measuring tape and measure the area you will use for your dining set.
assess number of guests. every family is different in size. think about how many people you would like to serve -- it may be a dining set for four, six, eight, ten or twelve depending on your needs.
choose a table shape and size. depending on the amount of space you have, you might want a square, round, rectangle or oval table. round and oval tables are better for smaller areas because they don't have corners, so they will save you space.
think about storage. when summer is over you might want to store your dining set, if so then 