Home Front
By JUDY STARK, Times Homes Editor
© St. Petersburg Times
published April 13, 2002
Shopping for a contractor
If you're looking for a remodeling contractor or for top-of-the-line products and materials for your project (whether a remodeling or new construction), stop by this weekend at the Suncoast Premier Remodeling Expo. Contractors, designers and product suppliers who concentrate on the high end of the market will show off their work and their wares, "the stuff you see in the magazines," says organizer and award-winning remodeling contractor Daniel E. Ashline. The expo is at the Harborview Center, 300 Cleveland St., in downtown Clearwater. Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5. The show is part of the Parade of Homes sponsored by the Contractors & Builders Association of Pinellas, which continues through April 21. The models, marked by blue-and-white signs at subdivisions in Pinellas and West Pasco, are open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday.
[Photo: Frontgate]
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Booby trap for mosquitoes
Last year we reported on the Mosquito Magnet, a device that emits a warm, moist stream of carbon dioxide that mosquitoes mistake for the exhaled breath of their warm-blooded prey (read: you and me, out on the deck or at poolside). Once they're fooled into approaching in search of a snack, the magnet vacuums them into a net, where they dehydrate and die. This device was used by the U.S. Coast Guard to reclaim an entire tropical island once thought uninhabitable because of swarming mosquitoes. The problem was the price: $1,300. Now there's a "garden version," priced at $495. It covers up to three-quarters of an acre. This one is plugged into an exterior electrical outlet (the more expensive version had its own power source) and operates around the clock. Order from Frontgate toll-free at 1-800-626-6488, or visit www.frontgate.com.
Early birds get the bargains
Speaking of remodeling, plan to get up early next Saturday. The Tampa Bay Area chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry holds its annual garage sale from 8 a.m. to noon April 20 at In-Town Mini Storage, 1026 19th St. N, St. Petersburg. The remodeling contractors will sell overstocks, misorders or salvaged items they've removed from houses that might be just what you're looking for: doors, kitchen cabinets, windows, office equipment. Tools too.
[Photo: Loctite]
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Click and stick
Surf first, glue later. Visit www.loctiteproducts.com for help in selecting the right glue for the task at hand, whether it's repairing a sneaker, restoring a broken mug handle or gluing on a plastic knob. There's also a section of Frequently Asked Questions, including this often frantic one: "How can I remove Super Glue?"
- Compiled by Homes editor JUDY STARK
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