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HOME TOURS

Designers’ Showhouse Imaginative makeover ready for reveal, page 6

[SHANNA SLOYER/SPECIAL TO THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]

PROTECTING POLLINATORS, PAGE 2

RESEARCHING ROOFERS, PAGE 4

PLANNING FOR EMERGENCY REPAIRS, PAGE 8

2 Saturday, April 21, 2018 The Topeka Capital-Journal | homes.cjonline.com

Protecting pollinators: Spread the buzz Plant flowers, shrubs that provide food for honey bees

Ariel Whitely-Noll

T

here’s an old English proverb that says: A swarm in May is worth a load of hay.

A swarm in June is worth a silver spoon.

A swarm in July ain’t worth a fly.

In early spring, honey bees can be seen swarming or gathering in large clusters outside of a hive. To some, this is a nightmare situation, especially if your home, car or backyard is their location of choice.

Although a ball of bees may seem scary, it’s a

natural reaction to poor hive conditions. The primary cause of swarming is believed to be congestion of the brood nest area.

Just like all of us, when bees outgrow their home, they know it’s time to move on.

These swarms have two forms: primary and secondary. The primary swarm contains the old queen, drone bees and about 60 percent of the worker bees from the original colony.

These swarms are larger than secondary swarms, and they tend to settle on nearby structures before they depart to a new nest.

Secondary swarms contain a newly emerged queen bee and the remaining bees from the primary swarm. These swarms are more easily tempted into nearby bait hives.

As both of these swarms rest on nearby structures — most often trees — scout

bees set out to find a new hive. Once a suitable location is found, such as a log or another cavity, the swarm will relocate to that site and begin to nest.

If you find a swarm in your area, use the following link to contact a beekeeper who may be willing to remove the swarm: http://bit.ly/CJbees.

Many of us may never experience swarming, but spring is still an excellent time to consider bees and other pollinators. The following are just a few things you can do in your yard to help pollinators thrive.

• Plant pollinator-friendly plants. This is an obvious first step, because these plants serve as pollinator food. Incorporate flowering trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals into your garden. Try to have something blooming during the See POLLINATE, C3

When creating a garden to attract honey bees, say yes to pollinatorfriendly flowers, shrubs and trees and no to plants that have been treated with neonicotinoid pesticides. [METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION]

MARK YOUR CALENDAR Shawnee County Extension Master Gardeners member Carol Bragdon will present “Growing and Using Herbs” at 7 p.m. April 26 in Marvin Auditorium 101C at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, 1515 S.W. 10th Ave. The free program will focus on growing and using edible and ornamental herbs.

Information: (785) 232-0062.

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POLLINATE From Page C2

entire growing season.

On May 5, the Shawnee County Extension Master Gardeners Plant Sale will have pollinator-friendly plants specifically marked.

Many lists are also available online — just make sure the plants are regionally appropriate.

• When purchasing plants for your garden, say no to neonicotinoid pesticides.

Many garden centers and greenhouses are moving away from using these pesticides, but many are not, and labeling doesn’t always disclose this information.

Saying no to these pesticides also means accepting bite marks and blemishes on your nursery plants.

These pesticides have their

Know your plants and know their enemies. Look for tiny holes in your rose leaves and chomped ends of tomato leaves. Seeing the signs of pests early increases the likelihood than nets, handpicking and bursts of water will be effective control. For bee care specifically, spray pesticides in the evening when they are least active.

purpose, and if protecting pollinators is your highest priority, plant quality must take a backseat.

• Limit home use of pesticides. Often when calls about insects come into the Master Gardeners Response Line, pesticides are one of the only solutions left for the season. Scouting for pests early can open up a tool chest of alternative options.

Know your plants and know their enemies. Look for tiny holes in your rose leaves and chomped ends of tomato leaves. Seeing the signs of pests early increases the likelihood

than nets, handpicking and bursts of water will be effective control. For bee care specifically, spray pesticides in the evening when they are least active.

Additional tips for homeowners using pesticides can be found at http:// bit.ly/CJpesticides.

• Don’t assume “organic” means “safe.” Organic pesticides have the same goal as all the others — killing insects. Organic pesticides are no safer to pollinators than other products.

• Avoid spraying pesticides during flower budding or blooming. If you have to

spray, try to avoid this short window when the pesticides most likely will penetrate the flower and its nectar.

• Spread the word. Most of us don’t have enough land to support a single bee hive, even with fence-to-fence flowers. Help your friends and neighbors incorporate pollinator plants into their yards and encourage appropriate use of pesticides.

