How to go
What: Miami Valley HomeWorld
When: today through Sunday and Feb. 11- 13; 4 to 8 p.m. Fridays; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays
Where: Airport Expo Center, 3900 McCauley Drive, Vandalia
Admission: $7 for adults; free for children 12 and younger; parking is free. Save $2 on Fridays by bringing in a canned good to benefit the Foodbank; one discount per person.
Prizes: Visitors can enter to win a $10,000 HomeWorld Shopping Spree; one winner will be chosen each weekend.
More information: www.mvhome world.com
If you are interested in getting a jump on your home improvement to-do list or in choosing the best way to spend your limited home improvement dollars, a two-weekend event may offer the inspiration you’re looking for.
Miami Valley HomeWorld 2011, at the Dayton Airport Expo Center today through Sunday and again from Feb. 11-13, will feature 180 vendors with skills and products to complete and inspire a variety of home renovations and improvements. Vendors include full-service remodelers, home health products, outdoor furnishings, builders and developers, landscaping, pools/spas, kitchens and baths, roofing and siding, heating and air conditioning and more. Remodeling and cooking demos are scheduled each day of the event.
Among the top trends in home and garden that HomeWorld will highlight this year are improving what you have, going green, and universal design, said Kim Fantaci, executive director of Miami Valley National Association of the Remodeling Industry).
Trend 1: Improving what you have
“It’s about getting the most bang for your buck,” Fantaci said. “People are improving their homes with the budget they have.”
With the state of the economy and the housing market, people are staying where they are and focusing their attention and budget on their current space, Fantaci said. Improvements can range from putting in a hot tub, painting and updating kitchens and baths to altering a room’s structure by knocking down a wall to add more space.
“Improving what you have can be done on a range of budgets,” Fantaci said.
Many people are being very cautious with their money and choosing to reinvest back into their homes, which will pay huge dividends when it comes to resale value, Fantaci said.
Trend 2: Going green
Although “going green” is not as big a trend in the Midwest as it is on the coasts, it is making its way here.
“Most green changes we see in the Midwest are in the products we’re using, like in paint and carpet,” Fantaci said. “This trend will affect us more in the future.”
Trend 3: Universal design
The third top trend, universal design, tries to appeal to everyone in form and function and helps ensure homes can be used by anyone at any stage in life.
“It’s doing what you can to keep parents and grandparents living as independently as long as possible in a more modern way and aesthetically pleasing way,” Fantaci said.
Some of the elements of universal design include wider doorways, wider and fewer steps, equipped baths and adjusted counter height, Fantaci said.
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