• A pergola can add shade and sophistication to a yard.Pergola image by Emmy from Fotolia.com
  
  It's obvious how great carpentry skills can spruce up the interior of your home. The renovations don't have to stop at your doorway, though, as woodworking and carpentry projects can also enhance your yard. Whether it's to add curb appeal and value to your home or simply make the back yard a nicer place to spend an evening, a bit of woodworking can transform any outdoor space.
  
  

Decks

• As the most obvious outdoor carpentry project, a well-built and innovatively designed deck doesn't just provide a level place for your patio furniture: A deck is one of the most cost-effective improvements to help your house increase in value or help stave off depreciation, according to MSN Real Estate. By expanding your living space outdoors, you gain another place to entertain and enjoy your yard in your quiet moments. Because deck design is so flexible, you'll be able to cheaply customize your addition to your needs, adding coverings, built-in furniture or a grill to the back yard.
  
  

Gazebos, Pergolas and Other Outdoor Structures

• An outdoor living space doesn't always need to be attached to your house. Many landscape structures provide additional options to enhance your backyard landscape. Gazebos, free-standing structures that combine a roof with a deck, offer shade in addition to living space, and may be screened in to seal them off from mosquitoes and other pests. Pergolas, wooden structures built over concrete and stone patios, provide shade and, if constructed with an eye for design, bring an air of sophistication to your property.
  
  

Raised Flower Beds

• Master gardeners know that differences in height and elevation are wonderful tools for breaking up large spaces in a landscape. Wooden raised beds are ideal for developing multiple elevations in a landscape, and are the perfect way to enclose plants that are too aggressive to plant alongside other flowers, such as ice plant and horseradish. Many gardeners prefer to work in raised beds because they're filled with high-quality potting soil rather than native soil. Also, the soil in which roots sit receives more sun and warms up more quickly in the spring and autumn. These factors help promote bigger plants and better blooms.
  
  

Fencing

• Although fences have typically been used in the suburbs to divide and mark off subdivisions into well-defined lots, they're also a landscaping tool that goes beyond territorial markings. Short fences can be used to break up stretches of lawn or help protect delicate flower beds from passers-by and pets. Larger fences can be used to obscure problem areas in a yard such as utility boxes, composting areas, pool pumps or air conditioning units.