The Ideal Home & Garden Show in Hamilton had nearly everything you could need for your home and garden, the one thing it didn’t have was good parking! We had quite a jog to get to the entrance of the Careport Centre, however once we arrived we were greeted by smoking BBQs and cozy outdoor fireplaces, just what we needed to get rid of the chill from crossing the muddy parking lot.
 
As soon as we entered the show we were met by representatives from Re/Max and Rona and we quickly gave into their sales pitch and entered the $25,000 renovation contest.
 
Hampton Kitchens Inc created a fabulous display right at the interior entrance. We spent a few moments looking over every nook and cranny of the display.
 

 
Moving forward (pushing through the crowds) we met with painters, window installers, various product salesman and excited homeowners.
 
We were drawn in by Gord from Bud’s Spas & Pools who nearly jumped into our photo frame! He had an amazing display, complete with a fully functioning pool sized spa. It was very, very hard to resist jumping into the water. Gord was fantastic and even sang a bit Bud’s very own radio jingle after we mentioned our own.
 

 
We also couldn’t help but sense a strong trend towards going green as we toured the long aisles.
 
We found Eco Countertops Canada; they had a cool green alternative to replacing countertops. They specialize in resurfacing your current countertop to make it look like new, which saves you money and helps the environment at the same time.
 

 
Enerliv specializes in energy efficient living through proper insulation. They were happy to share their expertise with us.
 


Horizon Utilities (a utilities company that services the Hamilton area) informed us about a variety of eco rebates. In fact, did you know if you upgrade to an energy efficient fridge or freezer you might get a free pick up removal of your old models in Hamilton?
 

 
Designer Sunrooms and Additions had a gorgeous display of their products that had us wishing we had someplace to put a sunroom… aside from our living room!
 

 
Clearwater Ponds, Gibber’s, Focus and several other landscapers showed off their expertise by creating amazing feature displays. The landscapers were also happy to share advice and inform us of new products and trends. Did you know you could get concrete slabs that look and feel like aged wood? It is absolutely beautiful.
 

 

 

 
We had a great time at the Ideal Hamilton Home & Garden Show and now we are on our way to the Greater Hamilton Home Show at the Hamilton Convention Centre! Be sure to follow us as we tweet about it!