When using pesticides, always follow the label directions. Many pesticides are effective only during a certain life stage of the pest, so proper identification and timing are keys to successful eradication without applying unnecessarily. Proper pesticide use helps to preserve our wildlife, water and soil.

Ariel Whitely-Noll is the horticulture agent for Shawnee County Research and Extension. She can be reached at arielw@ksu.edu.

4 Saturday, April 21, 2018 The Topeka Capital-Journal | homes.cjonline.com

Research roofing contractors before hiring Never pay for a job in advance

work your way through the rest of the rules for hiring a qualified roofing professional.

HomeAdvisor

Installing a new roof is one of the most important — and expensive — home improvement projects you’ll run into as a homeowner. Considering this, and the fact that your roof is your first line of defense against the elements, it’s important you hire a qualified, licensed professional for your roofing repair and installation projects.

There are a number of roofing companies to choose from, so it helps to follow a few basic rules to ensure that you find, choose and hire the best professional for the job.

Have a conversation Talking to several roofing companies will help

Research credentials

Following a few basic hiring rules will ensure a successful outcome for your roofing project. Research the credentials of the roofing contractor and be sure you understand the contract before signing it. [DREAMSTIME]

you identify an honest and reasonable price range. You probably don’t want to hinge your final hiring decision on the difference of a few hundred dollars for a project that costs several thousand

dollars, but you should be wary of any remarkably low or excessively high bids.

Of course, this also will provide you the opportunity to gauge your level of rapport with each contractor as you

It’s also important to perform research on the different companies you’re speaking with — particularly those who stand out after your initial conversations. Reputable contractors should be licensed and willing to provide you with at least three references verifying the quality of their work.

Confirming that a contractor is licensed — and speaking with past customers who can verify their credibility and qualifications — will give you added peace of mind.

Contract and warranties Never sign a contract

without reading it over carefully. Professional contractors won’t be annoyed with your taking the time to understand the terms of your agreement — and most will be happy to sit down with you and explain parts you don’t understand.

Also, make sure you understand the warranty that comes with your new roof. All materials and workmanship should be guaranteed for at least five years, and the roofing itself ought to come with a 20- to 40-year warranty.

Cover your bases Before work begins, check with your contractor about whether you need to acquire a permit — most roofing companies will take care of this as part of their service See ROOFERS, C5

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ROOFERS From Page C4

— and confirm that their employees are covered by workers comp as well.

Finally, if you’re submitting an insurance claim on your roof, make certain you’ve followed all the necessary

procedures — and undergone all the necessary approvals — before work on your new roof begins.

How to pay Never pay the entire balance of your new roof up front. This goes for all large projects. If your contractor asks this of you, terminate your relationship and be sure

not to sign a contract.

Asking for a reasonable deposit and a payment schedule that parallels the work is common practice.

In no case should you ever pay with cash. Using a credit card increases the likelihood that, in a worst-case scenario, you’ll be able to recover your money without expensive litigation.

TIP OF THE WEEK: PET REPELLENTS

Here are some ideas to help keep pets out of the garden: • Drive short stakes in the ground throughout a flower bed to keep dogs from lying down in it.

• Planting pungent herbs, such as rosemary and sage, can keep cats out of a garden bed.

• Spread a layer of coffee grounds in flower or garden beds to keep out cats.

Source: hdtv.com

[METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION]

6 Saturday, April 21, 2018 The Topeka Capital-Journal | homes.cjonline.com

HOME TOURS

Designers’ Showhouse ready for reveal Experts breathe new life into Westboro home

By Shanna Sloyer Special to The Capital-Journal

This year’s Designers’ Showhouse at 1551 S.W. Westover Road is undergoing final transformations before opening to the public on April 21.

The tour is a fundraiser for Child Care Aware of Eastern Kansas, an organization that supports the development and learning of young children by offering programs and services that improve the quality and accessibility of child care for working families in the area.

Child Care Aware purchased the Westboro property with plans to flip it after the Designers’ Showhouse is over. All proceeds from the tour and the sale of the house will support its mission.

“It truly is a fixer-upper,” said Monica Parsel, of Winston Brown Remodeling.

“They picked the ugliest, rundown house on the best block. The transformation is really about keeping what people love about Westboro, but reworking things original to the house and giving it a new life. It’s so much fresher and brighter.”

This is Parsel’s fourth year to participate as a designer for the showhouse, and her work can be seen in the kitchen, dining room and sunroom. Parsel describes her designs as having a vintage, industrial, rustic, cottage feel.

