Eight things to consider when buying outdoor furniture

For many people, the front porch or patio can quickly become a second family room in warmer months. Those coveted extra square feet often make the perfect spots for outdoor gathering or entertaining. So how do you go about choosing the right kind of furniture for your space? We’ve collected 8 things to consider when shopping for your outdoor space.

1) Take inventory of your space. Are you looking to make a tiny area a quaint retreat or host a large party or family affair? Do you think you’ll get more use out of dining space or living space? That simple answer can quickly dictate your needs!

2) Once you’ve decided which space you are looking to enhance, get shopping! The options are endless. Wood, teak, wrought iron and of course HDPE recycled plastic like we offer at By the Yard are all different materials that outdoor furniture can be manufacture with. The type of furniture you choose comes down to two things – how does it look AND how does it FEEL? Another important question we like to ask is “do you want to store this year after year or leave it out?” Maintenance-Free & guaranteed for 35 years might just answer all of your questions for you!

Choosing recycled plastic from By the Yard means choosing to invest in spending time with your loved ones rather than time moving & painting your furniture. Furniture made with HDPE will look wonderful for decades.

3) Another consideration is color! Our nine UV-stabilized colorfast options will allow you to customize your furniture to your exact needs. These earth tones easily work for either matching exteriors or contrasting for a bold look. You get to choose the color tone & combo of any item you choose at By the Yard. The hardest part is choosing WHICH color to settle on. Color samples are available upon request.

4) An important factor in deciding on outdoor furniture is shade & sun! You don’t want to overheat on your carefully chosen sectional or dining set. A shady or partially shady spot ensures a comfortable experience for everyone that will most assuredly leave you wanting your guests to leave long before they actually do! 🙂 No worries if you have a full sun environment! All of our dining sets can be made with a hole for your patio umbrella at no extra charge! We’ve gotcha covered, literally!

5) Don’t forget to consider flexibility as you choose furniture. Although our furniture is durable, weather resistant and maintenance free you can also move it as needed where you like it. In addition, all of our dining chairs are made with options that YOU get to choose – giving you even more flexibility to make the right decision. Speaking of flexible…our dining chair swivel-flex seating provides the utmost in comfort as well as flexibility.

6) Another thing that sets By the Yard apart in outdoor furniture is the ability to build on and integrate more pieces over time. Our UV-stabilized color system ensures that you can buy from us again in 10 years with confidence that your new piece will fit right in with the old. Most of our loyal customers don’t even know which is which!

7) Look for attention to details. When choosing outdoor furniture, the devil is in the details. At By the Yard we pride ourselves on innovative design as well as high quality materials like stainless steel, color coated screws & fittings.

8) For some this might be the first consideration and others the last. However, when buying outdoor furniture it’s nice to consider our footprint on Earth. Our maintenance-free furniture will last a lifetime, thus creating less waste. In addition, By the Yard products are manufactured primarily from recycled milk and water jugs! It is estimated that nearly 500 recycled milk jug are in ONE By the Yard Adirondack chair, WOW!

Obviously, we think it is pretty much a no-brainer when it comes to picking outdoor furniture! But if you are still contemplating & shopping we invite you to stop by one of our giant showrooms to try out as many pieces as you’d like. We truly want you to sit back & stay awhile. A big decision like this, one that you’ll keep for at least 35 years, deserves your time and consideration. Happy Shopping!

By the Yard is a family owned outdoor furniture company established in 1995 in Jordan MN. We proudly have two fully furnished showrooms; one in Jordan MN and a newer location in Vernon Hills, IL. We ship all over the country and invite you to shop on-line at Our WEBSITE.