Feb. 22, 2007
Whether it was Barbie’s Dreamhouse, a “Price is Right” showcase showdown or a crayon conceptualization, everybody has mentally blueprinted their dream house. There will have to be a bar and bowling alley in the basement, and fireman sliding poles, spiral staircases and a helicopter pad for getting around. But what else?
“We do backyards, so the complete backyard,” said Annette Radloff of Tropical Pool & Spa in West Bend. “That would be an in-ground pool, a natural wood-burning fireplace, upscale patio furniture and a bar outside.”
Radloff said Tropical Pool, which also provides stone islands for grilling, was the oldest in-ground pool broker in the area.
Dan Binner, of Binner Pools, Spas & Fireplaces in Fond Du Lac, said most of the new subdivisions in Washington County were only allowing in-ground pools to be included in new construction. So if in-ground is the standard, how do we kick it up a notch?
“Swim spas are a really big ticket item,” Binner said. “You’re looking at over $25,000 for one.”
These 12- to 25-foot in-ground pools provide an artificial current against which a person can swim or walk for exercise — essentially the pool equivalent of a treadmill — and often include a hot tub section.
Radloff said the temperature of the water can be adjusted, from brisk and refreshing for exercising, to steamy hot for soaking and relaxing muscles. Tropical Pool has installed swim spas outdoors, but also has dropped them into decks and sunrooms.
“You’d be surprised how many people have swim spas that are buying them for therapy,” Radloff said, especially for physical training in handicapped children and exercising elderly. “People are going to the swim spa because you don’t have the expensive of the big inground pool. You’re actually swimming or jogging in place against a high power current, and you can adjust so that you can do aerobic exercises.”
Steve Thornton of A.I.P. Landscaping in West Bend said one particularly luxurious item he has been installing in yards for many years is a healing garden. He creates a cove of plants to stimulate the senses with fruits, vegetables and herbs, and fragrant and flowering plants. But the upcoming high end trend is probably the outdoor gas-powered fireplace.
“You can do barbeques and gas fireplaces outdoors, so that instead of having the smoke from a real wood fire you only have the look,” Thornton said. “Then it’s surrounded by landscape plants and landscape architecture that fits more to the inside decor, giving the outdoor environment a living room look.”
OK, so we’ve got our backyard tricked out. Now what? How about… a big screen TV!
Ed Bergmann of Bergmann Appliance & TV in Slinger said he sold about 20 big screens right before the Super Bowl, and a handful for the Daytona 500. Bergmann’s bringing along a few choice items to the West Bend Area Chamber of Commerce home improvement show.
“Our main emphasis of course is going to be electronics,” Bergmann said. “Everybody knows what washers and dryers are. We’re going to have 70-inch TV in 1080p.”
Somewhere, Tim Allen is grunting. Bergmann said after 15 and 20 percent price plunges, larger high-definition flat panels now see sporadic $50 drops. A mid-range brand television of reasonable size is now right in the $900 price range, he said. But while the bottom end of flat screens has leveled off, the latest and greatest sets will always be pushing five figures, he said.
Steve Miller oversees floor coverings of Miller’s Furniture & Floor Coverings in Kewaskum and said flooring in a dreamhouse might consist of patterned carpets or hardwood inset designs. But for the real big ticket items — and a perfect accompaniment to a new flat screen — he deferred to Miller’s furniture department, where you might find an important Italian leather couch in the $6,500 ballpark.
Ultimately, home improvement vendors have to keep open minds to their customers needs, which is why home shows like the West Bend Area Chamber of Commerce home improvement show are two-way streets of information.
“Everybody’s dream is different,” Thornton said. “One guy wants a pool, another guy sees it as high maintenance. Everybody’s concept of that dream is different.”