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PAGE3

BUILDING AND REMODELING EXPO

By all accounts, the BuildingIndustry Association of North-eastern Pennsylvania HomeBuilding and Remodeling Expois a neighborly kind of event.Here you can see thewood pro-

jects proudly crafted in area highschools, such as the picnic tablebuilt by Dave Vnuk’s students attheWilkes-BarreAreaCareer andTechnical Center in Plains Town-ship and the Adirondack chairfashioned by Burt Dana’s classesat Tunkhannock Area.Want to take one of those out-

doorsy items home? The moneyyou pay for your raffle ticketswillbenefit theMake-A-WishFounda-tion, which makes dreams cometrue for seriously ill children.

Once you’ve entered the expo,set for this weekend at the 109thFieldArtilleryArmory, you’ll findvendors ready to give you advice

on everything fromwindows andsiding to shower stalls and kitch-en counters.So how do you get in? Admis-

sion is either $2 or a donation of anon-perishable food item for theCommission on Economic Op-portunity.“It seems like we’re more char-

itable than anything else,” saidDon Casterline, chairman of theevent, noting that several largeboxes of food were collected lastyear.Heide Baut Cebrick, president

of the Luzerne County Federa-tion of Women’s Clubs, saidmembers will collect the food atthe entrance. She’s especiallyhappy about that because it’s giv-

Quality, charity intermingle

S. JOHN WILKIN/THE TIMES LEADER

Josh Bartoli and Jack Johnson put the finishing touches on a picnic table that will be chanced off at the Building Industry Association Home Building and RemodelingExpo during a building-trades class at Wilkes-Barre Area Career and Technical Center in Plains Township.

CLARK VAN ORDEN/THE TIMES LEADER

Designers at Interstate Building Materials in Pittston are ready tohelp homeowners plan their new or updated kitchens with manyoptions as far as cabinetry and fixtures.

Event showcases local expertise, altruism

See EXPO, Page 4

By MARY THERESE [email protected]

What: Building Industry Associ-ation of Northeastern Pennsylva-nia Home Building and Remod-eling ExpoWho: Sponsored by the BuildingIndustry Association of Northeast-ern PennsylvaniaWhere: 109th Field Artillery Armo-ry, 280 Market St., Wilkes-BarreWhen: 4 to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5p.m. Sunday.Admission; $2 or free with dona-tion of non-perishable food itemMore info: 287-3331

IF YOU GO

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011 BUILDING AND REMODELING EXPO

ing an edge to the county group,which is engaged in a friendlycompetition with other women’sclubs across the state to see whocan collect the most food forcharitable pantries.“We’re having a little contest to

see who is most successful,” shesaid. “I’m thrilled we’re given theopportunity to partner with thebuilders.”The BIA’s zeal for charity isn’t

the only reason to be proud of theassociation, she said.“From what I know of the

builders, they’re a tremendousgroup,” she said. “They’re verytalented people, very proud oftheir work. When we had ourawards ceremony,we saw the lev-el of quality you can get locally ismind-boggling.“A lot of people have this mis-

conception that you have to leavethe area to find talent.”Someof the area’s talent can be

foundatBautStudios inSwoyers-ville,whereBautCebrick’s familycontinues to produce, amongother things, structural stainedglass – apatentedproduct invent-ed by her late father, Eugene R.

Baut.“We don’t use sand; that gives

too coarse of a pitting,” she said.“Weuse a very fine aluminum-ox-idedust, for fine abrasion,”whichmakes the glass obscure.

A tech presenceAnother vendor who plans to

have a presence at the show is Ve-rizon Wireless, which will showoff some of its new slimproducts.The Samsung Galaxy Tab, for

example, can be used for surfingtheWeb, accessing email and do-ing all kinds of work out in the

field. And it’s only 7.4 incheshigh, 4.7 inches wide, .45 inchesdeep and13 ounces, salesmanag-er Rich Foster said.Verizon also can show employ-

ers lots of ways to eliminate pa-perwork and increase efficiency,Foster said. “There are GPStracking solutions for a mobilework force. If you need to do jobdispatch and want to find theclosest employee to a location ona map, you’ll be able to do that.”“You can track historical roots,

where employees have beenthroughout the day,” he said. It

really streamlines processes andhelps companies increase effi-ciency.”

