The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Whitby Free Press, Wednesday, May 11, 1994, Page 17 A HOME DESIGN AND IMPROVEMENT FEATURE GRACEFUL and elegant, liles are lovely at any time, such as these Lilium Iongiflorum. Varous types of liles bloom throughout the sumnmer ana are available freshly cut to grace the interior of your home, as well as the exterior. v aa Under-the-table deals may eventually cost mor e With the good weather here, potential customers are warned of the serlous risks of dealing with illegal cont*ators through the un dergrou ný! economy. The Ontario Home Builders' Association reports that 41 per cent of home renovations and 17 per cent of new home saes are transacted through the under- ground economy, costing $1 billion a year in lost revenues. Members of the Oshawa- Durham Home Buillders' Association, who pay their taxes, workers' compensation and other. benefits and collect and remit the GST according to regulations, are finding that many consumers are demanding <under-the- table" deals. Decause of this, the following factors are presented for consideration: a Cash deals usually involve a verbal contract, often resulting in disputes concerning the work to be done and the materials to be used. There is a high potential for an expensive lawsuit. e*In most underground work, there is no warranty. fliegal contractors often don't finish the work properly and may not be around in a month or a year. * Illegal contractors carry no accident insurance. This could leave homeowners hable for costs that would otherwise be covered by the workers' compensation system. Don't look to your home insurance to cover the cost. After aIl, you are knowingly dealing with an illegally operating company, voiding your insurance coverage. e Beware of unqualified contractors claiming big savings, but who leave big messes, the result of shoddy materials, poor quality craftsmnanship and numerous building code violations. -6 Many low-ball contractors cannot afford to have someone supervise and instruct trade contracýtors. Various workers may show up on the site uncertain of what to do and demanding cash. e Homeowners face a high possibility of liens against their roperties fom unpaid supplier. They risk paying twice for the work. First, to the renovator, and then to the tradet r supplier who has liened the property. With the current economic circumstances, it is under- standable that many homeowners are strongly tempted to deal in the underground> economy. However, in many cases, the dollar savings evaporate and homeowners are left paying much more to complete the renovation. Members of the Oshawa- Durham Home Builders' Assoiation operate with a stringent code of ethics that constantly strives for high quality workmanship and customer satisfaction. Ask your builder or contractor whether hie or she is a member. Potted bulb flowers can rescue torgettul gardeners If spring has caught you unaware, create instant colour in the garden or on the balcony or patio with pots full of tuilps daffodils and crocus. Add fragrance by includîng potted hyacinths, too.' Occasionally, even the most dedicated gardener runs out of time in the autumn and negleets ta plant flower bulbs that bloomn in the spring. Remedy the situation with potd bulb flowers. Dig a hole as depas the height of the pot and sink the entire thing into the garden. Spread bark chips or other cover around, and no one will know you've only just installed them. On the balcony or patio, mix different types and ,sizes of containers ta ereate a mini-landscape. Since ti natural look isin fashion this wsn, use terra cotta pots, cane?' baskets, flower boxes, barrels, itibs and galvanzied buckets ta 'ereate a rustic atinosphere. Place the entire -ý pot of flowering bulbs inside tie larger container, for easy remnoval later on. Alternatively, MIl the base of the container with styrofoam or other bulk material and cover with alurninum foil. Remove the bulb flowers ftom their pots and plant them shallowly, in just a little earth, close to the top of the container. Add a layer of sphagnum moss to cover up signs of the recent planting. When tulips or other flowers have passed their prime, remove Plastic garden plant containers and trays can now be recycled. Beginning this spring, samal Plastic garden plant containers and trays can be returned ta nîost full-service garden centres where they are collected and dlivered ta a recycing plant in Mississauga,, operated by the Canadian Polystyrene ]Recycling Association (OPRA). Large nurseries and garden centres such as Sheridan Nurseries, Weall & Cullen and Wite Rose will accept celis and trays which are made fromi polystyrene at aIl their locations. The plastic containers, used primarily ta hold annuals and other plants, are brittle and often them. If you have a garden, plant themn there ta allow the foliage to absorb nutrients and replenish the bulb for bloom in subfequent years. Buy potted bulbs when they are juat beginning to sprout. Al they need is light and water to last throughout the flower period. come in green, black or white. After planting, customers simply bring back the empty celîs and trays, with most of the residual soil removed. Specially marked return stations are located at each centre to receive the containers. CelI packs and trays collected at nurseries and garden centres are delivered ta the OPRA plant where they are ground, washed, melted and extruded into pellets of recycled polystyrene. The pellets are then manufactured into such products as office letter trays and magazine files, compact disc holders and new celîs and trays by companies who use recycled polystyrene in their operations. Decorate-ut-YourseIfÇ Home Improvement Tips f rom Charlie Slack Sunshade Blinds & Draperies Slatted blînds are functional and attractive Today's slatted blinds - - minis, verticals and venetians -- are flot only sleek and attractive, they are functional. Slatted blinds allow excellent light control. You can adjust the amount of solar radiation that is admitted throughth ls b hagingthe angle o h The one-inch mini-blinds and half-inch (or smaller) micro-minis control light and view with the simple twist of a wand. When the. siats are post ioned horizontally, they ecorne practically invisible. Available in a myriad of decorator colours, the minis also corne in wood. Some pepecreate a striped hoorizo>ntal pattern by ordering different coloured slats Io carry through a room-sized wall graphic. Vertical blinds are made much lîke the minis, except the slats run up and down instead of across. Vertical blinds are best used to emphasize height. The live-inch or three-and-a- halt-inch louvers rotate a ful 180 degrees and adj ust readily for light control. Verticals can be designed to pull from the left or the right, to open in the centre or to stack to one side of the window. They are available with free-hanging bottoms or with channels or moils at the bottom to seal the edge. The louvers corne in opaque and transtucent styles, in fabric, vinl o r aluminum. Tapeless venetian blinds create a, contem o rary look and like the othe r slatted blinds, offer excellent light control. They corne in hundreds of colours and tabric finishes. Whether you prefer minis. verticals or venetians, today's slatted bhiinds provide function and beauty for your home. k Association warns Plantcontaines