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Suzan Lami and Bob Grubb of Lami Grubb Architects in Edgewood have designed retail, corporate, educational and residential projects for an impressive list of clients -- from the Edgewood Club and Aeropostale stores in Pittsburgh, to major retail outlets at several national airports and the Bangladesh World Trade Center in Dakka, India.

About the only thing missing from their portfolio is a pirate ship -- until now.

"I guess you can call us 'Arrgh'-itects," says Lami, in her best imitation of a swashbuckler's snarl.

Her office is one of nine local architectural firms and nine area construction companies pitching in to help the Girl Scouts Trillium Council with its "Build a Dream" designer playhouse project at this year's Duquesne Light Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show.

The new feature at the home show -- a fund-raiser for the council that serves more than 21,000 girls in nine countries in Western Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia -- is the culmination of three years of planning, says John DeSantis, executive director of the Home and Garden Show.

"When we started talking to the Girl Scouts, we said, 'Wouldn't if be great to get an architect to build a couple playhouses for the show?'" DeSantis says.

Letters were sent to the top architectural firms in the region, and nine responded with offers to help. Area construction companies also agreed to work with the architects to make their dream houses a reality.

"These are major firms that build skyscrapers in our city," DeSantis says. "They said they liked the challenge of building a child's building."

Lami estimates her design team of six or seven professionals put a total of 80 to 100 hours into designing their pirate ship, which features multiple levels, climbing ropes, a secret door, a cannon and a telescope. Shannon Construction of Mt. Lebanon is building the house, which has an estimated retail value of $18,000.

Anita Gallo was one of four architectural interns at Celli Flynn Brennan Architects, Downtown, who worked with Volpatt Construction of Castle Shannon on Play Station Squared, another playhouse built for the project.

"Our main idea was to engage the outdoors, even in an enclosed space," Gallo says. The house has kid-size portals, a climbing wall, mobile monkey bars and a loft.

Ray Volpatt Jr., president of Volpatt Construction, says his company and some of his vendors donated labor and materials for the playhouse he valued at $8,500.

"It was a lot of fun to build," he says. "Whoever gets it is going to have a neat playhouse for their kids."

Lami says her team enjoyed designing their structure.

"It brought us all back to our childhoods," she says. "We wanted to focus on fun for the child who ends up owning it."

The playhouses will go to the highest bidders -- bidding begins at $2,500 -- in an auction being held during the Home and Garden Show and through online bidding at the Girl Scouts' Web site, www.girlscouts-wpa.org. Bidding opens at 9 a.m. Monday and will end at 5 p.m. March 11.

"Build a Dream is not only about building unique, one-of-a-kind designer playhouses," says Marlee Flaherty, spokeswoman for Girl Scouts Trillium Council. "Proceeds from this fund-raiser will support literacy programs, at-risk youth, traditional programming and myriad of other services that help girls and their families grow strong."

The other playhouses, and their architects and builders, include: Lake Cottage by Berryman Associates Architect and Peter Perkins Inc.; Forest Theater, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, Massaro Corp.; Zendo, MLJ Architects, Bruce Monsour; Time Machine, Peter Margittai Architect, Fisher Renovations; One-Room Schoolhouse, Radelet McCarthy Architects, F.J. Busse Co.; Craftsman's Cottage, R-Square Architects Guild LLC, MJM Remodeling Inc.; and Playhouse Theater, Design Alliance Architects, Continental Building Systems.

25 Years of model homes and gardens

In 1981, homeowners didn't have plasma TVs or George Foreman grills. That year, 84 exhibitors comprised the first Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show.

For the 25th anniversary edition of the show, running Friday through March 12, 592 exhibitors will showcase the latest home and garden products and services on more than nine acres of exhibit space in the largest home show yet, according to John DeSantis, the show's executive director since its start.

He attributes the show's staying power to the fact that "people in Western Pennsylvania are very traditional."

"They spend more time in their homes, and they live more years in their homes than the national average," he says. "They get their money's worth out of their homes."

In an effort to continue to improve the show's quality, DeSantis says he had to "step way back and find out what people are looking for when they come to the home show." He encouraged exhibitors to do the same.

"People come to the home show for one reason -- to get new ideas," he says.

The result: Plenty of decorating ideas, as well as the latest furnishings, appliances, gifts and gadgets for comfort and relaxation at home. A redesigned features format of the show includes four themed areas -- kitchen & cooking, home interiors, construction and remodeling, and the garden pavilion.

The American Society of Interior Designers will reprise its popular ASID Design Showcase. Karolyn Spagnolo, who owns Spagnolo Designs in Glenshaw and is ASID home show chairwoman, says the showcase will include 10 area designers creating 15- by 10-foot rooms with their choice of furnishings, wall coverings and accessories.

Another feature by the designers' group, free 15-minute Ask a Professional consultations, also will return. Last year, designers provided 700 free consultations, Spagnolo says. Visitors may bring fabric swatches, floor plans and their questions about a decorating project or problem area of their home.

The designers will add a new twist to their exhibit space this year with The Archival Closet, in which they will be selling excess materials from design jobs at reduced costs. Items may include bolts of fabric, pillows, lamps or wall coverings, she says. Part of the proceeds will benefit a charity to be named later.

Duquesne Light and Habitat for Humanity volunteers will team up to build three homes on the premises that will be moved to permanent sites in Allegheny County for three families. The public is invited to pitch in and help out while they're at the show.

In addition to a full schedule of cooking classes and demonstrations hosted by Chris Fennimore of "QED Cooks," the home and garden show will include the Fox NASCAR Pit Stop on March 10 to 12, a simulator that lets participants experience the thrill of high-speed racing.

For the kids, the Children's Village returns with turtle races and interactive family activities hosted by Shady Lane School.

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