As this hot summer has reminded us, tree canopies are excellent for providing shade and lowering surface and air temperatures.

When you think of summer, perhaps specific colors and color combinations come to mind. But what if you are tired of the same look and in need of a color recharge?

If you want to throw a party that’s easy on the planet, there’s a lot to consider. Your goals should include keeping your waste down and ensuring that the goods you use are sustainably made, meaning their production avoids the depletion of natural resources.

In recent weeks, I have done quite a few telephone consultation calls. One in particular stood out, and it should be of particular interest to you if you’re planning on remodeling a kitchen or building a home, a room addition or an outdoor shed.

In the 40-plus years I’ve lived in Spokane, I have never experienced temperatures between 105 and 111 degrees. Add an extreme drought on top of that, and gardens will struggle. When I first learned of the forecast, I was in a state of disbelief.

Heat and wildfires are hard for us to live through, but they can be even rougher on our local bird populations. Low precipitation levels, intense heat and loss of habitat to fires makes the summer season harder to endure. If you would like to use your outdoor space to support birds through this tough warm season, here are a few tips for creating a bird friendly yard.

This is the way a trend peaks. Not with a bang, but with an inflatable, megasized plastic Crunchwrap Supreme. A pool float in the shape of the popular Taco Bell concoction – yes, it’s a real thing – might just be the sign that the summer of 2021 is the high water mark.

Do you remember the old Road Runner cartoons? As part of the Looney Tunes series, they featured the Road Runner and his nemesis, Wile E. Coyote. For the young folks out there who have no idea what I’m talking about, his full name was a pun and pronounced “Wily Coyote.” Keep that in mind for a moment.

You might wonder if the new belle of the ball, a 3D printed house, is going to cost you less money to build than a normal house in these times of stratospheric lumber prices. Some publications fawn about new techniques like these and often only share the glitter and gleam of the technology.

When you drive through the suburbs of Washington and North Idaho, you’ll notice a common home staple – a front lawn of grass. With the summer already marked by historic heat waves and wildfire conditions, smart lawn care will be essential throughout the season.

Transform used jars and bottles with custom art transfers. All you need is packing tape and an image. Experiment with magazine pages and pictures printed or copied on a laser printer (ink jet does not work).

Extreme heat in the Spokane area is creating an early onslaught of wasps, and one local pest control company is already bracing for a busy summer as wasp issues begin to mount outside and inside homes.

When gardeners think of flower bulbs, they often picture tulips, daffodils and hyacinths. Each of these are planted in the fall and bloom in spring. It can be easy to overlook summer-blooming bulbs, but this is their time to shine in the garden.

Herb gardens are great for beginner gardeners because they’re so low maintenance, but they do require a little bit of upkeep. Pruning herb gardens helps prevent herbs from becoming bitter due to flowering and from developing woody stems that result in an undesirable texture for eating.

Ever since their heyday in the 1950s and ’60s, bar carts have been a staple in many homes. Carts come in so many finishes and styles that you’ll be able to find one that fits into any space. The beauty and the curse of bar carts is you don’t have a lot of space.

Do you look for inspiration in other people’s gardens? You’ll find plenty of it and more during the Coeur d’Alene Garden Tour on July 11 featuring six diverse gardens in Coeur d’Alene and Hayden.

I get a lot of questions from gardeners about how to deal with deer. These four-legged pests can present us with huge challenges because they cause a lot of damage and they can be unpredictable.

While you’re looking for ways to beat the heat this summer, you might want to consider some energy-efficient ideas that will cool your home while also melting precious dollars from those utility bills.

A 75-year-old man recently submitted a question on the Ask Tim page at askthebuilder.com. I get quite a few each week and answer each one. This particular question put a huge smile on my face because it screamed “attitude.”