The days are longer, the weather is warming up, and we’re loving outdoor living. This is one of our favorite times of the year to squeeze in more DIY projects, especially to freshen up or add more functionality to outdoor spaces so we can make the most of the summer. Below you’ll find some of our most popular outdoor living DIY projects—from easy outdoor seating options to different ways to level up your backyard cooking—to help make the most of the season.  

How To Build an Adirondack Chair

A symbol of summer and lazy days sitting in the sun, this cedar Adirondack chair is a great addition to any yard, deck, or porch. Pro tip: Adirondack chairs are often made or bought in pairs, and as it turns out, making two at a time is a more economical use of your lumber. 

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DIY adirodack chair

Simple DIY Outdoor Bench

This simple wooden bench lives up to its name—using basic building techniques and construction-grade lumber, you'll have a brand-new bench in just a couple of hours. It's really simple!

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diy wooden outdoor bench

How To Build a DIY Outdoor Cook Station 

Take your outdoor cooking beyond barbecue with this outdoor cook station. It’s perfect for long-cooking foods that tend to fill the house with odors (think slow-cooked pork) and provides a spot for cooking something particularly messy or prone to splattering (think high-heat skillet cooking).

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DIY Outdoor cook station

How To Build a Mini Picnic Table Squirrel Feeder

Whether you’re hoping to distract squirrels from your bird feeder or you have a soft spot for these little animals (or both), this squirrel feeder is a great way to bring nature up close and get to know the creatures in your backyard.

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DIY mini picnic table squirrel feeder

How To Build an Easy, Affordable Outdoor Side Table

At first glance, you’d never guess that this side table was built and painted to match the store-bought seats! It is also surprisingly quick and inexpensive to pull together. 

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DIY Outdoor side table

How To Build a Wooden Swing Set

What better way to bring the whole family together for the summer than with a swing set? This DIY wooden swing set teaches you how to build your own set, complete with a climbing ladder and rock wall. 

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DIY Wooden swingset

How To Make a Decorative Utility Screen

Utility screens are a great way to hide clunky household staples like trash bins and air conditioners or to add some privacy to your living areas. This 2’ by 4’ panel provides both style and screening while still being able to swing open for easy access. 

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DIY Decorative utility screen

How To Make a DIY Patio Cooler Stand

This DIY wooden cooler and stand is the perfect mix of function and beauty—our favorite combo! To complete the look, we added a bottle cap–opener and a tin for catching the caps, but the options for customizing and accessorizing are endless. 

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DIY Patio cooler stand

How To Build a DIY Horizontal Fence

This horizontal wooden fence, which is our term for a fence with horizontal boards, helps create more privacy for your house or yard while upping the curb appeal of your home.

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DIY Horizontal fence

How To Build a Picnic Table

If you have a large outdoor space that’s just waiting for a table and seating, you’re going to want to check out this classic wooden picnic table. This project is more involved and time-intensive than many of our others, but it’s so worth it!

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DIY Picnic table

Want to dive even deeper into our outdoor living project library? Check out all of our projects for your home’s exterior here, or browse years worth of gardening tips and projects here.