The 2021 Build & Remodel Expo was held on May 1st and 2nd. It was a beautiful weekend, so there was some general competition with the sun.
Due to restrictions with the pandemic, the expo was more intimate and we were able to spread vendors out. We had around 45 booths of industry professionals, there to advise attendees on their home building/ remodeling needs.
On Sunday we also had the Blood Connection come out for a blood drive. They were able to collect 18 pints of blood which will help up to 54 hospital patients in need of lifesaving transfusions! Thanks to everyone who came out and gave.
We had 2 great food trucks come out to feed attendees, Bun Intended and Bear’s Smokehouse as well. Both were delicious, and we were happy to have them out there.
After Hours with 84 Lumber
84 Lumber so graciously hosted our first After Hours of the year at the Build & Remodel Expo Friday April 30th. Attendees were able to view the showroom early and mingle with the vendors. We had delicious food from Ivory Road Cafe in Arden, and a raffle was done for a few great prizes. It was lovely to see our members face to face again!
Info Sessions
Every year we also have professionals teach “Info Sessions” where local professionals come out and instruct on a topic we think attendees will be interested in.
On Saturday we had a great selection of speakers:
-11 AM – Maintain your Flooring for Long Time Use! with Leila Pierce of Carpet One Floor & Home – Asheville. Leila shared on how to keep your hardwood and carpets in tip top shape. Her advice on the use of certain acidic floor cleaners was very enlightening.
– 12 PM – Selecting your Builder, Choosing the Right Fit for You with Jay Cope of Semper Fi Custom Remodeling. Jay shared the varying types of contracts and personalities you could come into contact with when picking your builder.
– 1 PM – Is Window Film a Good Option for New or Renovated Homes? with Bryant Devlin, EcoArc Home and Office Window Tinting. Following along with the 7 Benefits of Window tinting, Bryant taught us about the money saving, privacy, and aesthetics of tinting.
– 2PM – Protecting Trees Through New Home and Addition Construction lead by J. Patrick George with Heartwood Tree Services LLC. We learned about how easily roots can be damaged in the process of construction, and ways they can make sure your trees survive.
-3 PM – Checklist for Land Purchase/New Construction – Benefits of Working with a Local Realtor presented by Kenny Crowley of Looking Glass Realty. Kenny share a variety of reasons why event though you are building a home, you should work with a realtor, adding a particularly interesting bit on springs.
On Sunday we only had 3 workshops but they were great:
– 12 PM – Tips and Tricks of Home Organization from a Professional of Kerry Mayer, More Time Less Stuff. The before and after pictures alone were worth being apart of this session. Kerry gave some great tips on small ways you can make a big impact in your homes organization.
-1 PM – Financing Options for Building or Renovating your home, lead by Donna King, Union Home Mortgage. Donna really lead her talk with Questions and Answers. Crowd participants had a lot of questions in regards to getting loans for Building/Land/Etc.
-2 PM – Sustainability in the Home presented by Gillie Roberts of Ware. After a few technical difficulties, Gillie spoke on a variety of ways to be more Sustainable in your home. Besides getting multi use products from Ware, one can go through a variety of ways to save energy in an old home, or reuse items that you already have in more ways.
Overall it was great to get back to “normal” in some sense. We are weighing continuing in May or going back to February (as it has been in the past). This year had some unexpected twists are turns, but we learned a lot and really look forward to next year!