Kitchens, of courseFor the homeowner looking to

do some remodeling, a chat withInterstateBuildingMaterials Inc.of Pittston could prove helpful.Kitchen designer Linda Ar-

mezzani said she and other Inter-state staffers have plenty of ideasto share with people seeking anew kitchen.“A lot of people come in with a

clear-cut idea of what they want.They might bring magazine clip-pings; they could have been plan-ning it for many years. But Iwould saymost people don’t nec-essarily know what options areavailable for them.”When you’re planning a kitch-

en, she said, there are manychoices, including cabinetrystyles, countertop surfaces andcolor accents.You also want to think about

your “cooking triangle.”“The area from cooktop or

stove to refrigerator to sinkshould be a triangle distance ofno more than 27 feet,” she said.“Those are National Kitchen &Bath Association guidelines.They are the logical way to layout the kitchen.”“We design kitchens for all

budgets,” she said. “We could doa $5,000 kitchen or a $25,000kitchen easily.”

Plentiful optionsThere’s no telling what you’ll

learn when you start talking tobuilders and remodelers. A dis-cussionwith Jeff Vanesko ofBackMountain Log Homes Inc., forexample,might dispel anynotionthat a log home is the kind of tinycabin you might associate withAbraham Lincoln.“There’s no limit to the size,”

Vanesko said in a recent inter-view. “”We just did a five-bed-room home last year. More typi-cally, it’s probably two to fourbedrooms.”“Weoffer complete turn-key in-

stallation,” he said. “When a cus-tomer buys a house from us,we’re the general contractor thatsupplies the whole thing.”If you come to the show, Cast-

erline said, you’re bound to pickup some knowledge you can ap-ply to your own home. You cansample some snacks from Virgin-ia Barbeque, which will offer “achange from the usual hot dogsand hamburgers.” And, you canbe part of a long-standing tradi-tion.“We’re locally produced for 30

years,” Casterline said. “We’rekind of proud of that.”

EXPOContinued from Page 3


Heidi Baut Cebrick, left, of Baut Studio, is president of the LuzerneCounty Federation of Women’s Clubs, which will collect food at thisyear’s BIA Home Building and Remodeling Expo. Next to her aresiblings Conrad D. Baut and, standing, Gerhard F. Baut.

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During his formativeyears, contractorDave Balent of Exe-

ter said, he learned a workphilosophy from his father,who was a mason and de-veloper.

Let your word be yourbond, the late Michael Ba-lent advised. Be honest andtrustworthy. Do qualitywork for every customer,large or small.

Decades have passed, but Ba-lent, 52, said his goal is to live bythose traditional rules.

“A job can be anything from asmall, $100 service to hundredsof thousands of dollars,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter. Whateverthe job is, we take pride in it. Andif I can’t do it, I tell them.”

A sponsor of the Building In-dustry Association Home Build-ing and Remodeling Expo thisweekend at the 109th Field Artil-lery Armory in Wilkes-Barre, Ba-

lent said he’s confident the asso-ciation is filled with memberswhose standards are similarlyhigh.

“There are still good people,

people who, if you recommendthem, they’re going to make youlook good,” he said, adding that“BIA does a background check onits members.”

The Times Leader recentlycaught up with Balent as he fin-ished a basement in GlenmauraCommons, giving the homeown-er more living space and an exer-cise room.

“We do everything from con-crete countertops to stamped-concrete work,” Balent said.

“If you’ve ever been in down-town Pittston, that’s all my workthere.”

His work is near the WyomingMonument, where the stampedconcrete looks like cobblestones,and it’s at the Taj Mahal in Atlan-tic City.

“We justwonanaward last yearfor a commercial building projectwhere we built a building arounda building in Moosic, Balent said,explaining he’s dedicated to mak-ing sure the old and new parts ofan expansion blend together “soyou’d never know it was added onto.”

Another sample of his work is amonument in Exeter, at LincolnStreet and Wyoming Avenue,which is dedicated to all veter-ans.

His dad was a World War II vet-eran, so the piece is especiallymeaningful to Balent.

“He taught me so much.”

Balent takes pride in jobs of all sizes, costs


Contractor Dave Balent works on finishing the basement of a homein Moosic’s Glenmaura development.

By MARY THERESE [email protected]

‘A job can be anything from asmall, $100 service to hundredsof thousands of dollars,’ con-tractor Dave Balent says.‘Whatever the job is, we takepride in it.’

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Bigger used to be bet-ter when it came tobuilding a newhome,

and remodeling used to fo-cus on making the home anindividualized castle. Butthese days, area contractorssay, their customers havesomething else in mindwhen it comes to spendingmoney on their homes.

