The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Get inspired at Atlanta Home Show
Home inspector Stan Garnet has seen the looks and heard the questions from previous Atlanta Home Show attendees who realized they’ve taken the wrong steps in everything from repairing brown spots on a ceiling to adding a deck.
Garnet is among the 10 speakers and more than 350 exhibitors in the home remodeling and landscaping industries showcasing products and services at the 35th Annual Spring Atlanta Home Show on March 22-24. Some in the crowd at Georgia’s largest home show are seeking answers and want help righting wrongs in their home.
“We have a lot of do-it-yourself-ers out there,” said Garnet, founder of ConsultAHomePro.com, an organization of Atlanta area service providers who educate consumers on home construction and repairs. “We can provide some answers and guide some people.”
Home Show speaker Jeff Devlin, a licensed contractor and host of the DIY Network’s “I Hate My Bath,” said he often receives emails or calls from homeowners who demolish a room and find something they didn’t expect.
“One of the things that I think people take for granted is they watch a TV show and they think that by just simply watching the show, they’re going to have all the information they need to do the project,” he said. “They get a little bit of confidence. They demo a bathroom and sit in the empty room and say, ‘How am I going to deal with that?’ ”
Education is a major component of the home show. The 3,000-squarefoot “See-Thru House” will be on display again, where attendees can see the wiring, systems and other components. The structure will be staffed by plumbers, electricians, carpenters, general contractors and other experts with ConsultAHomePro.com.
“People can see what goes on behind the walls, how things are installed,” said Garnet. “It’s a neat thing to be able to just spend that time, especially if you have issues with your house. You need to know answers.”
Devlin, whose show, “I Hate My Bath,” airs at 9 p.m. Tuesdays on the DIY Network, chatted with AJC Homefinder about DIY errors and other renovation mishaps. Q: What are the best ways to avoid costly renovation mistakes? A: Absolutely No. 1 is planning. You can’t just start designing your bathroom after you demoed it. Get your inspiration — from magazines, home shows — and that helps you with the planning. The budget is part of the planning. Q: What’s the impact of TV shows on renovation projects? A: TV shows make it look easier than it is. We have problems on every single job. With experience, we solve it efficiently and quickly.
Q: TV shows also seem to put the pressure on finishing a home project in a weekend. A: Setting a goal to get done by the end of the weekend is a very impractical goal for most people. By the time you go to your big box store (for supplies), feed the kids, walk the dog, check Facebook, you’re looking at 1 o’clock in the afternoon. You don’t have a good 48 hours by the time it’s said and done. I’ve seen so many people get frustrated. Q: Even if they get it done in a weekend, do homeowners sometimes have remorse? A: They’re upset because when they walk in, they wish they had spent an extra $50 for the better windows or the nicer color paint or the nicer tile. Then they walk into that room every single day and they’re reminded of it. That renovation now becomes a very negative one in their mind. Q: What steps should they take instead? A: Educating yourself is going to be huge. Ask a lot questions of people who have done it. Go to the home shows. Ask what are the things that you can avoid. Q: From your experience working with couples, what are some tips for surviving a home renovation project? A: My wife is sitting behind me right now. I should ask her to cover her ears. When you have the frustration of budget and time, I don’t care who is in the room with you. It can get very stressful. Separate projects (by saying), you’re going to be responsible for this and this. Someone (may) say, “I’m good at painting, can I take the lead on that?” Q: How did you solve a problem in a recent bathroom project? A: The couple had a larger space, but it was convoluted in that the husband had a closet and the wife had a closet. You’re already trying to maximize the space in their bathroom. Everybody wants a closet, but they also want that fancy steam shower. We took out his closet completely and put a shower in its place. I was able to give him the storage that he used to have, by utilizing a cabinet in the closet. Q: To get custom cabinets, what are a couple of tips for hiring a carpenter? A: Go see their work. If you’re going to pay for a custom carpenter to make you something, you want to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth. A good carpenter first is a good listener. They hear what you want. Then they go back and figure out how to implement that to get it within your budget and your look.
Two exhibitors at the Spring Atlanta Home Show shared how their products and expertise reflect residential trends.
Automating the home
One of the most exciting benefits offered by smartphones and tablets is the ability to manage your home, said Frank DeFilippis, design principal at Link Your House, a Suwaneebased custom electronic firm. The cost of home management systems using touch panels and touch pads have been out of reach, topping $15,000, but the costs are coming down.
“It was a very exclusive group of people who could afford these things,” he said. “That’s dinosaur ages now.”
For about $1,000, smartphone owners can install stand-alone climate control, video surveillance or streaming music in their homes. Fully integrated systems, where the entire home can be monitored and controlled, start at roughly $5,000.
Taking shelter from storms
Some homeowners are looking to invest in protecting family members from tornadoes and other storms, and storm shelters can provide peace of mind, said Robert Rayl, senior vice president/owner of Missouri-based Varsity Contractors, which is a licensed distributor of FamilySAFE storm shelters. It has a location in Lawrenceville.
The above-ground shelters start at 4-by-4 feet (around $4,500) and increase in size to a 8-by-12 foot shelter (nearly $10,000). The shelters, which have deadbolt locks, can be installed in the garage or basements of new or existing homes.
Other features of the FamilySAFE storm shelters, which are 80 inches tall, include an outlet for a small light and an anti-pinch vented door. He said his shelters are designed to withstand 250 mph wind speeds (tested and certified by researchers at Texas Tech University).