Metal is used as a functional and decorative tool throughout the inside of any home, but it is also used outside. When you're building and designing an outdoor room or even equipping your shed or garage you might not even realize how many different kinds of metals can be used in your outdoor life. Here are some of the most common uses and some things to think about when it comes to outdoor metals and your home.

When you're first looking at real estate for sale you are going to pay attention to the different structures that are throughout the property and how much work and money it is going to take to maintain and repair them throughout the years. When it comes to the metals that might be used outside you are usually going to be interested in the fences and possibly the roof. There are many homes that are equipped with chain link fencing or have a roof that is made of tin or aluminum. Your pre-purchase home inspection will turn up any potential problems with these areas.

Next, you might be interested in the different materials available to build something like a patio, shed or other outdoor structure. Having a metal outline for these sorts of things can really improve the safety, sturdiness and longevity of the structure. When you look at purchasing new outdoor furniture for example, you know that a solid cast iron patio set is not likely to blow away or weaken due to sun damage as plastic might. While you might not want a deck that's entirely made of metal where you can see every nail and beam, you could use it as the base and cover it over with wood. This is the same for the foundation of a pool or a shed.

There are many people who love the look of metal and use it in all kinds of decorative pieces. You could buy wrought iron furniture to place on your new outdoor patio (as we mentioned above) or could even have a garden piece made out of used woodworking equipment by a local artisan. The look of metal against wood or green can look quite rustic or very modern, depending on your tastes and personal style.

An example of outdoor metal art from Ironaccents.com


The last place that you will usually see metal outdoors is with all of the tools that you are using throughout your home. You might have a shed full of every gadget you might need or just a few gardening tools to help keep your plants at their best. There are many different tools to choose from made of a number of different metals.