“The days of the mansion aregone. More people are downsiz-ing, building homes with smallersquare footage,” said Jim Kelsall,co-ownerof SouthValleyCustomHomes in Nanticoke. “But theyare going for quality finishes.”Kelsall and several other con-

tractors whowill have displays atthe Building Industry Associ-ation Home Building and Re-modeling Expo at the109th FieldArtillery Armory inWilkes-Barreon Friday, Saturday and Sunday

all agreed on what their custom-ers want.“Square footage of new homes

is going down for the first time in10 to 15 years, but people want agood quality structure,” said Ge-

orge Morio of George MorioBuilder & Developer in HanoverTownship.The economy is driving a num-

ber of changes in attitudesamong customers, the builderssaid. Morio, who is the builder/developer of Liberty Hills in Ha-nover Township, has seen hisbusiness shift from about 80 per-cent new construction and 20percent remodeling to a heavieremphasis on remodeling.“People are focusing on keep-

ing up the house they have,” saidMorio, a second-generationbuilderwith 21years’ experience.People also are installing newhigh-efficiency furnaces or heatpumps, upgrading central airconditioning, adding insulationand putting in new energy-effi-cient windows, he said.John Halbing from Summit

Point Builders in Dallas, said his

company has builtmore than 300Luzerne County homes and fo-cuses on engineering new homesfor energy efficiency, from a con-crete foundation formed andcured under the ideal conditionsin a factory to high-efficiencyheating systems, includingground source geo-thermal heat-ing systems and dual-fuel sys-tems that use a combination ofgas and electric heat, dependingon the cost of the fuel source andthe heating needs of the home atthe time.“Depending on the size of the

home, the dual-fuel systems cancost $1,500 to $2,000 more up to$5,000 to $10,000 for a biggerhouse,” Halbing said.Builders also are seeing an in-

creased emphasis on low-mainte-nance improvements, said Ken

Quality trumps home size

NIKO J. KALLIANIOTIS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER

Summit Point Builders is erecting this house on Bunker Hill Road in Hanover Township. John Halbing of Summit Point said the company focuses on engineering new homesfor energy efficiency.

Area contractors say trends include less square footage, more polish


The panelized walls in this new construction in Edwardsville werebuilt off-site and craned into place, explained Jim Kelsall, co-ownerof South Valley Custom Homes in Nanticoke.

By JANINE UNGVARSKYFor The Times Leader

See QUALITY, Page 7

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PAGE7


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Kale, who has owned Full PhazeConstruction in Courtdale for thepast 23 years.

“People are working more tomake the same money, and theywant to enjoy their homes andyards more but do less mainte-nance,” Kale said. “PVC deckingis a very hot item. It comes inabout 50 different styles thatmimic real wood, but there’s nosplintering, visible screws, nostaining, no painting; just hose itoff once in a while and enjoy it. Itcosts about $30 to $40 per squarefoot compared with about $15 forthe older wood decks, but it lastsa lifetime and has no mainte-nance.”

People are putting a lot of focuson outdoor entertaining withdecks, covered outdoor rooms,gazebos and pergolas, Kale said,along with improving the lookand efficiency of their home withnew siding, metal roofing, newproducts that look like the old-style slate roofs and new win-dows.

And for the folks who move be-yond maintenance and upkeep to

upgrading and remodeling, high-end finishes are in demand. Thebuilders said homeowners arelooking for real hardwood floors,preferring the natural warmth,longevity and value despite thefact that they cost three to fourtimes more than other flooringchoices. Granite and other solid-surface countertops continue tobe hot, the builders agreed, butconsumers are opting to mix, say,granite on countertops and woodon an island or add colored glassand marble to the backsplash of agranite counter.

Adam Perez, from Perez De-sign Build Remodel in ClarksSummit, said his 30-year-oldbusiness uses specialized crewsto focus on different areas of eachhome they work on, and one crewthat’s been among the busiest isthe kitchen crew.

“People know the kitchen isbig for resale,” Perez said. “Peo-ple are taking out the laminatesand putting in new solid surfaceslike granite or quartz.”

He said the popularity ofquartz countertops is increasingbecause it is man-made andtherefore more uniform in ap-pearance and needs less mainte-nance than natural materials.

“You can replace your counter-tops with high-end materials for

$5,000 to $7,000,” Perez said. It’sa limited remodel that has a lot ofimpact.”

And for those who want a newhome in the time it takes forsome remodels, Kelsall saidSouth Valley has an answer.

“We build panelized homeswith the same concept as stick-built homes, but our walls are

built off-site and craned intoplace,” Kelsall said.

That’s the same type of tech-nology that allows Ty Penning-ton and his crew to build housesin a week on “Extreme Makeover:Home Edition,” though in the re-al world it takes 90 to 120 days.But Kelsall said the technique al-lows people to have a quality

home that doesn’t take as long tobuild, saving hourly labor costs.

“We always encourage peopleto tell your builder all yourdreams and everything you want,and then if things don’t fit yourbudget, we can work from there,”Kelsall said. “But you never knowwhat you can afford until you talkto your builder.”

QUALITYContinued from Page 6


A new home under construction in Edwardsville includes panelized walls. Jim Kelsall, co-owner ofSouth Valley Custom Homes in Nanticoke, says such walls are built off-site, then craned into place.It’s the same concept that allows Ty Pennington and company to shave all kinds of time off a totalhome rehab on ‘Extreme Makeover Home Edition.’

