Be Informed Before Remodeling Job Starts

Fri., July 26, 1996

From Staff And Wire Services

Planning a home renovation project? The amount of money spent in a remodeling job warrants doing some homework upfront. A new book - “On Time and On Budget: How to Make Allies of your Architect and Contractor” by John Rusk - may help. The book (Doubleday, $21) offers anecdotes and plenty of problem-solving tips.

Attention clickers

Whether you’re tired of that rectangular remote control specifically or tired of television in general, you can zap both with the new TV Terminator. Shaped like a toy gun, it’s a universal remote that controls television, VCRs and cable boxes and also allows you to react to what’s on the tube with a choice of sound effects. On the side of the Terminator are four buttons, giving you a choice of a gun shot, machine gun, cheers or boos.

The blue, red and gold TV Terminator is $49.95 and can be ordered by calling toll-free to manufacturer TVT Inc. at (800) 522-6888.

Focus on beautiful crafts

Handcraft Illustrated isn’t a new magazine, but it’s still being discovered by enthusiasts who enjoy a hands-on approach to interior decor. Just 2 years old, the magazine is a treasure chest of ideas and projects.

Handcraft Illustrated is $4 at selected magazine racks or you can order a free trial subscription by calling (800) 408-3361. With the first issue you get a bill, and if you like the magazine you can continue for a year by paying for it, or you can cancel it immediately.

On the Net

Those with Internet access can visit the Home & Garden Television network home page at: http://www.hgtv.com.

GardenNet Index: http:/ /www.olympus.net/gardens/ index.htm is another good place to start. You can jump from here to other garden sites.

Pete’s Pond Page http:/ /reality.sgi.com/employees/peteo/ is a well-done, intimate Web site where gardener Peter Orelup shares photos and details about his back-yard pond project.

The Virtual Garden: http:/ /www.pathfinder.com/vg/ is a major production by Time-Life and includes a plant encyclopedia and articles from several gardening magazines and newsletters.

The Garden Gate on PrairieNet: http://www.prairienet.org/gardengate/ is a launch pad for exploring many sites interesting to gardeners.

Just do it

For a fee booklet of tips for decorating and restoring walls, call the Bondex Consumer Hotline, (800) 225-7522 and ask for “Do-It-Yourself Wall and Ceiling Textures.”

Bulb advice

Don’t plant bulbs and annuals around a young tree, especially a birch. Doing so can attract insects and cause other problems fatal to the tree, known generally as “flowers disease,” says arborist John Keslick. Better to place an old rotten log under the tree and plant within the log, Keslick says.

Charge it!

If you like to define and embellish a table setting, charge it. Service plates, more often called chargers, aren’t just found in Buckingham Palace.

Meant to serve as a frame around your favorite china patterns, chargers come in a variety of materials from silver plate to lacquered acrylic to glass. The Ross-Simons Gift & Home Collection catalog carries a variety of chargers, priced from $16.95 and up. For a free catalog, call (800) 348-4414.

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