Remodeling show provides low-pressure learning

|tab|

Excuse me for losing it here, but I'm kind of excited about the HBA Remod-eling Show.|ret||ret||tab|

I speak not as a guy who's professionally obliged to be interested, but as a plain old garden variety human being who's always been fascinated by the lengths we human beings go to, to create and re-create our homes. |ret||ret||tab|

When I visited last year's show, I wasn't working for the Business Journal, I just thought it would be fun to see all of the stuff available for remodeling in our world today, or at least an appreciable amount of same. |ret||ret||tab|

|ret||ret||tab|

First show|ret||ret||tab|

That was the HBA's first remodeling show. It featured 79 exhibitors showing everything from kitchens to bathrooms to hot tubs to faux stone, hardwoods and all manner of surfaces, lighting, carpeting, landscaping and you name it. |ret||ret||tab|

I don't know how much time I spent trying to see it all, but it was a ton, and it was fun. |ret||ret||tab|

One thing I really loved about the event was what the HBA calls its "non-selling" character. Nobody pins you down at this show and tries to sell you anything. The salesmanship is all purely by example, the exhibitors' message being simply "Here we are and here's what we do." |ret||ret||tab|

It's nice, real nice, because it takes the pressure off everyone. That includes the exhibitors, who last year, even after hours of standing and fielding heaven knows how many questions, managed to a person to be pleasant, gracious and helpful.|ret||ret||tab|

It seems to me that remodeling is just inherently a fascinating subject. How-ever small the project, it's still all about imagination and dreaming and creativity and resourcefulness. It's also about fondness for home and hearth and, even more, the wish to provide oneself and those loved with beauty, comfort, and security. |ret||ret||tab|

|ret||ret||tab|

Oh, the stories ...|ret||ret||tab|

Remodeling also, for most people, can be about confusion, apprehension, fear and frustration. At least in the beginning. Oh, but I could tell stories. Yessir, you betcha, I'm a veteran of a remodeling campaign or two myself. There are tales, tales of tearing out walls, of carrying sheet rock till the arms threaten to pop out of the sockets, of mixing concrete in wheelbarrows, of living in plaster dust for months, of the trips, the trips, the endless trips to the hardware and home supply stores. |ret||ret||tab|

And then of course, there is the delicious, consummately delicious sigh at the end, when, wonder of wonders (and despite one's own ineptitude), it's done.|ret||ret||tab|

Just like life, with remodeling, once we take the plunge and actually get into the job, the less fearful it becomes. And if we can get some help along the way from some good, knowledgeable, fair-minded people who really do know how to do the thing well, everything can work out just fine. |ret||ret||tab|

So, put me down for another trip to the HBA Remodeling Show, thank you.|ret||ret||tab|

We're lucky this week to have some generous contributions in the remodeling vein from quite a few folks who know it well: Matt Morrow of the HBA, Karen Schaefer of Sunbelt Environmental Services Inc., Aimee Dixon Plumlee of HouseMaster, and the people featured in several stories from our contributing writers. We need to thank all of these folks for sharing their experiences and knowledge with us here. We hope you find their stories diverting, informative, and, even better, at least a little bit helpful with any remodeling dreams you may have.|ret||ret||tab|

Thanks for joining us.[[In-content Ad]]