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Here’s a quick ques-tion: Which room inyour home is the

place where you spend themost time?

Your mind might jump tothose eight hours in yourbedroom, but let’s not countthat because you’re probablyasleep.

Think of the kitchen, the workspace where you prep those veg-gies, roast that chicken, mix thebatter for the cupcakes.

If it’s eat-in, this is also theplace the family gathers for bond-ing time, the counter where youenjoy your morning coffee andcrossword, maybe even the tablewhere neighbors gather whenthey come over to chat.

Small wonder, then, that thekitchen is one of the first roomspeople want to upgrade. With theapproach of the Home Buildingand Remodeling Expo, spon-sored by the Building Industry

Association of NortheasternPennsylvania this weekend at the109th Field Artillery Armory inWilkes-Barre, homeowners willget a chance to learn about kitch-en designs.

With that in mind, The TimesLeader recently chatted with BobNause, owner of Top Value Kitch-ens in Shavertown.TL:What’s theatmosphere like

at the BIA Home Expo?TVK:The BIA Home Expo is a

smaller home show, and the peo-ple who attend seem to be con-sumers very interested in doing aproject as opposed to killing acouple hours on a weekend. A lotof them have already done somelegwork and looked up informa-tion online.TL: If someone has a really

compact kitchen, like a galley, isthere a way to get more space?TVK: A lot of time, some cus-

tomers want to take down walls.The complexity of the project de-pends on whether it’s a load-bear-ing wall or just a partition. Mostanything is do-able, but the ques-tion is, at what cost? What is the

Kitchen upgrades all about practicalityBy MARY THERESE [email protected]


Bob Nause shows one of the kitchens on display at Top Value Kitchens in Shavertown. This one in-cludes double-layered utensil drawers and glass-front cabinet doors, among other coveted features.See KITCHEN, Page 9

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9BUILDING AND REMODELING EXPO

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rate of return? If you’re going to invest Xnumber of dollars into the home, does itadd to your increased satisfaction, or areyou throwing money away?TL: How do people decide?TVK:We do a little hand-holding to re-

view those questions with our customers.Sometimes, sadly forus, the answer is, no,you’re not gaining enough (by remodel-ing). Nobodywants to throwmoney awaycarelessly, and while we want to make asale, on theotherhand Idon’twant tomis-direct a customer. A lot of our friends inthe industry, the remodeling contractors,they share that opinion. Most of the guysin the BIA follow that same line ofthought.TL: What about windows? Do people

want large, gracious windows in theirkitchens nowadays?TVK:When we have a customer come

in with a set of blueprints, we ask, what isyour view? If someone has a nice forest ornice terrain, it makes sense in our opinionto take advantage of it (with a large win-dow) but you don’t want it to be too large.You want everything to fit the space prop-erly. For example, when we’re talkingabout an island, we have to size it to theroom. We can’t have a great big island ifit’s going to disrupt traffic flow.TL: Most of your cabinetry goes into

kitchens, but you also take care of bath-rooms, offices and home-entertainmentareas, don’t you?TVK: Over the past decade, the home-

entertainment area and home-office areahavegrownconsiderablywith thenumberof people having at-home careers. Thecabinetry is designed for function as wellas aesthetics. The market for high-def,widescreen TVs and all the related equip-ment continues to expand.TL:What kind of advice do you have for

consumers?TVK: Be thorough in your research

when you’re shopping different cabinetcompanies. Ask a lot of questions. Learnabout cabinet construction. … Some peo-ple don’t know there’s a difference be-tween solid cherry and a cherry veneer.Mostly, checkout the reputationof peopleyou’re going to hire. Ask your friends andneighbors, co-workers and relatives, peo-ple who have had some experience.

KITCHENContinued from Page 8


This sparkling new kitchen, which in-cludes trendy open shelving, is on displayat Top Value Kitchens in Shavertown.

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The economy mayhave taken a bit of abite out of the bath-

room-remodeling business,but it has not swallowed it.Cost-conscious options

are available so homeownersdon’t have to send their bud-gets down the drain with allof their dreams.

“The demand for bathroom re-modeling is actually increasing,which we attribute to the econo-my,” said Jared Robinson, branchmanager of Bath Fitter inWilkes-Barre. “There’smore people stay-ing in their homes, as opposed toupgrading and buying a newer,bigger house.”Though the demand is increas-

ing, most consumers aren’t look-ing for a complete remodel.

