Thomas Skernivitz

The only day circled on my May calendar is Cinco de Mayo, and that's just because my birthday was special (to me, at least) long before the food and beverage industries figured out how to turn the regional Mexican holiday into a salsa-fied St. Paddy's Day.

I could circle the entire month of May, considering it is National Home Improvement Month. But then, every month seems to be home improvement month around our place.

In February my wife and I spent nearly $12,000 to finish half of our basement. With two boys age 2 and younger in an already cramped house, that decision was based on necessity. A few weeks later an electrician quoted a $1,300 rewiring job that had been identified — surprise — during the basement remodeling. With those two little boys in mind, the decision to follow-through on that unexpected project was definitely based on necessity, if not unadulterated guilt.

We've since spent another $300 to have our air ducts cleaned, and we're in the process of hiring a plumber to determine why the use of our sprinkler empties the hot-water tank. I'm hoping that bill isn't as shocking as the cold showers it should remedy, but I'm not counting on it.

Fortunately, we, like 130 million American households, are expecting not only our income tax refund but also a tax rebate check that, courtesy of the federal government, should fatten our bank account sometime in May.

As welcoming as that is to us, it's apparently just as fortuitous to contractors such as yourself who are likely being bitten by the slumping economy and housing market. According to a national survey commissioned by Johns Manville, 24 percent of U.S. homeowners are "considering using" their tax rebate money to upgrade or improve their homes. In addition, 19 percent said they would "definitely use" the extra cash for a home improvement project.

Which contractors will benefit most from the estimated $42.9 billion kick-start to the economy? The most popular projects for respondents were: household upgrades, including landscaping (23 percent) or an upgrade of the bathroom (13 percent) or kitchen (12 percent); improving their homes' energy efficiency, including adding attic insulation (9 percent), caulking or sealing (4 percent), or installing energy-efficient light bulbs (4 percent); or painting a room (10 percent).

Other common intended uses of the rebate check were saving it (45 percent), paying down debt (40 percent), taking a vacation (14 percent), or purchasing a luxury item (9 percent).

Roofing wasn't singled out in the survey, but that only means roofing contractors should be even more diligent in their quest for a piece of the stimulus pie. The big retailers — Wal-Mart, Sears, Home Depot — are offering customers rebate-specific promotions. Contractors should think likewise. Certainly the food and beverage industries would be beating on this piñata.