Create Your Own Outdoor Cabana

With our checklist of tools and materials, some PVC pipe, and a little elbow grease, you can transform your outdoor space into an instant retreat―all for about $300. This backyard lounge serves as both a casual spot for year-round entertaining and a private refuge with resort style. Cabana checklist: What you’ll need Frame

• Eight 10-foot 1½-inch schedule-40 PVC pipes
• 10 feet of 2-inch-diameter ABS pipe
• Four 1½-inch schedule-40 L-shaped pipe fittings
• Four 1½-inch T-shaped pipe fittings
• Masking tape
• Matte-silver spray paint
• Twenty ¾-inch self-tapping metal screws

Curtains

• 10 yards of 54-inch-wide outdoor fabric
• 36 feet of #2 double-loop chain (to weigh down fabric on windy days)
• 2 rolls of heavy-duty fusible sewing tape (we like Stitch Witchery; $2.99; joann.com)

Tools

• Post-hole digger
• Shovel
• Hacksaw
• Tape measure
• Pencil (for marking measurements)
• 2-foot level
• Iron (for heating/pressing sewing tape)
• Sewing machine (optional)
• Scissors
• Electric drill with bits
• Heavy-duty wire cutters
• 2 ladders (one for each builder)

Time: Approximately 2 days, including drying time for paint. (Note: Assembling the frame requires two people, so enlist a partner on the second day of the project.) Price Tag: About $300 (about $100 for frame, plus $20/yard for fabric) Step-by-step:  How to build this outdoor lounge