Your Last Month of Summer in Dallas (And the Secret About What to Do With It)
August in Dallas has a certain feeling to it. It's the last stretch of true summer before schedules fill back up, the pools get a little quieter, and everyone starts eyeing the calendar for that first cool morning.
Before we get to the secret part, let's talk about how to actually enjoy what's left of the season.
What's Happening in Dallas This Month
Texas' tax-free weekend runs August 7 to 9, so if you've been putting off any shopping, that's your window. NorthPark Center, the Galleria, and Bishop Arts are all worth a stroll while you're at it.
August 7 is International Beer Day, which is really just a good excuse to hit one of our local breweries. And if you have a dog, mark August 26 for National Dog Day and take them somewhere new.
If you haven't made it out for a frozen margarita on a patio yet this summer, now's the time. And if you want one more taste of summer produce, Bonton Farms is worth the drive before the season turns.
It's also the calm before a big shift. The State Fair of Texas is right around the corner, and once that starts, Dallas moves into full fall mode almost overnight.
Which brings me to the part I actually wanted to talk to you about.
Here's the Secret Nobody Tells You
Everyone assumes fall is the time to start an outdoor project. The weather finally cooperates, you're outside more, and suddenly you're picturing dinner parties and Sunday mornings on a patio that doesn't exist yet.
But here's what I've learned after helping DFW families build these spaces: fall is when you want to be living in your finished space, not starting it.
A real outdoor structure, one that's engineered and permitted and built to last, takes time. There's the design conversation, then permitting and engineering with your city, then production, then installation. Depending on your city and the scope of your project, that whole process can take a few months from start to finish.
So if you start in October, once the weather is already perfect, you're spending that entire perfect stretch waiting. Permits. Production schedules. Watching the calendar instead of using your backyard.
But if you start now, in August, while it's still too hot to sit outside anyway? You're not missing anything. You're using the time you'd be indoors regardless to get the process moving. And by the time that first genuinely nice October evening rolls around, your space is done. You're not waiting for it. You're already out there.
What That Timing Actually Looks Like
Start the conversation in August. We walk through your vision, get a design in front of you, and begin permitting.
September is when permits move through your city and production gets underway.
By the time October's cooler air actually arrives, your pergola is installed, and you're hosting the first dinner outside instead of still waiting on a permit approval.
That's the whole secret. The best time to start isn't when the weather is perfect. It's a few months before that, so the weather being perfect actually means something for you.
So, While It's Still Hot
Enjoy the last of the Dallas summer. Get your tax-free shopping done. Have that margarita on the patio.
But if you've been dreaming about your own outdoor space for fall, now, while it's still too hot to enjoy your current backyard, is exactly the right time to start the conversation.
→ Tell us your vision. We'll make sure it's ready right when the weather is.