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Cost-conscious homeowners check out remodeling expo Kansas City Star

22.10.11

Decisions, decisions.</p><p>That&#x92;s what Lloyd and Paula Hendrickson of Blue Springs faced Saturday at the Home Design & Remodeling Expo, where they were looking for ways to improve their home. </p><p>Should they replace their kitchen cabinets or just the doors? </p><p>And they hadn&#x92;t realized they could restore their countertops to save some money, instead of buying new ones.</p><p>They wanted it to be done right but also economically, and they were planning to spend the day finding out how. But they were absolutely sure about one thing.</p><p>&#x93;We&#x92;re not interested in buying a new home,&#x94; said Paula Hendrickson. </p><p>The economy and real estate market remain in the doldrums, and that&#x92;s created plenty of interest in remodeling projects. But that doesn&#x92;t mean consumers are opening their wallets as they did a few years ago.</p><p>&#x93;Because money is tight, they are spending their money more wisely, looking for value, and staying put,&#x94; said Vance Arthur, a sales representative for Sunshine Home Improvement in Lenexa.</p><p>Vendors at the event, which runs through today at Bartle Hall, were ready to sell everything from cabinet refacing to landscaping to dog fences. </p><p>There were also plenty of seminars. Topics ranged from preparing your home for winter to how to know if your house is haunted.</p><p>But many who attended came with something in mind. </p><p>Dan Green of Kirksville, Mo., is planning to remodel his home in part to make it more usable for his wife, who has bad knees. That&#x92;s why he was looking closely at a walk-in bathtub that had a door on the side for easy entry. His interest was piqued when he learned it was cheaper than a similar one he&#x92;d seen elsewhere.</p><p>Rick Pettit is a manufacturer&#x92;s representative for Recreation Wholesale in Lee&#x92;s Summit, which sells the tubs. He said the interest in price wasn&#x92;t unusual. The company also sells hot tubs, and it had seen those sales drop with the economic downturn.</p><p>But they began to climb again this year, mostly because of the less expensive models that have some added features to increase their value.</p><p>The expo features five room styles picked by local celebrities to help raise money for charity. </p><p>Steve-O, a disc jockey for 105.1 FM, is a big &#x93;Star Wars&#x94; fan and wanted the room to reflect the movie. Designed 4 You, an interior design firm, outfitted the room with special touches, including a mural of the emperor&#x92;s throne room. </p><p> Darth Vader, or a least someone who looked like him, was sitting in a chair and enjoying a &#x93;Star Wars&#x94; movie on the room&#x92;s fancy TV.</p><p>&#x93;I like it,&#x94; he said. &#x93;It&#x92;s very homey.&#x94;

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