Here is the very best of backyard building: Popular building authors Jeanie and David Stiles—whose treehouse once garnered a spread in Architectural Digest—have gathered dozens of original plans for treehouses, playhouses, and sheds, as well as a summer house, tea house, garden arbor, and functional workroom. Backyard Building will cover backyard accessories, the fundamentals of tools and materials, and useful tips based on real-life questions from the couple’s popular website. Its unique style, with hand-drawn illustrations to guide the reader through the building process in a user-friendly way, stands out from the crowd. The clear, detailed drawings are not only easy to follow but a pleasure to look at; they are supplemented by irresistible color photographs.

"Let an expert tell you how to: choose durable materials, build arbors and pergolas, make and install gates, design an elegant gazebo, construct sturdy retaining walls, improve your garden with raised beds, create paths and steps." - From back cover.

Offers complete plans, materials lists, and instructions for 15 original projects; tips for designing, planning, and budgeting your project; with basic information about tools, materials, and techniques for building.

Detailed, illustrated plans to build more than 50 garden structures, with construction drawings and lists of materials Expert construction advice—how to use tools, prepare sites, buy lumber, and apply outdoor finishes Tips for selecting plants that are compatible with the structures featured

'A Shelter in the Garden' is an inspirational book for DIY enthusiasts and nature lovers alike. It features projects ranging from birdhouses to tree houses, greenhouses to small cabins. The book provides detailed instructions and drawings for building 50 garden structures.

Build your own treehouses, swing sets, skate ramps, Ninja courses, and more! Kids and families of all ages are rediscovering the great outdoors, including their own backyards. It is more important than ever to be able to entertain our kids at home, teach them about nature, and give them a great time building, exercising, staying in shape, and working together. All of these actions help foster independence, confidence, and growth. In Do-It-Yourself Backyard Playgrounds, authors Jean and David Stiles offer user-friendly plans (all hand-drawn by David) and step-by-step instructions to help you build something great in your own backyard. They offer a range of easy, timeless projects that can be made in an afternoon—trolley ride, treasure chest, circle swing, lemonade stand—alongside more ambitious projects, like the warped wall and treehouse. Learn how to build a complete Ninja adventure course and see how the treehouse can double as a home base for the adventure course that radiates from it! The book includes photos of projects (during construction and completed), and explanatory step-by-step illustrations.

For generations, children have loved playing with LINCOLN LOGS building sets and discovering just how inventive they can be. The brainchild of John Lloyd Wright (son of the famous architect), these interlocking logs open up endless possibilities for kids: anything a child can dream up, he or she can build. Plus, every time kids place the logs in position, they’re enhancing their manual dexterity. But there is one thing this wonderful plaything has never had: a detailed manual that explains exactly how to create specific projects. Finally, it’s here, complete with an interactive, easy-to-use CD-ROM that lets children (and probably more than a few grownups with fond memories!) go straight to the directions they need. Blueprints lay out every step that goes into constructing a bank, barn, farmhouse, firehouse, frontier tower, multiple cabins, and much more.