“I wanted to keep a lot of the architectural interest in the space, like the builtins in the dining room, but freshen it up,” she said.

Parsel added new sconces

A contemporary silver light fixture complements the neutral wall tones of the Designers’ Showhouse.

A heavy plaster was added to the fireplace in the sunroom of the Designers’ Showhouse at 1551 S.W. Westover Road to better expose the texture of the brick and to tone down its original red color. A rustic cedar mantel also was added. [SHANNA SLOYER PHOTOS/SPECIAL TO

DESIGNERS’ SHOWHOUSE TOURS

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]

and changed out the hardware on the doors of the cabinets. The kitchen received a bolder treatment with a black-and-white marble hexagon backsplash, new cabinets and a range hood. In the sunroom, Parsel wanted to create a fresh, cozy, inviting space.

“The fireplace has a really neat shape to it, but it consumed the place,” she said. “I added a heavy plaster to it so that you can still see the texture of the brick and toned down the

red, but the shape is still there. I also changed the mantel to a rustic cedar.”

The result is clean lines and beautiful textures bathed in ample sunlight from large windows that offer spectacular views of the terraced, manicured back lawn. Parsel brought in vintage furniture pieces to complete the effect.

“It was fun, but it was challenging,” she said. “I didn’t have a homeowner so See SHOWHOUSE, C7

Address: 1551 S.W. Westover Road When: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tuesday- Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday- Sunday, April 21 through May 13 Cost: $10 in advance; 12 at the door Group tours: Mondays are reserved for guided group tours, by reservation only.

For group tour guidelines, reservations and other information: Call Child Care Aware of Eastern Kansas at (785) 357-5171.

CALL FOR OFFERS Child Care Aware of Eastern Kansas is accepting offers on the property owned by the agency at 1551 S.W. Westover Road, which is featured as the Designers’ Showhouse. Offers can be submitted in writing to Child Care Aware of Eastern Kansas, Attn.: Reva Wywadis, 1100 S.W. Wanamaker Road, Suite 201, Topeka, 66604.

The agency’s board of directors will consider submitted offers beginning April 23. Should an offer be accepted, closing on the sale will be scheduled for a date after May 15.

Questions can be directed to Wywadis at (785) 440-4507 or reva@east.ks.childcareaware.org.

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SHOWHOUSE From Page C6

I couldn’t see their preferences and colors, but I had a real sense of the house and what would feel appropriate for that space.”

Jan Davis, interior designer at Carpet One Floor and Home, has designed 28 Designers’ Showhouses and worked on the front entry hall and sunken living room this year. Not having a homeowner to collaborate with changed the way many of the designers, including Davis, worked.

“We wanted to stay very neutral. The paint colors were selected for us by the committee, and the theme was taken off of those colors,” she said.

Davis breathed new life into the once dark and dreary living room with light-colored wall and carpet choices and by focusing on the large window that looks out over the backyard.

She added Hunter Douglas window treatments with a silhouette black sheer to soften the light coming through the window and block ultraviolet rays that fade furniture. The window treatments can be operated by remote control or smartphone.

Davis chose living room furniture borrowed from Home at Last and Warehouse 414 to give the room a polished appearance.

To complement the neutral backdrop of the living room, Davis selected a dynamic black-and-white Moroccan tile for the entryway.

“We wanted to do a really great tile treatment on the fireplace, but mechanically it was too much remodeling work, so we had to step back from the design we had and use tile and paint instead,” she said.

The kitchen received a bolder treatment with a blackand-white marble hexagon backsplash, new cabinets and a range hood that echoes the fireplace mantel in the sunroom. [SHANNA SLOYER/SPECIAL TO THE CAPITALJOURNAL]

Reva Wywadis, executive director of Child Care Aware, has been pleasantly surprised at the level of support the project has received from the community. Schendel Lawn & Landscape and Capital City Tree Care, along with members of the community, donated time to transform the outside of the house from its original overgrown state to an oasis of serenity.

“The outside transformation is almost as dramatic as the inside,” Wywadis said.

Chuck Hogan, owner of CWC Electric, asked if his company could donate its time to be the sole electrical contractor on the project and has spent countless hours updating switches and outlets, putting in new lighting where needed and taking out unnecessary lighting.

“They have just been phenomenal and have done a lot to support the project,” Wywadis said.

Wywadis looks forward to welcoming the community in to see the transformation.