“A majority of what we’re do-ing is mid-range bath remodels,which means replacing existingfixtures with like ones,” Robin-son said.Bath Fitter is known for these

remodels, or what Robinson callsthe “tub-liner principle.”“If a person has an old bathtub

that they want to keep, we willcustom fit an acrylic mold thatfits over the old tub,” he said.“Getting rid of a tub is a messy

process and can damage otherparts of the bathroom, incurringcosts and taking up time. We in-stall a one-piece tub over the oldone, and it can be done in a mat-ter of hours.”In addition to cost-effective tub

replacements, homeowners alsohavemoney-saving optionswhenit comes to vanities.Corian countertops, by Du-

Pont, are a popular choice.“They’re acrylic, and the big-

gest draw is that they’re seam-less,” saidMariaHernandes,who

works at Cabinets, Counters andMore Inc. in Wilkes-Barre Town-ship.“People would rather a seam-

less top around a sink because BILL TARUTIS PHOTOS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER

Mini-mosaic tiles are on display at Cabinets, Counters and More inWilkes-Barre Township.

Update the bathroomwithout total remodelBy SARA [email protected]

A wide selection of knobs canbe had at Cabinets, Countersand More as well.

See BATHROOM, Page 15

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there’s no way bacteria can har-bor in the cracks,” said JohnMos-ca, president of CCM. “It alsomakes for easy cleaning.”Corian tops can be repaired

easily in the event they crack orchip, which is unlikely, Moscasaid. They also are renewable.“They use acrylic finishes on

cars, and you buff your car in or-der to clean it and make it looknew,” he said. “The same princi-ple applies here. You can have aCorian countertop for 15, 20years, buff it, and it’ll look as newas it did theday youhad it put in.”Kemper Cabinets is producing

the new Kemper Echo line tomatch consumers’ mindsets.“The Echo line is following the

national trend where people arelooking to maintain a good-qual-ity product with today’s looksand style but at a reduced cost,”Mosca said.TheEcho lineoffers thequality

of Kemper’s cabinetry in variouscolors, glazes and style options,as well as glass inserts, at a lowerprice point.

No matter what you choose,the important thing is to knowexactly what fixtures you wantbeforeanyplumbingworkcanbe-gin so you save time and money.“Today’s decisions are almost

mind-boggling because there areseveral different fixtures andstyles between every companyout there, and that’s where peo-ple run into a problem,” saidBrian Slovinski, owner of Slovin-ski Plumbing and Heating inWilkes-Barre.“It’s important to know what

you want because plumbing has

to be roughed in, which meanslayingout themain lines in suchaway that they’ll match properlywith the fixtures.“For example, if you want a

pedestal sink, the pipes have tobemoved into a certain area inor-der for it to install properly,” Slo-vinski said. “That kind of repairmay only work for that specificsink.”Slovinski also recommends re-

placing old plumbing while thebathroom is opened up, to avoidhaving to reopen it in the futureto fix problems.

BILL TARUTIS PHOTOS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER

A variety of Kemper bathroom cabinetry is on display at Cabinets,Counters and More.

Here’s a vast array of Corian countertops from Cabinets, Countersand More in Wilkes-Barre Township.

BATHROOMContinued from Page 11

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Steve George is bringing toughlove to landscaping in hopesthe environment — and gar-

deners’ pocketbooks — will both bethe better for it.

George is national coordinator ofthe Earth-Kind Environmental Land-scape Management Program, part ofthe extension service at Texas A&M.

Among other things, the program aimsto reduce environmental damage by usingpesticides only as a last resort, calling forlittle or no fertilizer and reducing water useto a trickle.

It also mates plants known for heat-,drought- and pest tolerance with the prop-er, mulch-covered soils.

“The Earth-Kind approach applies to ev-erything we do in the home landscape, ex-cept turf,” George said.

“Trees, shrubs, annuals, vegetables, pe-rennials. And it works anywhere. Whatchanges is the adaptive plant material webring to the mix.”

By that he means adding plants that haveproven in garden trials in 27 states and fivecountries that they’re the best available fora range of soils and climates.

“Combine plants having a strong genetictolerance for diseases and insects withgood soils, and you bypass about 99 per-cent of your (growing) problems,” Georgesaid.

Earth-Kind landscaping is designed tominimize four major environmental prob-lems: “We’re wasting too much water.We’re abusing fertilizers. We’re overusingpesticides. And 25 percent of our availablelandfills are taken up with yard waste,” Ge-orge said.

“We can reduce the irrigation needed forcrops by 70 percent if we use some of thatdiscarded material as mulch.”

He recommends using chopped-up treelimbs as mulch.

“We’re trying to emulate what MotherNature does with mature hardwood for-ests, dropping tree limbs on the groundthat are high in nitrogen. They slowly de-compose, enriching the soil.”

