Keeping a chest inside of beach paraphernalia - floats, leis, sunglasses, and even a pirate’s eye patch will keep your children entertained as you try to prepare dinner.

You can also have a country theme on your deck. My great-aunt has this huge covered deck and on it she uses old barrels as side tables and chairs; for chairs part of barrel is cut for back and previous top of barrel as nailed down as seat. There’s kind of a country atmosphere there with added touches of old Pepsi bottles, signs, and tools hanging on wall as well as flowers hanging from every corner of roof.

Whatever theme you decide to use on your deck, essentials are a table and chairs with some extra seating and side tables. If your deck is too small for that, you can simply purchase a couple of Adirondack chairs and side tables to match. Your parties may be smaller, but you can always put a picnic table in yard to seat more people. Choose your own theme; a deck is a place where you can put your favorite random items to good use. So from Coca-Cola to country to classic, create your own deck decorations and spend rest of summer enjoying your friends on your jazzy new deck.

And no one will care if it's not an official Veranda.

Once you have finished building, be sure to keep safety in mind. An in ground hearth is a permanent outdoor fixture. You may want to keep it covered when not in use; you can find inexpensive scrap metal and have it cut to fit. Another option is to buy a basic fire pit which should include cover, spark screen, log grill and such and then build your stone or brick wall around it (see http://www.outdoor-fireplaces-and-patio-heaters.com/outdoor-fire-pit.htm ). This limits chances of children or pets accidentally running into an exposed fire pit and getting burned.

If you want to build a gas fire pit, shop for either gas fire logs with or without embers or choose a simple metal fire ring: both ideas will allow you to design housing for fireplace and come up with your own plan.

Whatever you decide, either to build your own or buy one manufactured, a fire pit is a beneficial addition to your outdoor space, allowing you to grill outdoors or to stay warm on cool evenings.