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Archive for May, 2008
BIA Parade of Homes to feature herbs
An article in the May 15 issue of ThisWeek Community News, the Gahanna edition, speaks to the herb component of the Parade:
Capitalizing on Gahanna’s status as the herb capital of Ohio, the Building Industry Association’s 2008 Parade of Homes will offer “An Herbal Experience,” June 14-29. Gahanna’s Manor Homes’ development, a 40.42-acre subdivision at Clark State and Reynoldsburg-New Albany roads that features 60 single-family homes valued at an average of $500,000, will be the site of the 2008 Parade of Homes. Experts from the Ohio Herb Education Center (OHEC), managed by Gahanna’s Department of Parks & Recreation, are assisting the parade with herb gardens and programming. Each of the seven parade homes will feature an herb garden and herbs will be integrated into the landscape design in common areas.
A tent pavilion will be centrally located at the parade with daily herbal demonstrations and hands-on activities. Seven presenters will participate including OHEC and local merchants who have incorporated herbs into their products.
Local chefs will present cooking demonstrations in select parade kitchens using herbs to enhance culinary creations. The Parade of Homes preview party June 13 will feature herbs in a variety of dishes.
Read the entire article. (PDF)
Look out for pirates
Last week the Key Homes house had wet cement in the driveway and sidewalk making entrance into the property impossible.
Now that the concrete has hardened there’s a lot to look at. Especially the pirate map in one of the upstairs bedrooms.
There weren’t any pirates on site, however.
Are wetlands a natural habitat for Bobcats?
The wetland setting that makes up the Village at Hannah Farms has surely contained a large variety of wildlife for a long time.
But who knew it was the ideal habitat for so many bobcats?
A count last week revealed at least six – here’s a look at a few of them in their natural environment.
A staircase in progress
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.
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- Staircase from the entry hall – top part leads to bonus room.
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- Staircase shot from the great room
Landscaping progress
With just a little over a month to go before the start of the Parade, homes are really starting to take shape. Fischer Homes is just about wrapped up with the inside and has started to install their landscaping.
Yeah, yeah, yeah… there’s still some bare spots and the trees are a little wanting of more leaves, and the flowers aren’t there yet, but stay posted, they’ll be coming soon. And with all the rain we’re getting, the plants are getting plenty of help from Mother Nature.
Check out the size of these…
TREES! One of the great things about this year’s Parade site is the amount of nature. These trees are huge – and the entire neighborhood is surrounded by them. Just to the left of the house shown (M/I Home’s, by the way), there’s a path that winds through the woods and will provide access to Hannah Farms, which the City of Gahanna is in the process of giving a major overhaul.
And speaking of big… to the casual eye, it’s not very noticeable, but the walls of the OS Homes home really are thicker. This, of course, is due to the extra-efficient, environmentally-friendly insulation that will ultimately keep heating and cooling bills down (and less carbon in the air – yeah!) Mmmmmmmm, cozy.
Celebrity Design Challenge
So we’re adding a little something fun to the mix this year with a Celebrity Design Challenge. We’ve asked Colleen Marshall of NBC 4 and Yolanda Harris of WSYX Channel 6 (ABC) to add their design savvy to two different rooms in the parade.
Last week Michelle Etheridge, designer for Manor Homes, met with Yolanda to discuss some options for her design influence.
You’ll have to wait until the parade to see what they came up with (hint, it’s a pink room!) The next time you’re watching the Channel 6 evening news, see if you notice any hot glue stuck to Yolanda’s fingers (or other signs of decorating.)
Some great finishes taking shape
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.
