"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.

Do you need places to keep the things that make outdoor living so enjoyable? Complete instructions cover the basics of small shed building that are common to all the projects, along with tips on planning, selecting materials, and choosing a style and color that looks good, as well as technical aspects of selecting a site, dealing with grade levels, and water runoff. Construction techniques come with hundreds of photos that show exactly how to lay foundations, set up framing, put on roofing, install siding, and finish doors and windows.

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.

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

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.

Even beginning carpenters can build an outbuilding that’s handsome, stylish, and completely functional. Detailed architect’s plans, color photos, instructions, and simple variations are included for two easy-to-build sheds. For non-gardeners, there are pool cabanas, kids’ playhouses, mini-studios, and more.

Over 400 photos illustrate an impressive quantity of architectural additions for the backyard, from arched gateways to grand gazebos, pretty pergolas, picture-perfect pagodas, and fascinating follies.