No. 5 - Balloons and candy - many booths had candy, but there was only one place to get the yellow balloons on sticks (the Handyman Connection), and nowhere to get handy wipes for the sticky fingers...No. 4 - The crystal lighting display - hundreds of sparkling lights in fascinating shapes and patterns dazzled the kids and had them starry-eyed. Some were quite incredible works of art. Not quite the look I am aiming for in the basement though.
No. 3 - Magic Mesh Screen door - a hanging screen door that opens and "magically" snaps closed behind you using magnets. Great in summer if you've got your hands full of BBQ ingredients, or if certain family members tend to perpetually leave the screen door open and fill the house with bugs. "Mom, this would be very useful if we had a dog," said my son after walking through it about 100 times. He later added that the dog would "be useful for hearing things at the door". Needless to say, he won't be getting the pet or the mesh any time soon. No. 2 - Hot Tub and Spa Exhibits - I really can't blame them for being goggle-eyed at the hot tubs with their very own built in waterfalls. But what really amazed them were the two "endless swim" pools (like a treadmill only you're swimming, not running). One model was on sale for the low price of $29,999. The photo above shows the size of it relative to a five year old.
No 1 - Remote control "Japanese" toilets - Truly a marvel of engineering, the two display models kept them amused for almost half an hour. Lid up, lid down, lid up, lid down, lid up, lid down. Spray on, spray off, spray on, spray off. Thanks to the enormous patience of the manager at the Wolseley Kitchen and Bath Booth!
Thanks to The Remodelers for the complimentary tickets. We did get a chance to see the Remodel It booth and stop for a couple of photo-ops there. Met some of the people who will be working on our job and now I can't wait to get started on design.
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| Me (on the right) with Bruce Hopkins, host of the Remodel It "reality" TV show and owner of the Remodelers. |
Ummm...are you going to be on TV??
ReplyDeleteYes, she will be.
DeleteAlthough I had at least one child in tow (or towing me?) at all times, I was able to see every exhibit I had some interest in, albeit briefly. I was able to compare quarts and granite (although that took several passes), sample a Margarita Mocktail, enter a few contests, meet with The Remodelers (correctly spelt despite the complaints of my spell checker), laugh about how hot tubs now need fancy coloured lights like it is Christmas year round, discover insulated concrete forms (not sure what I need those for), learn about roofing options (and why my house will fall down if I don't switch my roof to a new product but not the other guy's product), discuss the differences between a water softener and some sort of electrolysis, etc. In the latter case, that conversation ended when there was a tug on my jacket with an annoyed and bored voice stating "Let's go dad."
ReplyDeleteMy wife forgot to mention the bathtub at Kitchen & Bath with the bubbles and the programmable underwater lights. The kids were able to change the colour of the lights using the 2 sq. cm. touch screen. The screen size was best suited to the fingers of a 5 yr. old child vs. a fully grown adult. Perhaps a magnifying glass will also be needed for me as I age and my eyes weaken. I was able to use the time (diversion?) to examine faucets and other things that might actually go into our bathroom renovation. I wish to thank the manager of Kitchen & Bath who, I am sure, was enjoying helping the kids play with ttoilets and bathtub.
If you want to know that the Japanese-style toilets might do for you (or do to you?), watch the movie Cars 2. About half an hour into the movie, Mater visits a Japanese washroom and you'll kind of get the idea.
Laughed my head off at both descriptions of the visit to Home Expo. (Lyle's spell checker failed to spot 'quarts' instead of quartz.)
ReplyDeleteI hope you can keep laughing through all the trials and tribulations of a home renovation.
Did you pick any fancy fixtures for your new model basement? Please can I be your first guest when it is completed.