Repair & Improve

Top Ten Products For Affordable Luxury

Ideas and innovations from America's popular home improvement radio team

Tom Kraeutler & Leslie Segrete

From House Beautiful Home Remodeling & Decorating

Tom Kraeutler and Leslie Segrete host The Money Pit, a nationally syndicated radio show that fields hundreds of calls each week from listeners seeking home improvement advice. In this issue, Tom & Leslie offer product suggestions to add luxury to your home without spending a bundle.

Let's face it, sometimes in our harried worlds; it's the little things we do for ourselves that count the most.   Home improvement is no different and completing a simple project that does nothing but deliver a bit of luxury to a busy life can pay big emotional dividends.  On our national radio program, The Money Pit, listeners often call or write for product recommendations that can do just that.  Here are some favorites that can deliver value on a budget.

• Pegasus Innovative Wagon Wheel Showerhead - Nothing beats a rain soaking shower when you need to relax.  The innovative Pegasus Wagon Wheel Shower looks really cool and delivers a spa like soak down through 10 Pillar sprays and a 14 inch shower arm.  Installing a shower head is a simple do-it-yourself project and this one can have you thoroughly saturated in seconds.
• Hampton Bay Mediterra Gazebo - Sometimes the best way to add luxury to your house is to get out!  Creating outdoor rooms is becoming a lot easier thanks to products like the Hampton Bay Mediterra Gazebo Kit that can virtually create the space for you.  Plop it down on your lawn or for a more permanent place, use brick pavers or natural stone to avoid damage to the grass.  The frame is made from powder-coated rust resistant steel and aluminum and mosquitoes can be kept a bay by simply pulling the included netting closed.  Available for $399 at The Home Depot.
• Woodhaven Ceiling Planks - Interior designers often refer to ceilings as the "fifth wall."  Armstrong's Woodhaven Ceiling Planks can make that space look really spectacular at a fraction of the cost of real wood ceilings.  The planks create the texture and color of the real thing, but are dimensionally stable which make them a great choice for damp or wet spaces like baths, kitchens or basements.  They are available in 10 varieties and cost runs $3.25 per foot.  Planks can be attached using Armstrong's Easy Up® Installation Kit, a simple tracking system and clips to install the tongue-and-groove planks.
• Natural Fusion Luxury Flooring by Armstrong - If you think vinyl flooring can't deliver a luxurious look and feel, think again.  The new Fusion luxury floor by Armstrong looks uses a technology patented by Armstrong that creates flooring in a range of realistic textures and glosses.  The result is wood that looks and feels more like authentic wood and stones that look and feel more like natural stone.  Besides beauty, the product uses the same poly-carbonate material used in bullet proof glass, combined with the same aluminum-oxide that sandpaper is made from to deliver an incredibly durable surface that wears well and is easy to clean.  Natural Fusion is a good example of how technology can really come together to create a product that delivers the old-world luxury with modern day durability.  Available for $2.50 - $2.95 per square foot.
• Wilsonart® HD High Definition Laminate - Using the same technology that makes laminate floors look so incredibly realistic and durable, Wilsonart High Definition laminate is both intriguing to the eye and three times as wear resistant as standard laminates.  Patterns are based on those of ancient stone, sedimentary fossils and age-old metals.  What is perhaps most interesting is that just like the natural materials it emulates, the colors change with the light, becoming warmer in sunlight and more radiant in the evening.  Designs include Flint, Fossil, Glaze, Bronze, Agate, Jade, Mineral and Slate and start at $5 sq ft. for the laminate itself, $14-$20 installed.
• PanelTrac by Kirsch Window Fashions - Room dividers can help separate larger space spaces into comfortable and cozy places to hang out.  But while typical dividers take lots of floor space, the Kirch PanelTrac design does not.  Using a ceiling mounted head rail. The fabric panels slide effortlessly on wheeled carriers making them equally versatile as room dividers or as shades for large windows or patio doors.  There are several dozen fabrics collections to choose from, all which were inspired by contemporary European styles.  Prices start at $430 for a 72" x 84" divider and are available at EXPO Design Centers and select JC Penney stores.
• ChoiceFlo by Moen - Great tasting water is a simple indulgence that can be as close as your kitchen faucet thanks to some new filtering technology from Moen.  ChoiceFlo technology, integrated into Moen's popular and affordable - Chateau® kitchen faucet, allows the faucet to look and operates like a traditional faucet.  The faucet will deliver filtered or tap water through single fixture, but waters never mix.  And unlike traditional filtered faucets with unsightly faucet mounted filters, the ChoiceFlo filter is mounted under the cabinet and features an indicator light on faucet to let you know when filter needs changing.  Moen's Chateau faucet with ChoiceFlo is available for $130.
• American Standard Lifetime Whirlpools - Once a luxury item reserved for the most well-off homeowners, whirlpool spas now let homeowners add luxury to their bathroom with a tub that is affordable, attractive and easy to maintain.  American Standard's jet technology generates millions of warm, champagne-like air bubbles for an affordable and rejuvenating hydrotherapy experience. A new jet design also makes the Lifetime whirlpool easier to clean, while letting consumers choose the type of water flow they want - from a relaxing, gentle swirl to a more vigorous deep-tissue massage. Available for $699-$1,025.
• FashionWall Metallics and CarbonTech Decorative Wall Panels by DPI – These high tech wall panels bring the look of heavy metal to home offices, exercise rooms, garage remodels, workshops lofts and urban contemporary spaces without the heavy price tag.  Surprisingly realistic brushed stainless, carbon fiber and titanium styles draw on the strength of DPI’s Signature S2S hardboard, finished with an acrylic polymer topcoat to give them a long-lasting, attractive finish that is virtually maintenance free.  Each 4 foot by 8 foot panel covers 32 square feet and has a suggested retail price of $25 – $30.   DPI also backs its FashionWall collections with a limited lifetime warranty on wall panels that are installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. See: www.backsplashkit.com.
• Pella Designer Series Window - When listeners ask for our window recommendations on The Money Pit, they are usually most interested in reducing energy costs. While that is clearly the best benefit of new windows, a new line of designer windows from Pella, lets you add options that improve the look and reduce the maintenance too.  Pella's exclusive Designer Series® windows and patio doors have it all in one integrated package-style, cleanliness, sophistication, ease of operation, energy efficiency and the flexibility to change window fashions as decorating tastes change.  With triple-pane glass that can increase energy bills as much as 28 percent and reduce exterior sounds up to 85 percent, these are among the most efficient windows available.  Plus, Pella windows are designed to incorporate a built-in window fashions protected between panes of glass, including a cellular shade, blind or decorative panels and a removable grille for the ultimate in style and flexibility.

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