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Around the House

Briefs and news of note.

By JUDY STARK
Published January 13, 2007

A saw for DIYers and pros alike

Ridgid's tools are designed primarily for the professional, but its Fuego 6 1/2-inch framing saw is perfect for the weekend warrior who enjoys turning 2 by 4s into closets and rooms. The saw weighs only 8 pounds and has magnesium upper- and lower-blade guards and an ergonomic wrap-around soft-grip handle. A shock-absorbent handle design minimizes "wrist arch" when making bevel cuts. It comes with an 18-tooth, thin-kerf carbide-tipped blade. Price: $139. Available at Home Depot and tool outlets.

Builders, dust off this upgrade

Just more than 11 percent of the 1.7-million new homes built last year included central vacuums, and most of those were in luxury or move-up homes. By contrast, 90 percent of all new homes in Canada have central vacs. Building Products magazine poses the questions: Why so, and why are builders letting that upgrade money sit on the table? Central vacs cost from $800 for a basic system to $2,000 for a high-end version, which shouldn't be a big deterrent. Is it lack of buyer awareness? Central vacs offer improved indoor air quality, three to five times the power of an upright, and ease of use, the industry says.

Get out of the house at Home Expo

At the Tampa Bay Home Expo, Jan. 26-28 at Tropicana Field, more than 500 exhibitors will offer lots of products and services, everything from spas to windows to roofs to interior design. Plus cooking and gardening demonstrations and a guest appearance by Andrew Dan-Jumbo, the carpenter from While You Were Out who will soon debut his own show, Take Home Handy Man. Tickets: $3; children 16 and younger free. Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Jan. 26, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 27 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 28.

Compiled from staff reports and the Philadelphia Inquirer by Homes and Garden editor Judy Stark.

[Last modified January 12, 2007, 09:18:43]