Home Building & Remodeling Show offers ideas, advice escape

After watching as this week's subzero temperatures turn all outdoor turf into tundra, you may have thought that, aside from the Mitchell Park Conservatory, there's no place left in Milwaukee where you can find something that offers a hint of spring.

But starting Friday, there's at least one more the annual Home Building & Remodeling Show at the Wisconsin Center in downtown Milwaukee.

The floor plan for the three-day show put on by the Metropolitan Builders Association includes, among about 130 exhibits showcasing builders, remodelers, lenders, decorators and others, several areas featuring landscaping ideas spots with real plants and lots of green.

Kristine Hillmer, executive director of the builders association, suggests it might be a good location for a respite from cabin fever during winter's coldest stretch, and a place to start thinking about 2015's possibilities for your home and yard.

"It's a great way to meet with lots of different companies," Hillmer said. "It's also kind of a way to get out of the house."

The theme of show, now in its 26th year, is "Building Lifestyles."

"It's really the start of the 2015 building season because when consumers come and talk to builders and remodelers, they're really getting ready for projects that are going to start in the spring and summer," Hillmer said.

One prominent topic this year is the ability of housing industry professionals to provide alternative construction materials and equipment for homeowners concerned about indoor air quality and the overall inside environment. Among titles of speaker presentations during the show: "Creating a Green Home for a Healthy Future," "Healthy Indoor Environment Protocols for Home Energy Updates" and "Air Quality and Health in the Home."

Exhibitor Source 1 Project Solutions on Thursday was assembling a large booth that will show materials that commonly go into putting together key rooms of a house. It also shows alternate products, such as insulation made from denim instead of fiberglass, that could be used in construction or remodeling, and types of flooring that could replace carpet.

"We're kind of a walking tour through what you could do behind the walls as well as what you can do for finishes to create a healthier environment for your house as well as your workplace," said Jonathan Synovic, of Brookfield-based Source 1 Projection Solutions. "It's a gigantic booth. It's two stories tall, it's 50 feet wide."

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Home Building & Remodeling Show offers ideas, advice escape