Earth-Kindlandscapingpromoteshardy plantsBy DEAN FOSDICKFor The Associated Press

See HARDY, Page 17

Many people think of hardscaping as in-stalling patios, walkways and retainingwalls, but to Sam Barbose, of Barbose Ma-sonry in Luzerne, it’s an art form.

“I think a lot of masons can do landscap-ing, but not many landscapers are able to domasonry, with the wet work and mortarwork,” he said. “I like to combine the two,which makes it a little more unique.”

Barbose’s techniques can be ap-plied to several different projects.

“It can be anything from brick orblock foundations, or somethingyou want to repair, to a structure forthe yard.”

Of the 30 years he’s been in busi-ness, Barbose has encountered a re-cent upswing in requests for hard-scaping structures.

“I find that a lot of people are put-ting more into beautifying the out-side of their home,” he said. “Be-cause of the economy, they’re trav-eling less and spending more time at

home, so they want to invest in it.”One of the most common struc-

tures Barbose builds is the natural-stone mailbox. This is a concretestructure of blocks faced with natu-ral stone and a top piece of lime-stone.

An additional piece of limestonecan be attached and engraved withthe house number.

Another standalone structurethat’s popular is the fountain, whichalso can be the most versatile.

You can buy a fountain or you can haveone custom-made. Here’s a marblefountain by Sam Barbose Masonry.

Outdoor kitchens, like this one in nat-ural stone, have grown in popularity,even in northern climates.

Patios might even be edging decks inthe outdoor-gathering-spaces pop-ularity contest.

A solid art form

SUBMITTED PHOTOS

A ‘moongate’ by Sam Barbose Masonry makes for a welcoming entryway you don’t see every day.

Hardscaping an investment in existing yard spaceBy SARA [email protected]

See ART, Page 17

“There are many options with a foun-tain,” Barbose said. “I find that it can ei-ther blend with someone’s landscape orcompletely offset it.”

Fountains can be composed of brick,marble, stucco, manufactured stone orany kind of natural stone. They alsocome in a variety of heights and basewidths.

“Any kind of combination you canthink of, it can be done,” Barbose said.

Large areas can be converted into a to-tally different setting, such as an outdoorkitchen.

“These come with a stainless-steelsink and area for a refrigerator or a grill,”Barbose said. “Generally, the consumerspick what appliances they want, and webuild around that.”

Additions can be made to existingstructures.

“If a flagstone patio is already there,you can sink a firepit in it,” he said. “I’vedone that and bordered it with cobbles-tones.”

Firepits also can stand as a separateunit.

Projects can be personalized, from asmall flagstone engraved with a house

number that serves as an address markerto a more novel, larger design.

“I once had a piece of flagstone en-graved with a compass, then used paversto lay a circle down around it,” he said.

Pavers are small masonry blocks mostoften used as substitutes for concrete orasphalt.

“There are only so many styles of pav-ers you can have,” Barbose said, “so I tryto incorporate them into what I’m doingin different ways.”

Outdoor structures not only comple-ment existing landscapes, they are easyto maintain in less-than-desirable weath-er.

“The structures can be sprayed with awater sealant, which only needs to bedone once, at the start of the cold sea-son,” Barbose said. “This prevents waterfrom seeping through the mortar joints.”

“Other structures just need to have acover thrown on them, like those withstainless steel in them,” Barbose said. “Ialso always recommend that fountainsget covered up in the winter.”

Barbose is looking forward to jumpingback into the business with the comingof warmer weather.

“I think more people are starting tocombine landscaping with hardscaping,which is great,” he said. “They’re start-ing to realize that there’s a lot that can bedone to add a special touch to theirhome.”

ARTContinued from Page 16

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Many homeowners will accept adviceabout which fertilizers to apply but notabout how much to apply, he said.

“They greatly overuse it, and it degradesour water supplies. Other than turf, I don’tthink homeowners should have to applyfertilizer to any plant they put into theground,” George said.

Complementing the Earth-Kind ap-proach to soil preparation is its endorse-ment of select groups of low-maintenanceplants.

Roses were the first species selected fortrial, and only the best of the best — exist-ing varieties recommended by growerswhich then survived four seasons of Ge-orge’s tough-love standards — earn theEarth-Kind seal of approval.

“We’re huge believers in amending thesoil, but not so for the tests,” he said.

“We’ll stick roses into some nasty clay,for instance. They’re never fertilized, nev-er sprayed for pests. We do no pruning ordeadheading. We water regularly only forthe first year; the second year only once amonth in summer. In years three and four,we never turn the irrigation on. These areincredibly tough plants.”

David Ziesak, an assistant professor ofhorticulture who leads an Earth-Kind re-search team at the University of Wiscon-sin-River Falls, said nurseries are seeingthe value in promoting that kind of varietalresilience to consumers.

“People will navigate to those plants,”he said.