“They can get great ideas and see new products and colors. Everyone

The large window in the living room overlooks the backyard. Hunter Douglas window treatments with a silhouette black sheer to soften the light coming through the window and block ultraviolet rays that fade furniture will be installed. [SHANNA SLOYER PHOTOS/SPECIAL TO THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL]

Schendel Lawn & Landscape and Capital City Tree Care, as well as members of the community, helped transform the outside of the house from its original overgrown state to an oasis of serenity.

can go away with one or two ideas that they can do at their own house and support a great cause,”

The Designers’ Showhouse, 1551 S.W. Westover, will be open for tours from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tuesday- Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. SaturdaySunday, April 21 through May 13. Proceeds will benefit Child Care Aware of Eastern Kansas.

she said. “The whole reason we do this is to raise money to do good things for kids and families.”

Shanna Sloyer is a freelance writer from Topeka.

You can reach her at ssloyer@yahoo.com.

8 Saturday, April 21, 2018 The Topeka Capital-Journal | homes.cjonline.com

Decorating the space above your stove Get creative; add patterns, shapes

By Mary Carol Garrity Tribune News Service

Some spots in your home are easy to decorate. Others, not so much. One of those problematic places is the empty space above your stove.

Many of us have a blank wall there, begging for a creative treatment — something to make us smile while we’re slaving over the hot stove.

But what? Here are some ideas and inspiration from my cottage and the homes of a few of my friends.

When my friend Lisa renovated her kitchen a few years ago, she spiced up the space above her stove with a beautiful tile pattern. She added to the charm with changeable displays on the shelf above the stove, and on either side.

My friend Tammy has a light, bright, airy kitchen.

She had the great idea to layer a mix of thin wood cutting boards behind her stove. The

Layering a mix of thin wood cutting boards behind the stove adds to the natural warmth of this kitchen. [BOB GREENSPAN/ TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE]

boards pick up the tones in her exposed brick walls, adding to the natural warmth and bringing in a bit of organic pattern. The variation in the sizes and shapes of the boards adds to the visual impact.

When my friend Paula bought her home, she loved everything about it, except the kitchen. A complete

A pot rack above the stove that is filled with copper pieces changes the look and feel of this kitchen. [MARY CAROL GARRITY/TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE]

kitchen remodel wasn’t in the plans, but that didn’t stop her from revamping the look of the space.

Paula is a very clever decorator, who has a home filled with beautiful treasures. So when she spotted a box filled

with copper kitchenware at a garage sale (for $20), she snatched it up. She installed a pot rack above her stove and then filled it with the copper pieces. It totally changed the look and feel of her kitchen.

When my friend Nancy renovated her little cottage, she wanted to decorate it with family heirlooms and antiques.

She had picked up a piece from a beautiful cast-iron stove at an antique store, and was just waiting for a place to use it.

The space behind her stove seemed like the perfect spot.

That was before she tried to pick the darn thing up. It weighed a ton. In fact, it was so heavy, her ever-patient husband, Don, purchased a hydraulic lift just to put it in place. If it had been my husband, he would have given me that “Are you crazy?” look when I asked him to make these accommodations, and the poor antique would have been drug to the garden, leaned against a stone wall, with a plant stuck in front of it.

You don’t have to look very

hard to tell that my stove never gets used. I can’t help it. I am allergic to cooking. Because I don’t have to worry about the stove’s functionality, I can go crazy when decorating around it — nothing will ever be at risk of catching fire. Right now, it’s home for an oil painting done by my great aunt.

I decorated the little cottage next door, where my mom lived at the end of her life, and I’m finding it a great place to put the extra furniture and accents I can’t fit into my own cottage. Case in point: a set of Limoges fish plates. I spotted these beauties when I was treating myself to my annual I-survived-theholiday-season-workingretail splurge. I didn’t have room to put them up in my cottage, so they got moved next door. The spot above the stove was perfect.

This column was adapted from Mary Carol Garrity’s blog at nellhills.com. She can be reached at marycarol@ nellhills.com.

Set aside money for emergency repairs Homeowners should have $5,000 in rainy-day fund

By Paul F.P. Pogue Angie’s List

You might not like thinking about it, but everything in your house has a built-in time limit. The hundreds of moving parts and structures that keep your home running smoothly are under constant strain, and they will all break down sooner or later.

This makes budgeting for emergencies essential,

because you usually have no choice but to make immediate repairs when your air conditioning goes out, the sewer line breaks, or a roof leak floods your kitchen.

Your home is a major investment — indeed, perhaps your biggest investment — so assembling an emergency budget isn’t only prudent, but it’s also an essential tool of financial planning.

How much is enough?

