"In recent years,the concept of outdoor living has been adopted by more and more families. Basically, all it means is that the family gets as muchenjoyment from activities conducted outside as inside."To do this, the outdoor living environment - the patio and its environs - must be properly equipped; stocked, as it were, with all the things an individual family needs to get the maximum enjoyment with the least inconvenience."The thrust of this book is helping you, the handyman, equip it yourself. I've striven to include plans and ideas for the things anyone would need. Most basic, of course, is the patio itself -- your outdoor floor."I have included other projects as well, because homeowners have a crying need for more information on them. For example, there are instructions on how to build a driveway. Not just any driveway, but one that will last for years without cracking. Elsewhere, you'll find information on making simple edgings and retaining walls, an information on how to make a variety of carports."
-- from the Introduction, Tom Philbin
by Tom Philbin
Fawcett Publications, 1975