HOME SHOW DRAWS CROWD; MARKET FOR DO-IT-YOURSELFERS GROWS AS REPAIR COSTS INCREASE.

Byline: Jesse Hiestand Staff Writer

Software consultant Steve Johnson and his wife, Vicki, had little interest in working on their Northridge home until the 1994 earthquake gave them plenty of opportunities to learn new skills.

They have since installed copper plumbing, varnished kitchen cabinets and bought a pickup to haul tons of dirt. Now it is time for the finishing touches: landscaping and installing a pond and hot tub.

They were among the hundreds of do-it-yourselfers who flocked to Pierce College on Saturday for the 23rd annual Home Remodeling & Decorating Show.

``We're hoping to get some ideas here,'' said Steve Johnson, whose advice for other would-be home improvers was to do as much as possible yourself.

``You're going to make lots of trips to get what you need, and you're not going to get it right the first time,'' he said of his experiences. ``But just stick with it. It will be better.''

Several hundred people braved the summer heat to wander among the booths in the college parking lot off Victory Boulevard.

The show continues today. Admission for adults is $5.75. Seniors and those ages 13 to 17 get in for $3. Admission is free for kids under 12.

There was music and an International Food Festival tempted people with cajun, Chinese and Indian fare.

But the real draw was the drapes, roofing tiles, cabinets, outdoor lighting and other home products being sold alongside reproductions of turn-of-the-century French and Italian art and cookware.

Charlene Dojcsak, 31, of Mission Hills came to the show for no particular product. Rather, she was doing homework in anticipation of buying a fixer-upper house.

``You start with something that most people wouldn't find pleasing to the eye and then fix it up and put your own personal touches on it,'' she said. ``I like to watch the transformation of something you did with your own hands and imagination.''

Jack Maley, one of the vendors, can attest to people's growing interest in doing jobs that would have been left to contractors in years past.

He said he expected to sell 10 or more of a $3,000 combination table saw, drill press, lathe and other tools.

``It used to be old retirees years ago who wanted to get into woodworking,'' Maley said of his customers. ``Now it's 30- to 40-year-olds who can't afford a new house, so they buy a fixer-upper.''

Carlos Yniguez, 32, bought a new house in Northridge in October and is already planning to add a room and remodel a bathroom and kitchen. Contractors will handle the heavy work, but Yniguez said he'd do the rest and hoped the home show would move him closer to that goal.

``You have to cut corners to save money, but I think I'll enjoy the satisfaction'' of his own handiwork, he said.

Vito Pace, owner of a tile and marble shop in Reseda, said the home show was a great way to get customers.

``You have a captive audience,'' he said. ``They come here to buy.''

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos

PHOTO (1) Sue Ulu checks out a window display offered by Target Window and Door Inc. at the Home Remodeling and Decorating Show at Pierce College.

(2) Above, Marjorie Pace, 9, of Granada Hills takes a dip in the above-ground pool set up by Pool & Spa Outlet of Moreno Valley.

(3) Mike Davis of Aquascape Design puts the finishing touches on a waterfall and water garden created for the home show, which continues today, in the Pierce College parking lot off Victory Boulevard.

John Lazar/Daily News