The 14th annual
Hosted by the Home Builders Association of Southwest Colorado, the event showcases local builders and the newest homes, commercial development and remodels on the market.
For a fee, community members can tour homes ranging in price from $500,000 to $1 million.
Katie Middleton, executive officer with the Home Builders Association of Southwest Colorado, said association members apply to have their homes featured in the parade.
“We open this opportunity to our entire membership,” she said. “You fill out the paperwork and sign a contract. If the home is currently owned, the owner has to agree to have their home be on display. We also do inspections on new homes.”
This year, the Twin Buttes subdivision is a new stop along the parade route.
The city approved the subdivision along U.S. Highway 160 west in 2011, and when completed, it will include about 655 homes and an additional 135 secondary apartments.
A newly constructed home at 192 Wood Rose Lane, the first home in Twin Buttes, will also be featured on the tour.
Viewers will additionally be able to tour the development at Wild Turkey Canyon, southeast of Durango.
The 350-acre subdivision will have 10 parcels, and the first home will be completed in the summer of 2018.
“Wild Turkey Canyon will be stop number nine on the tour,” Middleton said. “The design for that upcoming home will be on display.”
Parade of Homes Committee Chairwoman Katie Camarca said home building trends have taken an interesting turn over the last few years.
“This is an exciting time in design,” she said. “People are mixing modern and traditional into a very independent style, which has been fun to see.”
Camarca described modern, or contemporary, style as having sleek finishes, large expanses of glass and stainless steel. Traditional homes have a “warmer” feeling and often include more wood and darker finishes.
“These styles are being mixed, so you might have a sleek exterior and lots of windows, but inside there is a mixture of wood and warm tones, and bronze finishes as opposed to stainless steel or polished chrome,” she said. “Not a lot of building rules apply now.”
Camarca said mid-century modern architecture is becoming increasingly more popular.
“A lot of those homes carry that mixed tone,” she said. “They have clean lines, but a warmer feel.”
In addition to Homes Under the Stars and Grill & Chill at Southwest Appliance, the parade will feature a new special event, Friday Night Wine Down, from 5-9 p.m. Sept. 22.
Attendees can grab a glass of wine and light appetizers at Tile & Light Art of Durango before heading across the street for a main course at Southwest Appliance.
“Your ticket is your passport to an entire weekend,” Middleton said. “You get the special events on Friday, and all day Saturday and Sunday.”
A portion of the proceeds from the Parade of Homes goes toward a yearly scholarship program run by the Home Builders Association of Southwest Colorado.
“Our program is called Building For the Future, and any high school student from Mancos to Pagosa Springs and everywhere in between can apply,” Middleton said. “The only criteria is they have to be going into the building trades.”
The Durango Herald is a sponsor of the Parade of Homes.
mrupani@durangoherald.com
If you go
The 14th annual Parade of Homes is Friday from 5-9 p.m.; Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event will also feature a handful of special events over the weekend. Tickets are $20 per person and can be purchased on the event website at http://www.durangopoh.com/, or at any of the 14 stops along the parade route. A complete list of parade stops is also available on the website.
Special events include:
Homes Under The Stars, 5-9 p.m. Friday.
Friday Night Wine Down, 5-9 p.m. Friday at Tile & Light Art of Durango, 20 Design Center Road.
Grill & Chill at Southwest Appliance, 5-9 p.m. Friday at Southwest Appliance, 21 Davidson Creek Road.
Sweet Treats, 5-9 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Smart Enterprises, 1400 Main Ave.