“You won’t have to maintain them,which will reflect on everyone’s bottomline. They also will be more successful.Less money will be required because you’llneed fewer replacements.”

AP PHOTO

Roses from an Earth-Kind Rose Research Trial are pictured in Farmers Branch, Tex-as. Earth-Kind landscaping is designed to minimize four major environmental prob-lems: water use, fertilizer use, pesticide use and yard waste.

HARDYContinued from Page 16

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When spring is on folks’ minds, so, often, ishome improvement. Times Leader featureswriter Sara Pokorny cased the aisles at HomeDepot in Wilkes-Barre in search of shopperswho looked like theymight beup to somethinginteresting. Here’s what she learned:

Asked if she’s workingon anything in herhome, Colleen Florek,50, of Wilkes-Barre,laughs and says,“When am I not?”For now, she’s working

on the bathroom.“My bathroom needs to be completely redone,but what I’m really looking to do right now isput in a new shower.”

Efficiency is whatRoseann Nardone,59, of SlocumTownship, is allabout, and shehopes to bring itinto her kitchen

remodel.“We’re building in cabinetry, getting newfurniture, painting,” she said. “As you getolder, it becomes more about efficiency, asopposed to style.”

Home ImprovementON THE MIND

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Ken Werk-heiser, 42, ofBear Creek, isin the insula-tion stage ofredoing hisbasement, a

room that is quite large.“The basement is going to end up hav-ing a bathroom, bedroom, bar area andfamily room,” he said. “I’d also like tohave a pool-table area.”

Marty Holloway, 53,of Sugarloaf, is help-ing Florek with thebathroom remodel,but he’s looking tomore than just theshower.

“There’s going to be a new toilet put in, as wellas new faucets and fixtures,” he said. “I’m get-ting ready to rip the insides of the toilet outcompletely.”

David Gabel, 61, ofNanticoke is taking aroute that seems tohave become thenorm in bathroomremodels.“Right now we have a

tub, but we’re putting in a walk-in shower,” hesaid. Gabel also is getting a new vanity for thebathroom, and is looking at a specific kind offixture. “I really like the brushed-nickel look, sothat’s what I’m shopping for right now.”

Kathie Bilbow,34, of Moun-tain Top, hashad a majorundertaking inher home.“We’re current-

ly finishing a basement,” she said. “Wehave an eating bar and a service bar aswell as new carpeting and a toilet andsink for a little bathroom.”

Bob Kay, 59, ofWilkes-Barre, is in themiddle of putting in adrop ceiling in hisbasement and is aboutto have a little extraliving space when his

final project is complete.“We’re doing a drop ceiling, bedroom, bath-room and a kitchenette with a fridge and astove,” he said. “It’s almost like a small apart-ment down there.”

George Kovalick, 53,of Dallas, has wanteda sunroom on hishouse for nearly 20years, since it was builtin 1993.“I’m finally getting

around to doing it,” he said. “I kind of just al-ways had that sliding door to nowhere on thehouse.”


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Folks in the remodel-ing mood often con-sider many parts of

their homes for overhauls,but they might overlook onechange-out that could in-crease curb appeal signifi-cantly.“The garage door is be-

coming one of themain focalpoints of thehouse,” saidDa-ron Lynn, owner of LynnOverhead Door in Trucks-ville. “Garage doors oftenmake up more than one-third of the front facade ofmany homes and should beconsidered in home-im-provement plans.”

A recent study released by Re-modeling magazine found thathomeowners who replace theirgarage doors are seeing an aver-age of 84 percent return on in-vestment. Thismeans homeown-ers can expect to recoup about 84percent of the cost of the new ga-rage doors in selling price shouldthey place their property on themarket. This ranks higher than akitchen or bathroom remodel.

“It’s one of the least-expensivehome-improvementprojects, andit can greatly improve curb ap-peal that can affect buyer first im-pression,” Lynn said.

One door style in particularhas become very popular.

“Carriage-house doors are bigright now,” Lynn said. “They’re adesign that comes from an oldertime period.”

Carriage doors, often com-

pared tobarndoors, come inbothwood and steel and often havewindows on the upper section.They can simulate the swing-outstylewithdecorative straphingesadded.

“Consumers have more choic-es these days and are findingmore options available than everbefore,” Lynn said. “Theywant todistinguish themselves fromtheir neighbors.”

In addition to garage doorscoming in several styles and col-ors, they also can complementother parts of the house.

“A manufacturer I deal with,Clopay, has recently introducednew front-entry doors with win-dow patterns and colors to com-plement their garage-door de-signs,” Lynn said.

Garage-door openers also havemade technological advances.

