EVERETT — Hot tubs aren’t selling like they used to and high-end barbecues may suffer a similar fate this summer.
So George Clayton this month started selling gun safes at his shop, Home Town Heating and Stove in Marysville, alongside super-efficient wood and pellet-burning stoves.
“You’ve got to diversify in an economy like this,” Clayton said.
He’s one of more than 250 vendors selling their wares and services at the Everett Home &Garden Show this weekend.
Hundreds of consumers browsed through the displays on Friday looking for ideas to improve their homes, with many also looking for a bargain.
Dave Coleman was raised to pinch pennies “until they squeal.”
But the retired Marysville police officer, who is planning to build his dream home in Eastern Oregon, is even more cost-conscious in this uncertain economic climate.
“It makes more sense to get your dollars to stretch,” he said, after checking out a kind of geothermal heating system at the Everett Home &Garden Show on Friday afternoon.
Coleman was attracted by the energy efficiency of the heating system and, like may other people, he was also intrigued about the possibility of federal tax credits for energy-efficient home improvements.
Snohomish County PUD is also offering low-interest loans to purchase qualifying solar heating systems.
“It’s definitely making a big difference in our sales,” said Roger Thompson, president of G &S Heating, Cooling and Electric Inc. in Monroe.
The incentives, Thompson said, are shrinking the time it takes for energy savings to pay for the cost of the improvement.
Steve Middleton, who is fixing up his mid-century home between Everett and Mukilteo, browsed replacement windows at a display set up by Everett’s Goldfinch Bros.
He’s looking for maintenance-free, energy-efficient windows that will last a long time. The Snohomish County employee said seeing out-of-work friends struggling to find employment has “made us stop and rethink things,” he said. “We’ve had to balance what our desires are against what reality dictates.”
The saleswomen at the Goldfinch stand pointed out that taxpayers may also claim a 30 percent credit, up to $1,500, for energy-efficient replacement windows.
Some PUD customers can also qualify for loans or cash incentives for installing new insulated windows.
Brett Esary, whose family owns Esary Roofing and Siding Co. in Burlington, said government tax credits are helping to spur sales of durable but pricey metal roofing for typical residential homes, something he said was once the province of commercial buildings and custom homes.
Vince Running, a chemical engineer who works at a refinery in Anacortes, and his wife, Aris, a retired Mukilteo School District elementary school teacher, recently repainted and put a new roof on their Everett home. They bought the home new 22 years ago.
Now, they’re in the market for a new carpet, wood floors, granite countertops and gas appliances, among other things.
Vince Running said the economy and a battered 401(k) have caused them to shop around for rebates, but their long-awaited remodel will move forward.
Aris Running smiled.
“I have a big fat hairy wish list,” she said. “We’re going to be practical, with a twist.”
Reporter David Chircop: 425-339-3429 or dchircop@heraldnet.com.
Home show
The Everett Home &Garden Show continues today and Sunday at Comcast Arena, 2000 Hewitt Ave., Everett.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Cost: $7.50; $6.50 for ages 55 and older; ages 16 and younger can attend free.
More info: http://everetthomegardenshow.com or 866-332-8499
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
