DATE: Sunday, July 27, 1997                 TAG: 9707290513

SECTION: HOME                    PAGE: G1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MARCIA MANGUM, HOME & GARDEN EDITOR 

                                            LENGTH:  109 lines

SURVEY SHOWS READERS WANT TIMESAVING IDEAS IN HOMES

TIMESAVING IDEAS are popular in today's hurried, harried society, and our reader survey indicates Hampton Roads residents would like to see more of these concepts incorporated in their homes.

Responses to the two-part Infoline survey, which ran in this section earlier this month, show readers wanted nearly every timesaving option offered to them, except a trash compactor.

Among some of the most popular household features were brick exterior and plaster interior walls, a special switch for Christmas lighting, separate ``his'' and ``her'' closets, outdoor sensor lights, easy-care windows and low-maintenance landscaping.

For the kitchen, some of the clear favorites were a gas range, pull-out racks in the bottom cabinets, a quiet dishwasher, garbage disposal and a kitchen island.

Nearly 200 readers responded to the general part of the survey, and about 160 answered questions about kitchen preferences. All of the favorites mentioned above - plus more - will be included in The Virginian-Pilot's Timesaver Home to be built by 21st Century Builders and furnished by Chesapeake Square Mall for Homearama '97.

The house, part of the Tidewater Builders Association's annual showcase of homes, will be open Oct. 4-19 at Goose Creek Estates in Chesapeake's Western Branch area.

Clearly, brick remains the local favorite for exterior material. Builders Edward A. Camp and D.J. Walters will use brick with vinyl ``shakes'' on the Timesaver Home.

They also will use plaster walls and stained woodwork, both of which were favored. More than a third of respondents still preferred painted woodwork, even though it requires more maintenance.

Similarly, gas fireplaces were favored by about two-thirds of callers and will be used in the Homearama house, but traditional wood-burning fireplaces remain popular among many, despite the work.

Hugely popular were the major timesaving items, such as double-hung, double-tilt, vinyl-clad windows, which are easy to clean and require no exterior maintenance.

Callers also were adamant about low-maintenance landscaping, some taking it a step further suggesting underground sprinkler systems or drip irrigation systems with timers.

Most survey participants also liked our ideas for improved electrical wiring, such as a central switch to control Christmas lights, and some suggested other improvements, including more outlets in the kitchen, light switches by the bed and several variations on master switches to control interior and exterior lights.

About 85 percent of callers seem to be looking for short-cuts in the laundry room, favoring both a laundry chute and pull-down ironing board, both of which likely will be in the Timesaver Home.

Some callers suggested a laundry room on the second floor, along with other laundry tips. But more on that later.

We received many good suggestions from callers, and we're reviewing those now. After judges select the best ones, we'll announce in this section the winner of a $50 gift certificate to Chesapeake Square and winners of Homearama tickets.

We'll also share some of your suggestions, which ranged from wanting a robotic vacuum or self-cleaning bathroom to asking the spouse or children to do chores. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic

HOW YOU VOTED

From Part 1 of the timesaver Infoline survey, here are your

preferences, with the favored choice listed first and vote tallies

in parentheses:

Central vacuum: Yes (139); no (50)

Plaster walls (150)*; drywall (39)

Stained woodwork (118)*; painted woodwork (71)

``Christmas light switch'': Yes (137)*; no (52)

Surround sound: Yes (142); no (46)

Laundry chute: Yes (160); no (28)

Pull-down ironing board: Yes (166)*; no (22)

Gas fireplace (125)*; wood-burning fireplace (63)

Ceiling fan controls: Wall switch (135)*; remote (53)

``His'' and ``her'' closets in master bedroom: Yes (167)*; no

(21)

Utility sink: In laundry room and garage (106); in laundry room

(41); in garage (36); neither (5)

Sensor lights outside house: Yes (176)*; no (12)

Low-maintenance landscape: Yes (160)*; no (28)

Shut-off for outside faucet bibs to facilitate draining water

lines for winter: Yes (154)*; no (34)

Double-hung, double-tilt, vinyl-clad windows: Yes (174)*; no (14)

Exterior material: Brick (128); combination (25)*; vinyl siding

(17); stucco-type drivet (12); vinyl ``shakes'' (6)

In Part 2, here were the kitchen preferences:

Water purification system (94); hot water on demand (66)

Gas range (121)*; electric range (39)

Willing to pay for a refrigerator/freezer with front dispenser

for ice and water: Yes (92)*; no (66)

Pull-out racks in bottom cabinets: Yes (142)*; no (16)

Built-in, top-of-the-line microwave: Yes (94)*; no (63)

``Quiet'' feature on dishwasher: Yes (126)*; no (30)

For flooring: No-wax vinyl (76)*; ceramic tile (51); hardwood

(29)

Ventilated shelving in pantry: Yes (109)*; no (47)

Recycling bin system installed in or near kitchen: Yes (106); no

(50)

Garbage disposal: Yes (133)*; no (22)

Trash compactor: No (89)*; yes (65)

Kitchen island: Yes (137)*; no (17)

Kitchen sink: Stainless steel (106)*; porcelain (47)

Built-in soap dispenser by sink: Yes (87); no (66)

* Asterick indicates the survey choices will be reflected in the

Timesaver Homes. Some of the other selections also will be included,

but not all decisions about the interior have been made yet.

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