Today's families spend a lot of our time out of doors. Our backyards have become our havens from the outside

world. Our patios and decks have actually become extensions of our homes. We cook outside, play outside and

entertain family and friends outside. Today it's easier than ever to find whatever it is you need to make your

backyard your oasis.

The first thing you may want to consider is how to get the most out of your patio or deck. One of the ways to

do this is to be able to make the area comfortable enough to enjoy. It's hard to use your deck or patio if

it's getting blasted by the hot summer sun all day or late afternoon. In some of these situations a patio

cover is enough to give the needed shade to make a patio liveable all day long. It's easy enough to build a

patio cover yourself, out of treated lumber or vinyl. Others have a patio or deck they want to use no matter

the weather weather. They don't want sun or rain to keep them from enjoying the out of doors. For them the

answer is an awning. Awnings not only protect from sun, but also from rain. Patio and deck awnings are made

from Sunbrella, which is a fantastic fabric that is fade proof and stain proof. Most manufacturers of patio

and deck awnings such as Durasol, Sunsetter and Sunair have a wide selection of fabrics.

The next thing to consider is furniture. Today wrought iron furniture seems to be all the rage. There are some

lovely wrought iron patio sets out there, with very high price tags. Wrought iron patio furniture is

wonderful, but the weight of a wrought iron set can be an issue. You'll never be able to get a wrought iron

patio table that is fully assembled up on your deck. And, it isn't safe to have all that extra weight on your

deck. If you have a patio then by all means check out wrought iron furniture. Meadowcraft and O.W. Lee are

manufacturers have great quality furniture. Another very popular type of furniture is cast aluminum. Cast

aluminum patio furniture looks exactly like wrought iron at just a fraction of the weight. Tropitone, Mallin,

and Hanamint manufacture fine quality cast aluminum furniture.

Some homeowners go all out with backyard landscaping ideas. Some of these people make the unfortunate mistake

of starting without a final plan. They buy a tree or two to plant, they create a flower bed or two without a

plan and then over the next several years they find they want to do something else. Try to have your backyard

landscaping ideas finalized before you start buying anything. This isn't saying that you can't change your

mind about certain things, but have a basic plan. It can save you a lot of time and money in the long run.