Take it from leading landscape and building designers - this new book has everything homeowners need to create a comfortable, well-designed backyard area. It lays out options for improving living space outdoors and gives sound planning and design advice. Rich with inspirational photography and helpful insights, it offers fresh ideas for everything from great patios and decks to outdoor dining areas, kids' play spaces and structures, storage sheds, specialty gardens, and more.This book reveals the latest trends in outdoor living-and how to bring it home - from taking movies and music outside to 'petscaping' areas for the family's furry friends to adding outdoor fire pits, lighting, and finishing touches. The experts give all their best tips for creating the perfect outdoor space - how to build an elaborate outdoor kitchen with a pizza oven and a fireplace, a regulation bocce ball court, a backyard cottage, and more. This book contains over 400 beautiful inspiring new photos. A bound-in DVD offers home planning, deck design, and landscaping software.