“One of the newest garage-door opener features is having afull-power battery backup in caseof a power outage,” Lynn said.“This allows security and peaceof mind. For example, a mother

A quick curb-appeal boost

COURTESY PHOTOS

Many modern-day garage doors are far sleeker than the standard-issue doors of years past.

Garage doorsan inexpensiveremodel optionBy SARA [email protected]

A popular modern-day garage-door choice is the carriage-house,or barn-style, door.

“It’s one of the least-expensive home-improvement projects, and it can greatlyimprove curb appeal that can affect buyer first impression.”

Daron LynnOwner of Lynn Overhead Door in Trucksville

See CURB, Page 21

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Options are down for home-owners looking to increase theirliving space – down as in thebasement.“The cheapest way to add liv-

able space to your house is to fin-ish the basement,” said JakeWaltz, general manager of ITGBasement Systems. “If youhave a

ranch house, it doubles yourspace, and it doesn’t cost asmuchas any other option.”Waltz, who has been with the

Northumberland-basedcompanyfor 18 years, said the first step isto eliminate all sources of waterand moisture.“Water can’t be stopped. It has


Nick Perez of Perez Design Build Remodel walks through hisClarks Summit showroom.

The down underBy JANINE UNGVARSKYFor The Times Leader

See BASEMENT, Page 22

Basement is cheapest route to adding space

and her children can still enteror exit the garage as usual dur-ing a power outage.”As always, consumers are

looking to energy-efficient prod-ucts to help cut costs. The ga-rage doors’ R-value is the keynumber here.“The R-value indicates the

thermal efficiency of the garagedoor,” he said. “The higher theR-value, the more energy-effi-cient the door will be.”In addition to cutting costs, an

insulated door is more sound-proof.Insulation also plays a large

part in smaller house doors,such as the front or back entry-way.“Fiberglass doors are better

insulated, as opposed to yourstandard steel door,” said BobBelles, of Belles Construction inWilkes-Barre.“The difference in energy effi-

ciency is somuchmore substan-tial,” he said. “It not only lowersheating or cooling costs butmakes the home more comfort-able.”

CURBContinued from Page 20

COURTESY PHOTO

Today’s front doors often make a grand, welcoming statement.This one contains the ever-popular decorative glass.

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570-829-3859 • www.moriohomes.comemail: [email protected]

to be managed,” Waltz said. “Weuse a water-management system,and when we’re done putting itin, it’s dry. It’s how we can coverjust about everything with a life-time transferable warranty.”

Waltz said new homes almostnever come with a water-manage-ment system in place becausethey add to the cost of construc-tion. The price tag varies depend-ing on the size of the area andwhether any structural issuesneed addressing, he said, but theaverage is about $5,000.

While keeping the water outwill prevent mold, mildew and re-lated problems, Waltz said radonis another concern.

“The highest levels of radonwill be in the basement, and ra-don is the second-leading causeof lung cancer after smoking,” hesaid. “Takingcareofwater andra-

don are two of the things peopleneed to do in preparation for fin-ishing a basement. It lets you getthe basement to a state wheremany homeowners can do a lot ofthe drywall and other work them-selves.”

Homeowners looking for moreguidance can check out the ser-vices offered by Perez DesignBuild Remodel in Clarks Sum-mit. In response to customer de-mand, Adam Perez said the com-pany he co-owns with his father,Nick, offers design, support andconsultation services to helphomeowners do as much of abasement remodel themselves asthey want.

“We can put the design into a3-D image and show you what thespace will look like,” Perez said.“We can provide all the materialsfor basement finishing down tothe flooring, and we can provideprofessional consulting servicesas you’re working on the project.If they are leery about some as-pects of it, we can send one of ourstaff out to help with that. We caneven loan them tools,” he added.

“We encourage clients to try itthemselves with our professionalassistance,” Perez continued. Hesaid the average cost is about $25to $35 per square foot, dependingon the area remodeled and theproducts chosen, and customerssave a great deal on labor. “Theyget a professional product at alower cost.”

Perez said his company also of-fers a new product that can helppeople even if they already havefinished their basement or areleaving it unfinished. It’s calledEasy Breathe, he said, and it’s ahome-ventilation system that re-moves more moisture than a de-humidifier, completely ex-changes the air inside the homeand removes mold spores, mustysmells and other things that af-fect air quality.

“We’re excited about this prod-uct because it’s a real solution,”Perez said of the system, whichcosts $1,600 plus about $2 to $4per day to run. “Moisture, mold,mildew, smells – it controls it all.It solves a lot of problems.”


The setup for the Easy Breathe Home Ventilation System is ondisplay at Perez Design Build Remodel in Clarks Summit.

BASEMENTContinued from Page 21

“Taking care of water and radon are two of the things people need to do inpreparation for finishing a basement.”

Jake WaltzGeneral manager of ITG Basement Systems

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