WEST ALLIS, Wis. — Tom and Deb Komassa from Wauwatosa spent part of the day Sunday at the REALTORS Home & Garden Show, getting advice on potential renovation projects. 

What You Need To Know

  • The REALTORS Home & Garden Show returned to the Wisconsin State Fairgrounds this weekend
  • Many people visited the expo, looking to get ideas for home renovations, inside and out
  • Contractors say now is the time to schedule projects, as there are delays in both materials and labor

“We’re possibly looking at bathrooms, bathroom renovations,” Komassa said. “They have plenty of help there. Outside work, fencing, maybe some foundation repair.”

After spending more time at home the last few years, they, like many homeowners, realized they wanted to update some things to enjoy it more.

“That plus we are recently retired, so over the last couple of years that really comes to mind because you’re spending more time in the home and things that may not have been updated tends to come to mind a little more readily,” Komassa added.

Another big draw for people this year — including for the Komassas — is updating their backyards. From deck building, to doing something a little more lush. 

The Bushmans have been working on that for a few years. 

“We have a stream in our backyard that was done by Aquatica, just the pieces, we put it together,” Cheryl Bushman said. “We have a pretty large pond in our front yard with a waterfall as well, so we love the water features part of it.”

Of course, all renovations take time and money. The cost of materials — like lumber — continues to rise, and some materials are hard to find.

But Elias McDonald with Excel Custom Contractors said it hasn’t affected their business too much. 

“We really don’t see much delay,” McDonald said. “There are some, and that’s usually due to freight, and that’s definitely has affected us, but our timeline of actually getting out there is longer than the actual delay on materials. So typically speaking, we haven’t seen many issues.”

Contractors said now is the time to start booking and scheduling projects — especially outdoor ones — so you can enjoy the finished product all summer long.