Building Something New
if you’re looking to buy, remodel, or just ogle, the Parade of Homes has something to offer
Whether you’re in the market for a new house, hope to remodel your existing one, or simply want to check out some of the area’s most beautiful new homes, mark your calendar for the Chippewa Valley Home Builders Association’s 41st Annual Parade of Homes. The weeklong event – June 13-20 – gives you inside access to 21 homes created by 15 regional builders.
“The homes are a showcase of what the builders can do,” explains Christina Thrun, executive officer of the Eau Claire-based association. “It’s a great time to come out and look.”
The homes’ price tags range from modest (between $100,000 and $200,000) to not-so-modest ($1 million plus), and the parade will include both homes custom-built for clients as well as homes built on speculation – some of them already sold, some of them still on the market. And while all of the homes are unoccupied (in fact, as of this writing most of them are still under construction), they’ll be artfully staged with the help of local decorators by the time you take the tour. “You’ll get an idea of what they’ll look like lived-in when you walk through,” Thrun says.
While the parade is a draw for potential homebuyers, Thrun notes it is also useful for homeowners who are interested in remodeling their existing homes and want to check out concepts for kitchens or closets in person, then get in touch with the local builders who can help them. “I’m really excited to see some of the unique touches that the builders are going to put in,” Thrun says.
The tour’s premiere home – which will be featured in the association’s magazine and which will host a members-only opening event – is being built by R. Tews Construction in Hallie Ridge Estates, a new development just north of Eau Claire. Builder Randy Tews describes the 3,747-square-foot home as including elements of both the Mission and Prairie styles. “It’s a timeless style,” Tews says of the Mission Style. “It really lasts forever.”
The premier home’s exterior is composed of stone and wood siding as well as cedar shakes, all in an array of earth tones. The interior features timber framing with a smooth finish, hardwood floors, and granite countertops. The spec home is worth $379,000, or $429,000 with the lot, landscaping, and driveway.
Tews has another home in the 2015 parade as well: a 5,700-square-foot artisan style house in Chippewa Falls. This home has a low profile and long eaves, which offers shade when the sun is high in the summer sky and more daylight when the sun is low on the horizon during winter.
Parade homes are scattered throughout the Chippewa Valley, including Eau Claire, Menomonie, Chippewa Falls, and Altoona, as well as surrounding areas. At Lake Wissota, for instance, you’ll be able to admire the vaulted ceilings and lakeside views in a million-dollar domicile built by Peterson Custom Homes.
But don’t let that price keep you from checking out the tour. “there’s a lot of window shopping that goes on in the parade because people are looking for ways to remodel,” says Tews, noting his own business built five new homes last year but undertook more than 50 remodeling jobs.
After taking a hit during the Great Recession, Tews says the home building business in the region is on the upswing. “I think right now the market is very healthy,” he says. “People are coming out and they want to build new. The market is coming back, and home values are coming up.”
Chippewa Valley Home Builder’s Association 41st Annual Parade of Homes • June 13-20 • 10am-5pm Saturday and Sunday, 5-9pm Monday-Friday • various locations • $8 in advance or $10 at first house (children 12 and under free) • tickets will be available starting in late May at Menards, Gordy’s County Markets, or the association office, 4319 Jeffers Road • (715) 835-2526 • cvhomebuilders.com
