hangout space. Here’s how three couples created a bit of paradise in their own backyards.
How to Create a Dog-Friendly Yard
Your yard is your happy place, and you want it to be your pet’s, too. Here’s how to protect your landscaping while giving her an ideal romping ground.
Pro Tips to Get Your House Ready for Warmer Weather
Spring is here, so it’s time to prime the house and garden for the warm-weather months ahead. Read on for tips on how to get everything ready for the summer.
3 Simple Tools to Pick Up Fall Leaves
From leaf blowers to vacuums, we’ve used all kinds of products and technology to tackle this annual chore. Sometimes the best approach is well-designed, simple tools.
All About Burning Leaves
Leaf burning can be an effective way to tackle your fall cleanup. Here are a few tips for burning leaves safely.
Best Smokers (2024 Guide)
In this round-up and comprehensive buying guide, we take a look at some of the best smokers on the market.
How to Clean a Grill
Cooking over open flames may be a chef’s delight, but now it’s time to clean your grill. Read on to learn how to properly clean and maintain your gas or charcoal grill.
How to Drain a Hot Tub
Hot tubs are meant for relaxation, but there’s one aspect of owning one that may be stressing you out: draining the water to clean the tub. Read our guide to learn how to drain your hot tub.
How To Winterize a Pool
Learn how to winterize a pool with our comprehensive guide. Get expert tips and step-by-step instructions to protect your pool during the colder months.
How Do Dry Wells Work?
Dry wells are subsurface, engineered water displacement systems that collect and disperse unwanted water from rainstorms and runoff.
How to Build a Prefab Stone Wall
Roger Cook, landscape contractor, visits a stone yard that makes prefabricated stone walls at their facility before installing them on-site.
How to Choose the Right Mulch
By selecting a mulch that suits your plants and site conditions, you can achieve healthier soil, happier plants, and reduced erosion.
How To Replace or Raise a Sprinkler Head
This Old House Landscape Contractor Jenn Nawada offers some advice on how to adjust sunken sprinkler heads.
18 Low-Maintenance Ground Covers for Any Type of Yard
Landscaping expert Jenn Nawada explains how ground cover plants are a creative alternative to rocks and mulch, and then tells us about some of her favorite varieties.
Accessories You Need if You Love to Grill
Love to grill? Host a Memorial Day, Fourth of July, or fun seasonal bash to remember with gadgets that will enhance your grill skills. Read on to see our guide to grilling accessories.
Building a Fire Pit from a Kit
Ask This Old House mason Mark McCullough installs a fire pit kit in this DIY Smarts project.
How to Fix a Leaky Hose Spigot
Ask This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey explains some of the common failure points in hose spigots and how to repair them.
6 Best Chemical Sprayers (2024 Guide)
In this guide, our team reviews and recommends the best chemical sprayers for every type of type of residential or commercial job.
How to Design an Outdoor Kitchen
Ask This Old House landscape contractor Jenn Nawada discusses the common elements she includes in outdoor kitchen designs.
How to Build a Pallet Wood Shed
Need a place to store firewood in your yard? A pallet wood shed is an easy way to keep wood dry and accessible. Here are the steps you need to follow to build one yourself.
How To Install Artificial Turf
Installing artificial turf in your yard will give you a low-maintenance solution to live grass that dramatically increases your home’s curb appeal. Read these steps to understand how the process works, what tools you need, and the directions to install it yourself.
Create Your Best Yard Yet
Getting ahead of your yard work is the difference between enjoying the seasonal rituals of planting, weeding, and deadheading—and falling behind and making the whole thing feel like drudgery. Read this guide to learn what you can do to create your ideal yard.
7 Backyard Tiki Bar Ideas
Looking for more ways to entertain outdoors? Read these ideas for creating a backyard tiki bar to enjoy during warmer months.
Creating a Better Yard
Fix up the outside on every side of the house.
Plan the Perfect Outdoor Kitchen
There are some important factors to consider when planning your outdoor kitchen.
How to Build a Simple Dry Well
Ask This Old House mason Mark McCullough installs a dry well for a homeowner with drainage issues in his backyard.
How to Plant Hardier Foundation Plantings
Ask This Old House landscape designer Jenn Nawada helps a homeowner replace and improve foundation plantings that have been crushed by snow piles
5 Weekend Projects to Get Your Yard Ready for Summer
Summertime is upon us, which means longer days and extended weekends, outdoor barbeques, s’mores around the bonfire, relaxing with friends and family on the patio—and, did we mention the best part? Finally being able to work on projects outside!