The Home Front

By JUDY STARK

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 27, 2000

What's your next project?

Remodeling is our topic today, a good time to report these findings about home improvement spending from the American Express Retail Index, a survey of more than 900 consumers. Americans will spend an average of $2,888 on home improvement this year, an increase of 5 percent over last year. The survey shows that the top projects are interior decorating (43 percent), renovation/remodeling (35 percent), landscaping (34 percent), gardening (29 percent) and mandatory maintenance (26 percent). The most popular room for remodeling or refurnishing is the living room, named by 46 percent. The survey found that 72 percent of consumers planned to do it themselves, up from 67 percent last year.

Help for a hurricane

Hurricane season starts Thursday, a reminder that now's the time to think about how you will protect your home. Anything you do is better than doing nothing, the experts say. For those who want to tape up their windows, Manco Inc. has introduced Removable Duck Tape, with a UV barrier that makes it easy to remove up to four weeks after it's applied. Ordinary duct tape leaves a residue that "bakes" onto the surface and is difficult to remove. A 10-yard roll has a suggested retail price of $4.55; a three-yard card has a suggested price of $1.99. They're available at Wal-Mart stores and participating Ace and select Tru-Value hardware stores.

How many of these do you have?

Speaking of home improvement, here they are, the Top 10 Tools Every Homeowner Should Have, according to Lowe's: hammer, adjustable wrench, screwdriver, power drill, saw (hacksaw and circular saw), utility knife, pliers, tape measure, stud/joist locator, level. Lowe's suggests stowing this basic kit in a toolbox along with a roll of duct tape and some WD-40 lubricant.

Correction

The new section of the gated community of Pristine Place where the Hernando Builders Association is holding its Parade of Homes is not individually gated. A story last week was incorrect.

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