Home and Garden Show

Yes, my brother and I went to the Home and Garden show Saturday. We saw a lot of the same vendors as before, selling their cooking utensils through the cooking shows, people giving out little freebies for visiting them at their booth! The best goodies we received were from the "Gallery of Pets". We received dog food and cat food samples, even a can of dog food. Wow! When I brought it home, our four legged canine was more than happy to receive the New Zealand venison and also duck infused dog food. The cats are still trying to decide if they like their triple cranberry salmon recipe food. So far, they liked the http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/ products. Hey food sensitivities...one of my four legged feline really needs something for stomach sensitivity. Maybe she just eats too fast. Dunno.

I wanted to list a few vendors that seemed to have some interesting products...so, here goes!

http://www.decola-eusebi.com/
They have some amazing window designs. At the show, they were in what I would consider the front door to a house. The one that I saw was selling for $3400. Anyone wanna donate for that one? I couldn't see that luxury item being allowed in the budget. But, they are right up my alley for design/art interests!

http://www.beamvac.com/usa/
I've seen these before, but the central Vacuum systems are pretty awesome in design. No running over the power cords and having to use electrical tape to make better a dangerous situation. There are health benefits to using one, they can exhaust out of the main contraption, instead of having to depend on the filter on the regular vacuum that most people use. Have you ever smelled what you were vacuuming? Yeah, that's what I'm talking about...it's gone.

http://www.newboldstone.com/
I really like the idea of concrete countertops, concrete floors, etc. Simple, clean. These guys can probably make whatever you like out of concrete. Tell them your ideas for a sink, countertop, etc. and they will do it with their CAD program, then make a mold and then presto! done! Their portfolio and show pieces were awesome. Now, they were having a little too much wine to drink at the show, which was a show in itself, but we can't blame them for a short sited professional blunder in lieu of their beautiful craftsmanship.

http://www.ventanaman.com/
These guys provide glass, for many different needs. We saw glass inserts for cabinet doors, awesome! What I was looking at was the glass panels that I would want to put in the Master Bathroom. (Yes, in the future I will share with you more ideas from the house, which will better explain the glass) I want to go to their showroom someday soon. They have many more samples there!

http://www.solartexaustin.com/
I have been looking at these for a while. They are sorta like a newer technology of skylights. They bring in light from a small dome on the roof, through a tube that refracts light down into a diffuser that splatters natural light into your living space of choice. These will be in the plans, it's just a matter of whose product do I choose. This is the first time to see these guys. I did like how their tubes have a light bulb in them, so when the sun is not up (duh, at night), then you can turn on the light and it diffuses out of the tube. Hmm...no need to install lights, that's a great idea!!! Done!

http://www.ubuildit.com/
These are a bunch of people that allow you to build your own house, be your own general contractor, superintendent, supervisor, etc. They help with consultation, $ and referrals. They give you a guide to follow and essentially hold your hand. This is one way I've considered building my house. There are other places, which I will list in later posts to give you my ideas on what I am thinking about doing.

http://www.ownerbuildernetwork.com/
These guys do the same as the guys above. Just another outfit. But, they said it's around $2.35 per sq. ft. vs the above guys at $5.50 per sq. ft. That's a big difference. I'm still going to research my best options before jumping in feet forward.

http://www.icynene.com/
These guys provide a superior option for home insulation. They spray a liquid substance between wall studs or even roof joists (?) and it expands A LOT! So, it provides greater draft protection, noise barrier and also provides greater efficiency so the house doesn't have sky high electricity bills. This is something I'm strongly considering.

http://www.integrityhomesystems.net/
These guys provide an entire home network, cable, phone, security, whatever system. It's a great Idea...and some of it I will put in my house. I just probably wouldn't use these guys. I have someone in mind already. This is just an example of what I may be considering.

http://www.tentmakercountryhomes.com/
I liked talking to this guy. I liked some of his concepts and he was able to explain some different aspects of home building that made more sense to me. I would same more on the blog about this guy, but I felt comfortable talking to him and talking to him about his ideas. He will be on the list as a guy that I'll consider in the home building process. He will be one of the several to bid on the building my my carport/shed.

Those are the only people that I really talked to that interest me. I did have fun at the show and it did give me some ideas that I didn't have. I also was able to better correct my terminology of a few things and meet some interesting people. The concrete people just need to lay off of the wine, at least she does. Ha.

I'm looking forward to sharing more about the house plans...it will come soon enough.