Nine Whimsical Touches to Wake Up the Garden

If the August heat is wilting your enthusiasm, try these playful ideas to jump-start your gardening moxie

As the August heat starts to wilt everything outdoors, ask yourself how you feel about this season's garden. Do you love every inch of it, or does all of that dead headed, pruned perfection leave you wanting more? It's time to have some fun in the garden, and this is the perfect time to start playing around and planning for next year.

September is a great time to plant new trees, shrubs, and fall bulbs, and as everything starts to wither on the vine, you can spend your time painting the shed, building window boxes, adding trellises, bringing in a statue, changing up the plan, putting out birdseed in funky feeders and scooping up outdoor furniture and decor on clearance. Here are nine fun elements that will get your gardening mojo flowing again.

#1 Vertical Delights: today's vertical gardens can take on all sorts of graphic designs. You can even create a sign, a painterly composition or spell out a monogram with plants on the wall.

#2 Cutouts: heart shapes entice visitors to pass through your garden doors.

#3 Unexpected Color

#4 Sneak a Design into the Plan View

#5 Wall Planters: classical statuary plantings with Medusa-like 'dos made of succulents bring a giggle to a fence or wall

#6 Birdhouse Villages: the only thing more fun than a single birdhouse is a swinging singles birdhouse community.

#7 Embellish the Shed: you can go over the top with a shed in a way you can't on the main house. Have some fun with color and accents such as barn stars, window boxes, trellises and climbing vines. 

#8 Surprising Scale: oversize items become eye-catchers when placed strategically in the garden.

#9 Kooky Statues: place a statue in a spot where people will delight in stumbling across it. 

How to Work With a Remodeler

Avoid costly mistakes and get exactly the upgrade you want for your home by working with a professional remodeler.

Lifestyles evolve over time, and so do our homes. Babies are born; kids grow up and leave the nest; aging parents join the household. And even if a house functions just the way it needs to, changing design trends and new materials can leave older spaces looking a little musty and dusty.

That's where a professional remodeler comes in. Read on to find out what a remodeler can do for you and how to get the most out of your experience. 

What a remodeler does: A remodeler is a contractor with a focus on making structural alterations to an existing home or building. He or she implements architectural plans and sometimes provides residential design services. Remodelers also perform many of the same duties as a general contractor, such as hiring and overseeing subcontractors and sourcing materials. Many states have certification requirements for remodelers. 

When to hire one: If you're planning a significant change or addition to your home, hire a remodeling contractor to ensure the integrity of the design and construction, and also to ensure that you'll meet current building codes. Remodelers also are well versed in cost estimating, legal issues and other nuts and bolts concerns.

What it will cost: Remodelers' fees take several different forms, and costs vary widely depending on the nature of the work and the materials used. While some will agree to a flat fee, others charge a percentage of the total labor and materials cost (typically 10 to 15 percent, but sometimes as high as 25 percent).

It's worth noting that, as with many aspects of home improvement, you get what you pay for - a remodeler who may charge more but has deep experience and a sterling reputation is generally worth the extra cost. Don't hire based on the lowest estimate alone. 

Where to find one: Browse the directory of professionals on Houzz.com or use a reliable source such as the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI). Check to see if there are remodelers' trade organizations in your area as well. Another professional you're working with, such as an interior designer, also may be able to give you leads.

If you notice that one of your neighbors is having work done (remodelers often place a sign with their name and logo in the front yard during construction), ask whether they'd recommend the professional they've hired. 

Have a clear idea of what you want: Maybe you're looking to double the size and change the footprint of a dated kitchen, or perhaps you want to convert your attic into a guest suite. Think through the scope of the project you have in mind and create a Houzz ideabook or pull other design resources for inspiration. Don't worry too much about whether every detail is feasible; your remodeler will help you brainstorm alternatives if it isn't.

Interview the candidates on your short list: Not only should you confirm that they have experience with the type of project you have in mind, but you'll also want to be sure that you have a good rapport and communicate well.

Ask detailed questions about job history, professional training and affiliations, licensing requirements and insurance, and get the names of a few references. If lead paint is a concern in your home, you may also need to confirm that the remodeler is lead-safe certified under EPA guidelines. 

Visit an in progress job-site (if possible): Ask to drop by one of the remodeler's current job sites. This can give you a sneak peek at what your experience might be like. Is the site clean and well maintained, and does work appear to be progressing in an orderly fashion? Look closely at the quality of the construction and the attention to detail as well.

Be sure you understand the terms of the contract: Once you've chosen a pro, go over the contract in detail to be sure you won't encounter any surprises. Besides basics such as contact information for the remodeler and others who will be supervising, license number, insurance information, it should include a start-to-finish timetable, a materials list with price breakdowns, payment terms, change order specifications, blueprint or detailed sketches and provisions for conflict resolution. Don't be shy about asking the remodeler to clarify any details you find confusing.

Confirm which areas of your home the project will affect: You may be remodeling a single room, but the temporary disruption could extend to adjacent spaces. Plumbing, electrical wiring and other behind-the-walls systems might be affected as well. Ask the remodeler which rooms the work will touch so that you can prepare accordingly.

Do your part to make the remodeler's job easier: Clear out furniture from affected rooms, be sure the work crew has adequate space to park and transport materials, and make provisions to keep pets and kids well out of the way. Give the remodeler an idea of your family's daily schedule and stick to it as closely as possible to minimize disruptions to the workflow. 

Make sure you're easily reachable even when you're not onsite. And if you decide to make a change along the way, try not to drag out the decision-making process, which can throw the timetable significantly off schedule.

Don't wait to call attention to issues: Few, if any, remodeling jobs reach the finish line without a few bumps and snags along the way. Speak up as soon as a problem arises, whether it's substandard work quality, a communication breakdown or a subcontractor who leaves the site in disarray. That way, you and the remodeler can agree on a plan to resolve it as soon as possible, before work proceeds too far - and you'll feel reassured that you'll be completely satisfied when it comes time to make the final payment for the job. 

Color Guide: How to Work With Red

Photo: American Cabinet & Flooring, Project Manager Randy Wilson

Sizzling or sedate, red is not for the timid. Here's how to use its boldness to make your rooms come alive.

It's the color of fire, love, passion and blood. In China it is associated with happiness. In Japan it is linked to heroism. In Western cultures it also hints at sex, deviance and shame. 

Whatever its associations, red is a powerful and beautiful color. True red is a primary color, but the spectrum of reds is vast, from pale pink (white with a little red in it) to scarlet, crimson and vermillion. In decorating, bright, vibrant reds are usually reserved for accents, while darker, browner reds end up on walls, floors, and doors. 

Its complementary partner is cyan, or turquoise blue, but it looks good with greens and all sorts of neutrals too, especially warm grays and whites. Red does well with a high gloss (think Chinese lacquer) and dramatic lighting. 

Red works in all sorts of decorating styles, from sleek modern to country cute, but it's a dramatic color and to use it in a space is to make a statement. A red room is a fearless room.