Energy Savers, Odd Products, Sales Warnings at Show: Waterfall-Hearth, Anyone?

by June Fletcher

(Originally published in the January 20, 2006 issue of The Wall Street Journal, page W8.)

ORLANDO, Fla.—Tanned models lounging in bubbling spas are a perennial feature of the nation's biggest home-builders exhibition—but there were few, if any, at last week's sober show.

Mostly, the focus at the International Builders' Show was on basics, not bling. After two seasons of major hurricanes and a year of soaring energy prices, suppliers touted ways to keep storms out and heat (or air-conditioning) in. Vendors whacked new hurricane resistant StormBreaker Plus windows with baseball bats and pounded roof decking with extra-heavy, twist-top HurriQuick nails. One big draw: a thin, translucent material called Gorilla Wrap that swaddles beneath the siding, to keep out the wind and rain.

Of course, some innovative and odd products showed up, among them solar-powered blinds, leather-accents bathroom fixtures and a hearth that doubles as a waterfall. And for times when owners want to hide their living room TV from literary-snob friends, a rotating steel system will flip the set around and substitute a shelf of books.

Hearthfalls LLC
Cost: $2,495 (wood) to $40,000 (lapis)
Company President Jerry Wheeler invented these combination waterfall/fireplaces because "most fireplaces are dead for nine months of the year." The plug-in hearths, weighing more than 150 pounds, can be installed by a do-it-yourselfer, the company says. The hearth can also be used to burn a real wood fire while the water is falling in front. Models introduced at this show featured aromatherapy scents and colored lights, though other models have been on sale for 19 months. The warranty lasts six months.