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Transforming homes for Halloween
Allie Corey reports
PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. - Homeowners are having a good time transforming their houses into spooky attractions. Some go all out, while others hire the pros to do it.
Heidi Voci and her family are all about spooky season. They have an inflatable cat that stares at you from the roof, large spiders lurking on the mailbox, bushes and on a giant web in the front yard.
"Our family likes to get into the spirit. We kind of embrace all the holidays. We're usually the house that's all decorated," said Voci.
This year, they've added a new member to their Halloween home – an inferno skeleton. It's 12-feet-tall, and its chest and mouth lights up.
Voci's house has put a spell on those driving by.
"When people do come down this street, you see them driving real slow and looking and pointing. At nighttime, we have all the different colored lights," said Voci.
Voci said getting their creepy characters together takes more than just a little hocus pocus. She said it could take an entire weekend to do.
That's why Nick Schriver and his crew from Decorating Elves are busy turning front yards into graveyards. The team could take on from 10 to 15 properties during the season.
Much like Voci, these decorating duties for Schriver and his team take time and detail.
"This will usually take about three days with that staff," said Schriver. "How we position everything, where we put all the props, all of that has a tendency to change."
Homeowners hiring pros like Schriver are paying good money to turn their house into a thriller. He said homeowners could spend thousands of dollars to get their home decorated for Halloween.
The National Retail Federation estimates that Americans will spend more than $3 billion on decorating alone.
"Halloween has grown definitely, especially in the decoration's category," said Schriver. "It used to just be hey you put on a costume, you go out, and it used to just be for kids, and now it's just really growing for all ages."
Turning homes into Halloween attractions are treats for all to enjoy.
"People have a tendency to like those kinds of holidays," said Schriver. "They get to decorate. There's something mystical about it, whimsical, very childlike."