Dealers answer ‘green’ demand

With remodeling continuing to be popular amid a relatively slow period for home sales, exhibitors at this weekend’s Lawrence Home Show will focus their attention on folks planning to do the work themselves or hire it done.

Either way, work’s work.

“The remodeling market has been a really nice, bright spot in the housing market,” said Bobbie Flory, executive director of the Lawrence Home Builders Association, which organizes the show. “The remodeling market has stayed very strong. People are staying in their space and changing it to fit their lifestyles, whatever that lifestyle is.

“At the show, it offers people a chance to walk around and browse different products and services without being in a sales-oriented environment. It’s very low key. It’s part entertainment, part educational and, hopefully, we have the ‘wow’ factor for people.”

For this, the eighth annual show, the association has assembled its largest number and assortment of exhibitors: 76 in all, from Aquila and its ServiceGuard program to Ziegler Corp., an area builder.

In between will be suppliers, contractors, retailers and financiers dealing in flooring, painting, remodeling, gardening, landscaping, concrete repairing, home selling, kitchen overhauling, interior designing, roof replacing, insulation installing, exterior lighting and whole-home securing.

Six seminars also will be conducted to help people understand:

l What they may be getting into (“What to Expect when Remodeling Your Home,” 11 a.m. Saturday, and “Home Improvement Loans,” noon Saturday).

l What to look forward to (“Rain Gardens” and “Vegetable Gardens,” at noon and 1 p.m. Sunday).

l What trends to keep an eye on (“Let’s Walk on ‘Green,'” 1 p.m. Saturday; and “Steps to Purchasing ‘Green’ Cabinets,” 2 p.m. Sunday).

John Fiedler, regional sales manager for Custom Wood Products, is looking forward to helping people understand the market for environmentally friendly cabinets. But his seminar won’t focus solely on boxes with doors.

“Most people talk about building green, and that should start from the minute you start working on your house,” said Fiedler, whose market covers 70 dealers in 15 states. “That’s carpet without formaldehyde. It’s geothermal heating. It’s metal roofing that lasts for 30 years.

“It shouldn’t just be about cabinets. It should be about the entire building process.”

Flory said many exhibitors would be showing off and discussing so-called “green” products and services.

“Consumers are demanding it now,” Flory said, “and the market responds to the consumers.”