There’s a definite order to building a Parade house (or any house, for that matter.) This week’s visit to the Parade site found most of the builders in the middle of trim work. After oodles of wood is delivered to the home, the trim carpenters swoop in with their saws, caulking and nail guns to get down to business.
Trim carpenters are highly-detailed craftsmen and their work, which sometimes plays a subtle role and other times is the headliner, takes skill and experience. Some of the more basic work is trimming out the baseboards and doorways. Where you’ll really see their expertise is in the crown molding, around the fireplaces, in the detailed paneling of the formal dining rooms and studies, and in the built-in features.
When you visit the Parade later this summer, take special note of the trim work. And consider the hours of manpower and skill that went into the final product. For now, here’s a sneak peek!
Here are the trade partners, subs and suppliers to the 2009 BIA Parade of Homes builders. These pages have been pulled from the official Plan Book; just toggle the full screen (upper right corner) to have the names / pages appear a bit larger. We want to officially thank each and every one of them for their amazing partnership in making the 2009 Parade a reality and success. It doesn’t happen without them! (They are categorized by the homebuilder that used them.)
This WBNS 10TV segment with Tracy Townsend in her four-part “Building up to the Parade series,” focuses on flare and style illustrated throughout the homes’ decor. A blend of modern and traditional ideas make this year’s tour even more exciting for visitors as they can never know what to expect as they move from home to home. This video shows only a few of the thousands of decorating ideas featured at this year’s tour.
Visit WBNS-10TV’s home page to see more videos, pictures and parade updates as we near opening day.
This year’s parade builders are giving BUILT-IN some new meaning. From the ‘family management center’ to the key garage and reading/hiding nook to the elaborate closets, wine cellars, kitchen pantries, recessed wall for family photos, traditional book shelves and window seats, this year’s parade has kept the woodworkers hopping. Oh, and not to mention, gives professional organizers some new dreams.
A visit to the Parade site this week revealed a lot of exciting interior work shaping up. Here’s just a sampling of the light fixtures that have been installed in the Gossing, Coppertree and Kevin Knight houses.
Kitchen lighting in the Gossing home
Light cascades down the front-entry fixture at the Gossing home
Arts and Crafts fixture at the Gossing home
Ceiling fan being installed at the Coppertree home
Bird cages? NO! See the bulbs inside? These are light fixtures, too.
There’s plenty of dust on the floor and busy craftsmen – it’s all a work in progress. But there’s been enough started inside the Parade houses that it’s not too hard to imagine the final product.
Here’s a sampling of some of the items to look for at the July event.
Kevin Knight is using reclaimed wood from a variety of places for the entire main floor. Last week there were stacks of the wood waiting to be installed. This week it's all in place and even though there's quite a bit of dust, it's looking pretty impressive.
One of the stunning features of the Duffy Homes house is the stone wall that spans the entire length of the house and separates the great room from the kitchen and informal dining area.
The Stafford Group has a loft area in the second floor that overlooks the kitchen on one side and the great room on the other. Obviously there will be some sort of railing put in place.
Lavender gardens, an interior stone wall, and a uniquely aged brick exterior finish capture the romantic feeling of the French countryside and the elements you’ll find in this year’s parade home being built by Duffy. They don’t need the Luck of the Irish to pull off this beautiful custom build, but we’re thrilled they are doing it in Dublin anyway.
The staircase in the Trinity Homes home is a bit unique. It has a landing halfway up and then splits off in two different directions. Hopefully these shots show how a set of stairs halfway up lead to the bonus room (to the right) while the other set of stairs splits off (to the left) and leads to a couple of other bedrooms.
It might be a little hard to get the concept from these photos, but it’s something to keep you eyes open for when you come to the tour.
Staircase from the entry hall – top part leads to bonus room.
Heading out to the parade site yesterday, there was some great progress to behold.
The Tuckerman Home Group has added some great finishes to their home. A golden faux finish in the downstairs study complements the rich woodwork that is beautifully detailed. Unfortunately, the wood was still covered up to protect it from the paint, so this photo doesn’t do it justice. But I tried to get a photo that would highlight the wood, the paint and the detail of the great light fixture.
In the kitchen there was more great detail:
The light woodwork contrasts nicely with the dark cupboards. And the mosaic tile on the backsplash looks really sharp. When we were there, they were just beginning to install the stainless steel appliances – including TWO dishwashers… nice!
Keep checking back. We’ll be highlight some finishes in other houses – Manor Homes’ beautiful wood-detailed mantle; M/I’s semi-circular bar in the basement media room; wroght-iron spindles in Trinity’s staricase; just lots of great details.
