When I was a kid, I can distinctly remember being in the car on a weekend afternoon, usually in the spring, and asking my parents “What are we doing — why are we driving around like this?”
And the response of “Oh, we’re just looking around at these neighbourhoods” never ceased to perplex me. I’d ask “Are we moving?” But, no, we weren’t moving, we were just looking.
Now, I am following in my parents mother’s (let’s face it, my father was just appeasing her addiction) footsteps and have clearly become a real estate junkie. I confess to:
- looking at the MLS listing at least once a week (oh, and Grapevine too, of course!)
- picking up all those free real estate magazines and looking through every page
- watching “Love it or List it” and endless varieties of HGTV shows
- buying home renovation, home building and other home-related magazines
But unlike others of my ilk, I have no interest in actually doing these home projects or updating the decor of my house (if I wish hard enough, someone will do it for me, right?). In fact, my husband and I could be classified as neglectful in this regard. (We still have the same couch we bought when we got married 14 years ago!) And yet, this insatiable interest of mine in housing lives on.
So I took an interest in the 2011 National Home Show coming up in February. It’s taking place in Toronto and in addition to the bazillion feasts of the eye, there are some particularly cool highlights such as:
A model home called “A Glass House” built by Concept PolygHome:
- This home is a “bioclimatic” home, which unfortunately the company doesn’t seem to define on its website but which I understand to mean the integration of home with the environment. The designs and concepts of PolygHome are, to be understated, awesome.
- The structure of a PolygHome is made with wood beams that are manufactured from the recovery of engineered wood and are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The interior is created with aluminum, energy-efficient glass for the windows, a soya-based polyurethane foam for the insulation and an insulated framework for the foundation with cement.
- Visitors at the National Home Show can visit one of these homes, which has been kitted out with interior designs by Debbie Travis.
What’s your design dilemma?
- Here, you can attend renovation workshops as well as get one-on-one consultations with interior designers!
HGTV celebs!
- You can meet & greet with designer celebrities including Debbie Travis, HGTV’s Bryan Baeumler, decor expert Janette Ewen, HGTV’s Colin & Justin, CityTV’s garden specialist Frank Ferragine and Jim Caruk of BIY Workshops.
Family Day
- On February 21st, children 17 & under are free, there is complimentary daycare, and you can enter to win a family vacation for four.
And much, much more … as you can only imagine. So, wanna go??
I’m going to give away a 4-pack of tickets to 4 lucky readers! All you need to do to enter is this:
- Be sure you can attend: It’s in Toronto and runs from February 18-27th, 2011 (details on logistics can be found on the National Home Show website).
- Leave a comment telling us what you love most about your home or what you want to change most about your home.
I will then:
- Select 4 winners using an computerized randomizer on January 21st, 2011
- Send each winner a 4-pack via regular post mail
Good luck! 
Bloggy disclosure: I was given these tickets from Tina Holmes (twitter handle @HomeShowsTO) who is a home show marketer and producer. Of the 20 tickets I was provided, I will be keeping 4 for myself.
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