A home improvement tale begins
While their home is made over, a family moves into smaller digs
We follow a family of four, plus one dog, as they move into a tiny cottage while their spacious home is remodeled. Will it have a fairy-tale ending or end in a train wreck? Time will tell.

CALENDAR


	Pet Calendar

Our Garden: Come help us plant and learn

Our Garden, a project to teach people gardening techniques and to help feed the hungry, is now underway. Check out our videos, stories and more.

Sunset Idea House: Green coastal living in Monterey

Bringing the outdoors inside, or at least blurring the lines between the two, is the theme of the latest Sunset Magazine Idea House.

Garden tools we dig

10 cool new products for gardeners

Green Living

The "green" movement is transforming the way we live. Read about the latest trends in food, design and work.

Pets & Animals section

Go pet wild in our section with news, a blog, Pet Pals and forums. Upload photos and video.

More Headlines
	MORE MORE HEADLINES HEADLINES A home improvement tale begins Celebrate with style on July Fourth Our Garden: Biointensive gardening 'Sustainasanity' -- Planting and harvesting health and community Garden as Art: Amaryllis $50 or less: DIY projects to update home for cheap Garden as Art: Cactus flower Our Garden: Our irrigation system This little 'Alice' has her own fantasy world of wonder Our Garden: Worms Garden as Art: Pomegranates Drought doesn't mean you have to paint your lawn green

Home & Garden Photos

TELEVISION


	July 4-11, 2009

COLUMNS»

Now Growing: Verbena lilacina

Patrice Hanlon/Gardens at Heather Farm

THE GARDENS AT Heather Farm in summer are a painter's palette with all colors one can think of in the landscape, from gold, ocher, cobalt blue, violet rose and cherry red to cadmium yellow, burnt umber and hooker's green.

Gary Bogue: Fireworks are a nightmare for noise-sensitive dogs

Pet Tips: Grow your own catnip; fight fleas; canine games

EarthTalk: Insulating paint

Ruth's Tips: Sedum

Tip Sheet
	Tipsheet: Choosing the right lawn mower for the job Chore or joy: Do you enjoy mowing the lawn, or does it become a chore after the first few outings? Would it be worth it to hire the neighbor's kid or to contract with a service? Tip sheet: Creative kitchen upgrades on a budget Bringing your kitchen into the 21st century is less expensive than you think if you know which upgrades to invest in. With a little creativity, you can avoid unsightly laminate cabinets without overspending. Tip Sheet: Creating a water-saving landscape Tips from a landscape designer on how to have a nice garden in the midst of a drought. Tip sheet: A free room makeover You can give a room a new look without spending a dime. Interior decorator Kathy Passarette of Creative Home Expressions in Mount Sinai, N.Y., offers these pointers for redecorating with what you have: Tipsheet: Decorating a patio on a budget When Mary Schlichting Francis moved into her fourplex in central San Jose, a small corner patio came with it.

INDOORS & OUT


	Colorful evolution Scientists at UC Santa Barbara have zeroed in on the genes responsible for changing flower color, an area of research that began with Gregor Mendel's studies of the garden pea in the 1850s. Tip Jar: Summer parties In the Garden, July 4-11 In the Garden, July 4-11 Water-Wise Tip: Smart Irrigation Month