"We spend a lot of time out back," says Doug. "It's Frances's place of serenity."

Come on in the garden house. Happy hour has just begun.

Doug put a handy sink in this old table.

Personal touches to the garden house include an arched window and heron sculpture.

For eons, wives have scolded their husbands with the censorious question, "Why do you keep bringing home all that junk?" The simple, honest answer, "Someday I'll find a use for it," has never once met with approval.

Well, guys, meet your hero. His name is Doug Honeycutt. Years of scrounging through salvage yards and going-out-of-business sales--as well as picking up stuff from the side of the road--has created one of Birmingham's neatest backyards. From the neon "flowers" sign above the garden house door to the antique tools decorating the front of his workshop, this 25- x 60-foot space overflows with personality. Best of all, his wife, Frances, loves it.

Big Plans
The Honeycutts moved into their home about five years ago. Among the first things Doug added were a rear deck and a wisteria-draped arbor. If he had stopped there, Frances might have been content. But Doug had bigger plans born of talent that had him dreaming of being an architect before joining his family's construction business.

For three years, Doug was a mysterious pack rat, filling sheds with artifacts and throwaways he found all over Alabama. "Frances kept asking me, 'Why do you keep collecting all this stuff?' " he recalls. "I didn't tell her the truth. It was going to be a surprise.

"I sat down one night in October and sketched out the garden house," he continues. "I told her, 'This is your Christmas present.' She took one look at the sketch and just fell in love with it."

Then came the hard part: designing it to incorporate the many salvaged pieces he'd brought home. With carpentry help from friends, the Owen family, Doug pulled it off. He presented the finished house to Frances in March. "It's the best gift I have ever been given, except for my engagement ring," she says.