YOUR PLACE HOME SWEET HOME IMPROVEMENT.

Byline: - Barbara De Witt 

Castles, condos and courtyards. Million-dollar mansions and fixer-upper bungalows. They'll all open their doors for your inspection on the HGTV network beginning next week.

Nine new series focusing on what Burton Jablin, senior vice president and general manager of HGTV network, calls ``informational escapism'' will premiere, with 23,000 home improvement and step-by-step instructions offered throughout the fall TV season.

While home decorating and remodeling shows aren't new, HGTV spokeswoman Emily Yarborough says this type of program is exploding in popularity because more people are interested in turning their homes into their castles. ``Some will watch to learn how to do it themselves, while others will watch and decide to hire someone to do the work, and our programs are aimed at both,'' says Yarborough.

For those who love attending Showcase Houses, ``Fantasy Open House'' (7:30 and 10:30 p.m. Fridays) is a delightful romp through the homes of the rich and famous from the comfort of your sofa. On the first episode, host Claire Berger takes you to three ostentatious homes, including a $9 million penthouse of the prestigious Wilshire House in the Westwood corridor. Here host Berger and owner Shelli Goodman show viewers all the vantage points from the elevator that literally opens right into the living room, to windows that overlook the nearby marina. Design details Goodman points out include walls covered in limestone as well as padded silk with pictures hung on brass rods.

In upcoming episodes of ``Fantasy Open House'' viewers will snoop through several local estates in Santa Monica, Hollywood and Montecito, as well as palatial estates across the country.

For those whose idea of a castle to call one's own is a modest apartment in need of new flooring, ``Weekend Warriors'' (7 and 10 p.m. Tuesdays) is the ticket. Hosted by Brien Blakely, this program celebrates the do-it-yourself trend with up-close-and-personal videos of real folks ripping out the flooring and literally cursing the dry rot they discover underneath. Talk about realism. It could happen to you, so take note and learn how to remove it properly and lay a brand-new tile floor, while saving $1,600 in labor alone.

Other new HGTV series to premiere next week include: ``Old Homes Restored'' (4:30 p.m. Tuesday and 3 p.m. Sunday; premieres next Tuesday), ``Dream Drives'' (7 and 10 p.m. Friday), ``Designers' Challenge'' (6:30 and 9:30 p.m. Thursday), ``Going Home'' (7:30 and 10:30 p.m. Tuesday) and ``Our Place'' (6:30 a.m. weekdays).

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(1 -- 2) Claire Berger, top left, host of ``Fantasy Open House,'' takes viewers on a tour of the homes of the extremely rich and famous, including the palatial Santa Monica residence shown above.