Garry

A shaded patio used to mean a clunky umbrella and a sunburn. These days, the best motorized retractable awnings roll out with a tap on a remote, an app, or a voice command and tuck themselves away before the wind picks up. After six weeks of testing eight top models on real decks and porches, … Read more

I spent the last three months helping a neighbor research the best patio enclosures for their suburban backyard, and I learned more about aluminum framing, polycarbonate panels, and snow-load ratings than I ever expected to. They came in wanting a simple screened-in setup to keep mosquitoes off their dog and ended up with a fully … Read more

After spending 30 evenings over the course of a humid Texas summer on our back patio, our team agreed on one thing: a screen enclosure is the single best upgrade you can make to an outdoor living space. We tested 10 screen rooms for patios side-by-side, measuring how well they keep out mosquitoes and no-see-ums, … Read more

I have spent the past three summers fighting mosquitoes on three different patios – a small balcony in the city, a screened-in-deck-less backyard in Minnesota, and a breezy coastal porch in the Outer Banks. After comparing 10 patio mosquito nets side by side, the right pick depends on what kind of patio you actually have … Read more

Last summer, I spent three weekends rotating between six different sun loungers on my own patio before I found the one I actually wanted to sit in past the ten-minute mark. That frustration is exactly why I built this guide. The best sun loungers for patios combine a few things that rarely come together: comfortable … Read more

If you have ever stepped into a puddle of water right at your front door, you already understand why the best door canopies earn their place on a house. A good canopy shields your entryway from rain, snow, harsh sun, and falling debris while adding architectural character to your facade. Our team spent the last … Read more

After three summers of testing bug zappers on our back patio with two dogs underfoot, I have a confession: I bought the wrong model twice before I landed on something that actually works. The best bug zappers for outdoors in are not the loudest or the cheapest, they are the ones that match your yard … Read more

Your mailbox is the first thing visitors, delivery drivers, and emergency responders see when they pull up to your home, and the wrong choice shows up fast. Cheap metal boxes rust through in two winters, plastic lids warp in summer heat, and a non-locking curbside mailbox is an open invitation for the mail-theft rings that … Read more

Mail theft is one of those crimes that quietly drains households every year. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service handles tens of thousands of mail-theft cases annually, and the financial tail is brutal: stolen checks are washed and re-deposited, credit card offers are activated in someone else’s name, and medical statements become identity-theft fuel. I spent … Read more

Finding the best deck boxes for storage can completely change how your patio or backyard feels. After a season of soggy cushions, rogue pool noodles, and a garage overflowing with garden tools, our team set out to find the deck boxes that actually hold up to rain, sun, and daily use. We spent the last … Read more