Bill Wade, Post-Gazette Interior designer Nancy Drew decorated the family room of the Designer Show House, one of the new attractions at this year's show. Click photo for larger image. 24th Annual Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show When: Through March 13. Hours: 4 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday except March 11; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays and March 11; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. Tickets:$9 for adults, $4 for children ages 6-12, free for children under 6. Parking: $5 at Heinz Field, with free continuous shuttle. Information: 412-922-4900 or www.pghhome.com.

If you're considering adding a gourmet kitchen or state-of-the-art home theater to your house in the near future, you'll get plenty of ideas at the National City Dream Home at the 24th annual Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show, which kicked off yesterday at the David Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown.

Black granite countertops and large-screen TVs equipped with surround sound are just a few of the many high-end features in the 1 1/2-story, 2,900-square-foot patio house by Heartland Homes, valued at about $350,000.

If, on the other hand, you're in the market for something a little gentler on the pocketbook, you might head for the Designer Show House by 422 Homes of Indiana, Pa. Decorated by local members of the American Society of Interior Designers, this modular, ranch-style home demonstrates what the average homeowner can do with the help of a design professional.

"Everyone comes and sees the Dream House and says 'Wow' but then goes home to a house that doesn't look anything like that," says John DeSantis, the show's executive director. "So we decided to offer visitors something that was a little more typical for Western Pennsylvania, without all the architectural bells and whistles and unlimited budget."

The 10-room Show House should provide homeowners with a host of ideas. Seven designers have transformed the $169,000 house. Project chairperson Karolyn Spagnolo of Pine-based Spagnolo Designs, created the sophisticated chocolate brown and burnt sienna color scheme in the master bedroom suite.

"People think you have to live in a mansion with 12-foot ceilings and elaborate crown molding to be able to hire a designer," says Spagnolo.

Bill Wade, Post-Gazette Workers for Vincent Cugini Contractors paint the inside of the Dream Home. Click photo for larger image.

But with a little bit of imagination, even cookie-cutter homes with standard 8-foot ceilings and average-sized rooms can sparkle with personality. For instance, Spagnolo dressed the windows in the master bedroom with tone-on-tone striped fabric hung from a tortoise-shell rod with glass finials. She also added a tray ceiling, which she painted a lighter shade of brown. The neoclassical-style bed came from Bergers Furniture in Aliquippa and a Pakistani rug from London Rug Co. in the Strip.

Creative placement of furniture and decorative painting also give the Show House a sense of style. But the best part may be this: Each room will contain a detailed price list, so attendees can see exactly what it cost to pull the room together.

In addition to a second model home, the home show will have other first-time attractions. Some of the more than 600 companies will be displaying new products and services, including 84 Lumber, which will be exhibiting items from its Maggie's Showroom, and Dixie Chopper, which bills itself as the world's fastest lawn mower. In all, says DeSantis, the 10-day show includes more than 1,580 exhibits. The kitchen and cooking area alone counts more than 400 booths while the first-level garden pavilion measures 2 1/2 acres, or about 100,000 square feet.

Also new this year: the Hurricane Ivan Flood Relief Program. Organizers have set up a special booth right off the escalators on the second-floor lobby where vendors and attendees can donate money or volunteer to spend a few hours helping victims of the Sept. 17 floods to clean and repair their homes. Hosanna Industries in Rochester, Beaver County, is coordinating the efforts of group and individual volunteers in the next six to 10 months.

	Bill Wade, Post-Gazette On the job doing the landscaping for the Dream Home exterior, by Blackwood & Associates, are Joe Janicki, left, and Gabe Mayhew. Click photo for larger image.

"We were shocked to learn that more than 500 families in the region are still not back in their homes," says DeSantis.

"What's really needed now are hands," he says, adding that the goal is to get everyone back in their homes by Christmas.

Complimentary VIP tickets to the home show have also been mailed to victims who have registered for flood relief with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and more than 100 vendors will be offering special discounts for home improvement products.

The show, which runs through March 13 and is sponsored by Duquesne Light, will also feature a cooking center with ongoing demonstrations by Certified Angus Beef chef Dianna Stoffer, as well as more than a dozen cooking classes for adults and kids by local chefs. (For more information or to register for classes, visit www.gianteagle.com.)

Visitors can also meet writers and editors from the Post-Gazette at the Bidwell Backyard Garden. Located behind the Dream Home, this raised-bed organic vegetable garden -- constructed by adult students from Bidwell Training Center's horticulture program and PG Backyard Gardener columnist Doug Oster -- showcases sustainable growing practices with a colorful display of tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce.

Other special attractions include a children's village with turtle races and the 10th annual Old House Fair on March 12 and 13. This show-within-a-show, sponsored by Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, will feature nearly 50 vendors of products and services for older houses. The lineup also includes lectures by craftsmen and experts on topics such as what to do with older windows, how to work with an architect and "greening" your renovation.