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Kat

Beam Central Vacuums Suck Big Time

by Kat on October 4, 2011

And that’s a good thing. I never knew much about central vacuum systems until I got my Beam 101 lesson from Stuart Krawll of Beam of St. Louis. The company has been in business for 28 years, and it’s one of the exhibitors at the St. Louis Builders Home and Garden Show. Beam makes more [...]

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Bamboo Nation (Or Damnation)

by Kat on March 14, 2011

I love bamboo and I love my bamboo forest. When I moved into my house about eight years ago, I was enthralled, as was everyone else that I would have this gorgeous year-round green forest surrounding my pool, as well as separating my house from my neighbors’. The privacy of bamboo is like nothing else. [...]

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Glass Art “Kits” for Adults

by Kat on July 25, 2010

I can still remember it vividly. I was about 10 years old and repeatedly rode my bicycle up to the neighborhood Ben Franklin 5 and Dime store to buy stained glass, paint by numbers, mosaic kits. I loved creating art. That was the childhood memory that flashed in my brain when I met artist Rick Hecht [...]

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Vinyl vs Wood…What’s the Diff?

by Kat on April 25, 2010

Plastic Pergola You may think, “The Graduate,” but it’s time to change that thinking to Dennis Trost’s company! Trost Plastics is an exhibitor at the next week’s St. Louis Builders Home and Garden Show….and for very good reason. Consumers are clamoring to get their hands on Trost Plastics fencing, awnings, decks and pergola. I wondered [...]

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This Is Your Garage…On Steroids

by Kat on February 21, 2010

OKAY. If you want to see amazing garage transformations, check out The Garage Design Center, St. Louis. It’s what your garage would want to look like if it won the Extreme Makeover Home Edition! Dale Heuvelmann is the owner of The Garage Design Center. He and his gang will be at the St. Louis Builders [...]

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How To Save on Energy Bills with a Whole House System

by Kat on October 2, 2009

You wouldn’t believe what The Sound Room is up to these days. They’ve been around a long time and I remember going into the store on Ballas when I felt like ooh-ing and ah-ing over all of the way cool equipment. I would walk in and immediately be mentally transported to Trump Towers. I would [...]

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Retractable Awnings Save Energy Costs

by Kat on September 25, 2009

Everyone is looking for ways to save money these days. It’s not just a desire; it’s a necessity. Margie Ross from Ross Retractable Awnings will be exhibiting at the St. Louis Builders Home and Garden Show and will tell you one great idea to do that. I didn’t realize all the different ways there were [...]

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Why Walk on Water? Walk on Glass Instead

by Kat on September 4, 2009

I love the idea of glass blocks because I am a light hound. It cannot be light enough for me while I’m inside my house. And the benefits of passive solar heating from the sunlight coming through your windows and warming your home in the winter cannot be beat. But I also love my privacy. [...]

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Home Shows Dazzle by the WOW Factor

by Kat on February 25, 2009

Every year, the St. Louis Builders Home and Garden Show’s goal is to outdo last year’s show. Gary Zide, Show Manager, calls it the WOW factor. See if you think he and his crew succeeded this year… The 2009 show is actually 5 shows in 1! Pool and spa, complete with palm trees. (Bring on [...]

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Meet Duke, The Bed-Bug-Sniffing Dog

by Kat on February 17, 2009

For those of you who think “The Duke” is John Wayne, think again. This Duke is the world-famous (ok, St. Louis-famous) bed-bug sniffing pooch. In fact, he’s the ONLY bed-bug sniffing canine in St. Louis. Bed bugs are the new bug of the century. Forty percent of the population reacts to nibbles from these bad [...]

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