Make up your floor plan to shop at Home Show

The Ottawa 1995 Fall Home Show is just days away. From Sept. 14 Through Sept. 17 you'll be able to take in the latest and greatest, everything for your home from A to Z that Ottawa has to offer.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., located in the Aberdeen Pavilion, will be offering free seminars from planning a successful renovation, to financing a project to the finishing touches like decor and color that make a project complete.

Joe L'Erario and Ed Feldman of Furniture on the Mend and The Learning Channel's Furniture to Go will entertain while at the same time provide valuable information through semiiars and workshops.

The Ottawa-Carleton Home Builders' Association will focus on the latest home building technology and materials through their feature display.

Come and see what it's all about. If you're planning a major renovation in the next couple of months, you can get a jump on your research. Use the Fall Home Show to your advantage. Make it work for you.

Experts will be on hand to answer questions and will be more than happy to give you advice. There are a few things that you can do before you get there.

First, take a good look at your home. What projects need to be done? A new kitchen or bathroom? A new furnace? Perhaps your home just needs a new coat of paint, but what color? Write a "To Do" list and then priorltize. What is most important to you now? Put the rest of the list in a file and focus on the project that's your top priority

If, for example, you want to convert your attic into a spare bedroom, this will be your focus at the Home Show

Collect photos related to attic conversions from magazines, from skylights, staircases to closet organizers. Cut out the good and the bad. A picture tells a thousand words.

What you don't like will help a renovator, architect or designer get right to the point. The information that you give us will result in a design that reflects your dreams and personality, while at the same time makes the space functional and livable.

If you're serious about renovating, bring along a floor plan. Essentially you will be bringing your home shopping with you.

Need new carpeting? Pull out your dimensioned floor plan, choose a grade of carpeting and the salesperson can give you a quote. It's that simple.

To create your own floor plan, use 1/4 inch graph paper. Each square equals one foot. First draw out the shape of the room by eye. Don't worry about scale.

Be sure to show the location of doors, windows, fireplaces - anything permanent. Write the measurements on your rough sketch. Now, with your graph paper and pencil in hand, redraw the room to scale. Be sure to mark the measurements on your paper. Make several copies.

Be sure to include your name and phone num

ber for contact purposes. When you attend the Home Show, the more information that you can provide the better have a list of questions ready.

You need answers and that's what the Fall Home Show is all about.