By LEAH WEATHERSBY

Have a home but don't know what to do with it? If so, you're invited to join the hundreds of remodelers, do-it-yourselfers, and just plain looky-loos who well descend on Wallingford on Saturday, Oct. 5, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. for the third annual Wallingford Home Tour.

Eight homes, ranging from modest to large in size will be on display and the owners will be on hand to sing the praises of home improvement - or perhaps tell a cautionary tale.

One house featured on this year's tour is the home of Janet Stillman. Her residence, which underwent a near total remodel in the year 2000, boasts a new, large edition with a garage, family room, hot tub and two decks.

The project also included a new kitchen and bathroom - all done in a style that strongly references 1922, the year the home was built.

Not surprisingly, Stillman says, "I'm living in my dream house."

While Stillman now has a dream home, she didn't exactly have a dream remodel. The project took ten months, during which time she and her husband rented a house in Ballard. In addition to dry rot and roof problems, workmen discovered that only part of the structure had footings underneath. These are necessary to secure the house to the ground. As a result, the part of the basement floor had to be torn up and repoured.

"There were lots of 'oh nos,'" Stillman says.

The house also underwent earthquake retrofitting - a good thing, too, since the 2001 quake took place only a month after they had moved back in.

But even though Stillman said the renovation set her back hundreds of thousands of dollars, she doesn't regret the project.

"It's easy to be penny-wise and pound foolish in a renovation," says Stillman. "Every penny we spent on this house we're glad we spent because we'll live here forever."

Stillman's remodel was designed by architect William Zimmerman and built by Truppi Finer Homes.

The Wallingford Neighborhood Office is sponsoring the home tour, and hopes to raise about $3,000 for its operating budget. The office acts a support center for the Wallingford Chamber of Commerce and Wallingford Community Council as well as many local events.

Steve Trautman, president of WEaving Wallingford, said the tour was conceived as way to build community, raise funds for the office, and show off Wallingford's collection of traditional homes.

"The theme that's common (among the homes on the tour) is people who really love their homes and have done a lot of work to restore and upgrade their houses for the future," Trautman said.

Tickets for the Wallingford Home Tour will be available the day of the event at the Neighborhood Office, located at 2100-A N. 45th St. The cost is $10 and includes a map and discounts to several Wallingford businesses. Admission is free for kids. No pets allowed on the tour. For details, call 632-3165 or e-mail weavers@wallingford.org.