Homes: News for the home front

Home & Garden

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News for the home front

By Judy Stark, Times Home and Garden editor
Published September 8, 2007

Stick with this costume contest, KIDS

It's time to start working on costumes made of duct tape so you can win the first prize of $500 in the annual "Stick or Treat" Halloween Costume Contest. Go to www.ducktapeclub.com for contest rules. Deadline is Oct. 29 and entries will be posted on the Web site as they're received. Prize winners will be announced around Oct. 30.

Second-hand designer treasures

Local interior designers will hold their second annual attic sale Friday and Sept. 15 at Artie's Moving (an air-conditioned warehouse), 5005 N Howard Ave., Tampa. Find furniture, accessories, artwork, wall covering, rugs, silk plants, more. A cocktail reception and sale is from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday ($10 at the door). The sale continues the next day (no charge) from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The sponsors, the local chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers, will donate proceeds to programs that benefit artistically gifted children in Hillsborough and Pinellas.

Learn to speak the remodeling lingo

When the remodeling contractor refers to HVAC, when the plumber talks about a deck-mounted faucet, and the carpenter mentions pin supports for the bookcase, do you know what they're talking about? You will if you read The Pocket Renovator: An Illustrated Guide to the Language of Home Improvement and Renovation, by Leslie Banker and Pamela Banker (Universe, $19.95). This is a handy directory, profusely illustrated, of the terminology of building and remodeling. You'll feel a lot less foolish navigating the aisles of the home center once you speak the language.

Energy savers, this test is for you

Okay, all you energy-efficiency greenies out there. Go to www.sixdegrees.org and take the quiz and see how much you know about compact fluorescents, global warming and programmable thermostats.

A household term

The term of the week is mortgage marriage. It describes a relationship between two people, typically friends or family members, often of the same sex, who buy a house together to make housing costs more manageable as they build equity. Homes with dual master suites often appeal to these buyers, Builder magazine reports.