Homemade Backyard Living

Rustic Table

• Put a table top over a tree stump in the yard to create a rustic table. You can make the top out of any odd planks of wood you have around your home. If you are not lucky enough to have a tree stump, improvise. Pick up a large wooden cable spool from a local salvage company or ask a local utility company if they have any to get rid of. These make great table bases because of the area they cover, especially on grass or slightly uneven terrain.

Grill

• Build a brick charcoal or wood grill for backyard cooking. Bricks are simple building materials, and they go up fairly easy once you have established a level foundation. A bag or two of cement to pour a small foundation and a pallet of bricks with some mortar are the makings for a homemade grill. Build the foundation and wait a day for it to dry. You can then finish this project in one afternoon if you keep the design just to being functional for cooking. Your local home improvement store should have all the materials you need to do this. Check with your local building department to see if you need permits.

Fire Pit

• Entertain right into the cooler months in your backyard with a homemade wood-burning fire pit. Check with your local fire department for the specs you will need to follow when making your own. A fire pit can be as easy as digging a hole and placing some rocks around the perimeter as a border. This easy and inexpensive backyard addition can be used to sit by and drink hot chocolate on a snowy night, allowing you outside space year 'round.

Hockey or Skating Rink

• Really live in your backyard with your own skating or hockey rink. This will allow your family a private skating area all winter long. Prepare the ground in a level spot by digging a few inches down into the area the rink will cover. You want the area to be at least the size of a large above-ground swimming pool. Do this in the fall before the ground freezes. Once the ground is frozen, run water from your hose into that area, creating a frozen pond. For a hockey rink, put water and red or blue food coloring into a squirt bottle and squirt the lines you will need. Once this freezes, spray it lightly with a hose to give it another thin layer of ice. You will see the lines through the ice. Maintain your rink by adding a light coat of water for new ice about once a week.