How to Transform an Old Chimney Pot Into a Garden Light

Among the simplest creative reuse projects I've done for my Salvage column, this landscape uplight is also one of my favorites. That's partly because I love proving naysayers wrong. Many of my colleagues couldn't visualize a chimney pot, much less a chimney pot that could cast a warm, 50-watt glow on the undersides of a Japanese maple's leaves. But I found a believer in Maria Burk of Kichler Landscape Lighting, who hooked me up with a low-voltage light that fit snugly inside the base of the crown-topped pot I chose. She also sent along a 60-watt transformer with a built-in timer, which plugs directly into an all-weather outlet, so the unit will automatically turn itself on and off each night. Here’s the step-by-step for how I put all the pieces together: