New shows for the home and garden enthusiast

Hard to imagine there will come a point, once spring actually springs, that we will want to retreat indoors to the couch, but maybe these TV whizzes know us better than we know ourselves. Bless their desperate little ratings-scheming hearts, they have lined up oodles of new home shows to lure us back to blobbiness.

(One programming note: We alerted you earlier to a couple of these shows — "Bought & Sold" and "Secrets That Sell" — but HGTV apparently juggled their debut dates, so now they're back again. Newly previewed, we might add, since we're not Katie Couric, and we don't especially dig repeating previously written words. This also serves as a warning that any of these shows could be yanked, retooled or rescheduled, so please check your local listings.)

Specials

"Gotta Get It: Wedding Gifts," 8 p.m. Thursday, Food Network. We were trying really hard not to use a tired old toaster joke here, but then we saw that among this episode's most unforgettable wedding gifts is "a toaster that can actually personalize toast." That'd be fun some morning when you're really ticked at that special someone. ("Honey, why does my toast say, 'Get your own damn jam?' ")

"Gotta Get It: Gifts," 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Food Network. So the difference here is, these are not unforgettable wedding gifts? Seriously? Like some couple would not want a Twinkie-fryer?

"DIY Inside: Crafts and Hobby Show 2007," Sunday, May 6, DIY Network (check for times). Join a gaggle of DIY craft czars at "the biggest craft show of the year," in Anaheim, Calif., for a look at cool glue guns, stencils, plastics and perhaps Mickey Mouse.

"20 Ways to Add Value to Your Home," 9 p.m. Sunday, May 6, HGTV. Surprisingly, there is no tip to "torch your husband's sock drawer," which we think would tack on at least 10 grand, easy. Instead, they seem to focus on "common remodeling projects," along with advice on investments and trends.

"DIY Inside: The Builders' Show," Sunday, May 13, DIY Network (check for times). The International Builders' Show in Orlando, Fla., is not open to the public, but Amy Devers and Karl Champley wrangled their way in to put the latest tools, materials and building techniques to the test. (To ponder during a commercial: Why are all these "DIY Inside" shows set up near Disney properties?)

"You Should Live Here," 9 p.m. Sunday, May 13, HGTV. Pack your bags, Alice — we can find no mention of Seattle among this special's ideal-in-their-own-way locales. Luckily, we have two end-of-the-cuteness-spectrum options sure to suit us all: San Diego, where "the most attractive people" live, and Chicago, the "most dog-friendly" town. Of course, there's always a chance they mean "dog" literally.

"Designed to Sell's Top 35 Selling Secrets," 9 p.m. Sunday, May 20, HGTV. Everybody else has a plain old top-10 list, but not our HGTV. Right off the bat, you know this is going to be almost twice as good as "20 Ways to Add Value to Your Home." Included: Tips for getting top dollar from selling your home, plus real estate, design and handyman insight.

"What's With That Really Expensive House?" 9 p.m. Sunday, May 27, HGTV. Tag along on tours of "the most talked-about houses in the neighborhood" (in the neighborhood of $10 million to $40 million, that is).

"Gotta Get It: Grilling" and "Gotta Get It: Entertaining," 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., Saturday, June 2, Food Network. Hosts Sunny Anderson and Marc Istook try out the latest backyard gadgets, from an ultimate kebab fork to a monogrammed branding iron.

"Best Built Home Special," Sunday, June 10, DIY Network. Building techniques, technology and practices so amazing, they require demonstration by "cutting-edge graphics." Somewhere Karl Champley is pitching a fit.

"Project Treehouse," Sunday, July 1, DIY Network. A step-by-step guide to creating your own little treetop hideaway, from picking the right tree to waterproofing the roof. Your hosts: The Swiss Family Robinson.

"Man Caves," Sunday, June 17, DIY Network. It might be trendy to create a groovy dudes-only space, but so far the idea has not really, let's say, made it up from the basement. But here are ideas and instructions, anyway, for turning a basic underground lair into the ultimate man cave. Wooly mammoth not included.

Series

"Bought & Sold," premieres 10 p.m. Sunday, HGTV. Go behind the scenes with a "competitive, calculating and colorful cast" of real-life real-estate brokers who know deals. They call this a "docusoap," so there could be some smooching and amnesia, too.

"Secrets That Sell," premieres 11 a.m. Sunday, May 6, HGTV. Mother-daughter duo Donna and Shannon Freeman take constructive-criticism tours of homes that just won't sell. Then they offer their secret solutions to marketing mistakes ("Maybe you could hide the Roach Motels."), design flaws ("Let's just add a basement real quick-like.") and structural issues ("Interesting. Marshmallow insulation.").

"Get It Sold," premieres 11:30 a.m. Sunday, May 6, HGTV. Home-staging expert Sabrina Soto shows frustrated sellers how to put on a performance of "Cats" in their den. Oh, wait — apparently she's not that kind of stager. Instead, it's another makeover gig, turning homes into showplaces and offering pricing advice.

"Sweat Equity," Tuesday, June 12, DIY Network. Licensed contractor Amy Matthews helps homeowners identify and tackle the home-improvement projects that return the most bang for their buck. Simple concept, really: Build cabinets, build equity.

"Time Makeover," 8 p.m. Sunday, July 22, Fine Living. Originally we thought this was about springing ahead and falling behind, but it turns out to be a little more complex. Instead, experts show time-challenged folks how to better find and manage quality time.

"Blog Cabin," Thursday, Aug., 16, DIY Network. In this interactive series, Internet users will determine the design of a real-life log cabin that will be built and given away to a viewer. Expect it to look a lot like "Halo."