Sacramento show offers cornucopia of home and garden ideas

Thousands of area residents kept cool this past weekend at the Sacramento Convention Center where the California State Home & Garden Show was held, offering advice and ideas galore for every aspect of any home or garden.
For those with specific questions about home design, Marci Bridgeford of Bridgeford Designs in Rocklin was on hand in the "Ask the Expert" corner to answer concerns about the use of color in a home
Bridgeford said most people have a difficult time knowing exactly how to divide and incorporate color from one room to the next.
"I specialize in color," Bridgeford said. "I also like to see a faux finish to many areas."
In addition, Bridgeford said people usually have lots of questions about furniture placement and how to get started in a remodeling project.
Her advice about any project is to allow the personality of the owners of the home to shine.
"With decorating, people should not get stuck in a category. The home should reflect its occupants," she said.
Bridgeford was not the only one on hand to offer advice about decorating dilemmas.
Kathe Russell, interior designer and co-owner of DreamBuilders Kitchen & Bath One Stop Kitchen and Bath Center in El Dorado Hills, spoke several times on the Designer Stage during the three-day event, offering her ideas about remodeling.
"The three questions everyone wants to know when undertaking a remodeling project are who to hire, how much will it cost and how long will it take," Russell said.
When considering how to get started, Russell said there is the traditional approach where a separate builder and designer are hired, designer/builder approach where one company handles it all, and the do-it-yourself way. Each method has advantages and disadvantages.
The cost of every project varies, but Russell warns homeowners not to spend more than 20 percent of the home's worth on any one project.
"Plus, there's the five-year rule that says if you're planning on moving in less than five years, you don't want to remodel," she said.
For those home show visitors who were already in the process of a remodeling project and needed somewhere to put their belongings for a limited amount of time, Portable On Demand Storage (PODS) recently opened a facility in Sacramento and was on hand at the Sacramento show with information about their services.
According to Karen Mouradian, human resources for the company, PODS allows homeowners, business owners, contractors and military personnel to leave behind the hassles of moving.
"The PODS concept is about 8 years old," Mouradian said. "We're a portable, on-demand storage system."
PODS containers come in two sizes and the largest one can accommodate the contents of approximately a 1,500-square-foot home. PODS mobile storage containers are delivered directly to the customers at their convenience to pack at their leisure.
"In the past people who needed to move or store items had to rent a truck, walk up and down the ramp to load and unload and it was available for a limited number of hours," said Michael McNichols, regional manager for the company.
Since the PODS unit is placed directly on the driveway, it provides a more convenient way to load and unload. Plus, once the container is full, PODS will transport the contents to its warehouse for holding, or across the country to a new location.
In addition, with the opening of the Sacramento warehouse, clients who desire access to their belongings prior to unloading can easily be accommodated.
For more information about PODS, call 1-888-776-PODS or visit the Web site www.pods.com.
Susan Belknap can be reached at sbelknap@surewest.net.