The Mercer County Courthouse steeple is being converted into a lighthouse.

A fisherman caught a shark at Lake Wilhelm. Submarines are patrolling in the Shenango River and an old man with a white beard is building an arc at Buhl Park.

Given the soggy weather pattern in recent weeks rain jokes such as these have been rising faster than water levels in leaky attics and basements. For homeowners faced with the task of cleaning up the mess it hasn't been very funny.

There are a number of remedies available to keep the water at bay and "home wraps'' have become a leading product for new housing construction. Calvert Lumber Co. in Sharon has seen gaining popularity in Tyvek produced by DuPont, said Steve Hale, a Calvert salesman.

"A lot of people building new homes aren't educated on what it's for but know their architect is calling for it,'' Hale said. "People come in and ask 'Why are they putting it on our house.' "

Hale said the store has also been selling the product for home-remodeling jobs.

Produced by DuPont, Tyvek is a paper-thin product with the feel of plastic that's wrapped around a home's outside walls and windows, typically with staples. Similar to Gore-Tex, a waterproof fabric used in jackets and clothes, Tyvek offers protection from water and moisture damage while increasing a home's insulation.

Sold in rolls, it costs about $1,200 to add to a typical home. In addition to the moisture, homeowners usually like that it cuts down on energy loss, particularly around windows, said Bill Dudek, a Tyvek distributor who works for Bennett Supply Co., Cheswick, Pa.

"An average home has a half-mile of cracks and seams in it and we use Tyvek to seal it up,'' Dudek said.

Northstar Construction now regularly adds the homewrap on its bids on new home construction, said Sam Aurandt, a foreman for the Hermitage construction company. He said homeowners like the energy savings they get with the material which more than pays for the upfront cost.

"The energy payback they get is within three to five years,'' Aurandt said.

While the material can't be used around basement walls homeowners have other resources available such as special paint that promises protection from leaky walls.

For those looking for tougher protection, French drains and sump pumps are the popular way to go, said Bill Jovenall, owner of W.J. Jovenall & Sons Construction Co. in Transfer.

Basically, a French drain is a trench dug around a home's foundation which catches water and funnels it away from the house through pipes.

As the name suggests, a sump pump is a compact piece of equipment which catches the water in the basement and then pumps it outside of the house.

For the average home installed French drains run about $3,000 while a sump pump is in the $500 range.

"The rule of thumb is a sump pump is needed for people in a flat level area while a French drain can be used in any location,'' Jovenall said.

In looking at what final solution is best, homeowners can face a myriad of solutions. In the end though, an old engineer's adage of how to solve water woes should always be remembered.

The saying goes: It's a matter of getting the water to go from where it is to where it isn't.