Financial planners say homeowners should build

up an emergency maintenance fund of about $5,000, if possible.

That should be enough to handle most sudden expenses, including major repairs, such as a complete HVAC replacement.

Veteran contractors recommend saving between three and six months’ worth of your home expenses. This rainy-day fund is a good idea for more than just household emergencies; it will provide a cushion in the event of job loss, medical emergencies or other unexpected costs.

Where should the money come from?

Financial planners recommend opening a savings account attached to your checking account, which transfers a set amount of money into savings every time you’re paid. This can cover routine maintenance and emergencies.

Financial experts say savers often forget about this automatically set-aside money, so it builds up faster than they might imagine.

If you have no emergency fund, you would be wise to

keep a credit card on hand with enough money available to pay for emergencies.

This should be a last resort, because you could wind up paying high interest.

You might also refinance your home or take out a home equity line of credit if major equipment goes awry without an emergency fund to back it up.

But whether this is a sound idea will depend largely on your personal situation.

See REPAIRS, C10

The Topeka Capital-Journal | homes.cjonline.com Saturday, April 21, 2018 9

Storage key to better-looking garage Cabinets, pulley systems may help

Cabinets, with their shelves, offer a neat and simple solution for storing tools and other belongings in your garage.

Plus, cabinets have doors, which can be shut to hide what’s inside.

By HomeAdvisor

For most homeowners, the garage is the black hole of their home’s universe. Unwanted items from all other areas of the house are pulled in, stacked and forgotten — until one day you open the door, look in and realize you can’t see from one side to the other.

If this sounds familiar to you, a garage storage system could transform your dark abyss into an attractive, orderly space that you might even enjoy spending time in.

The art of storing things in your garage is first and foremost an organizational issue. The reason most garages look so bad is there simply isn’t anywhere to put anything short of stacking it against the wall.

By taking advantage of all available space and introducing a number of efficient storage solutions, you can transform the state of your garage overnight.

Cabinetry Cabinet-based garage storage systems are the most popular place to start.

Cabinets serve several purposes. For starters, they have shelves — and shelves provide a home for your tools, paints, camping equipment and other belongings. Further, because everything has a place, it will be easier to keep the garage clean, so long as you take the time to put things back where you found them.

The other big benefit of installing

[DREAMSTIME]

cabinetry in your garage is that cabinets have doors. You’d be amazed how improved your garage looks when you’re able to hide your mess behind a thin piece of particle board, wood or stainless steel.

Overhead storage The second area that’s too often overlooked when it comes to

developing a garage storage system is right above you. Taking advantage of all that unused overhead garage storage space also can work wonders when it comes to organizing your black hole.

Hanging baskets, also referred to as loft storage, can be installed from one end of your garage ceiling to the other — providing tons of new storage space for coolers, luggage and outdoor gear.

Worried your garage door might

get in the way? Don’t. There are even overhead garage storage systems built specifically to make use of that dead space between your garage door and the ceiling.

Pulley systems Another innovative product is a pulley system for larger items, such as bicycles, canoes, truck toppers and larger boats. Overhead hooks have long been a favorite of professional garage organizers. These pulley systems expand on that idea and make it much easier for the homeowner to raise or lower the stored object with the use of a rope and pulley.

Once you’ve decided to invest in garage storage, you might want to consider making a few other upgrades while you’re at it. Adding a garage floor coating to go with your new cabinets, and even installing a new garage heater, will create a space you’ll actually enjoy spending time in.

10 Saturday, April 21, 2018 The Topeka Capital-Journal | homes.cjonline.com

REPAIRS From Page C8 How do you prepare for emergencies?

You can plan for emergencies in ways other than saving money. Even if you’re not planning to sell your home, a home inspection can provide insight into what systems are most likely to fail soon — and it will typically cost only a few hundred dollars.

An inspection can’t offer guaranteed protection against hidden dangers, but arming yourself with information can help. You also should

Financial planners say homeowners should build up an emergency home maintenance fund of about $5,000, if possible.

[DREAMSTIME]

familiarize yourself with the home emergencies covered and not covered by your homeowners insurance policy.

Be sure to hire reliable

HEY YOU!

contractors to regularly maintain your HVAC and other systems.

This offers a number of benefits: It will extend the lifespan of your systems. It will uncover problems before they become catastrophic.

It will put you on good terms with a contractor who’s familiar with your home and more likely to jump you to the front of the line if an emergency should arise.

The last part can be very important. You don’t want to be thumbing through phone numbers trying to get someone on the line if your sewer main breaks on a major holiday.

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