The Parade of Homes is on & Brenda & I went out to see a few of the models–$750K to $1.9 million.  We had another mission–one of Brenda’s clients wants a faux finish they saw in one of these models.  When we pulled up, the builder’s wife was carrying patio furniture up to stage the porch.  We grabbed a few pieces and helped.

The good: Builders are finally using some design sense when building high-end homes.  Ten years ago the trend was to build big for the sake of bigness.  Kitchen/hearth rooms were cavernous.  The result was a feeling of exposure and “lostness” for those who lived in such spaces.  We need to feel somewhat enclosed to feel secure.  These homes, even though they are expansive, feel very livable.

The bad: The homes priced over $1 million were “themed”.  One feature in particular stood out to me–two pine tree logs were in the family room and supported the upstairs floor.  The house was decorated with a “western” or even a “cowboy” theme, so they fit the decor.  But Brenda & I both agreed that we would get tired of the theme after six months or so.  Also, the colors were all a medium brown tone which caused the house to feel dark and cave-like.

The ugly: With houses priced this high I didn’t expect to find anything truly ugly.  But in one master bath a free-standing claw-foot tub stood front and center as you walked in the door.  Some people might like this feature, but we found it unattractive.