Count us in for cocktails by the pool and al fresco dinners!

Stop dreaming about your perfect deck or patio and start planning. Take a look at some of our favorite projects, and then build one (or more!) in your backyard. The post 15 Gorgeous Deck and Patio Ideas You Can DIY appeared first on Family Handyman.

It's normal for the occasional crack to appear in your patio's concrete, and luckily, fixing these imperfections only requires a few steps and basic tools.

Whether your patio is next to your house or a little farther away, planting a tree can be an easy way to provide shade. “If the weather is hot, it can be 20 degrees cooler in the shade than being in the sun,” says Dick Zondag, a master gardener and horticulturist. “It is easier on the eyes as the bright sun can dry out the eyes and can harm them.” Close patios may need a smaller tree, like a Japanese maple, or even a man-made solution like a...