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Parade of Homes: With houses no longer getting bigger, attention turns to amenities

ELKHORN — The Lakeland Builders Association opens its doors for the 21st annual Parade of Homes over two weekends — July 31-Aug. 1 and Aug. 7-8. Fourteen area homes will be on the tour, which takes place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day of the event.

See renderings and maps to all the homes in the Parade of Homes special section e-edition, HERE.

For the second year, parade goers can purchase tickets in advance at Culver’s restaurants in Elkhorn, Lake Geneva and Delavan. Tickets also are available at local banks. Buying them in advance, with the use of a two-for-one voucher, is inexpensive: Two people can tour all 14 homes for just $6 total. If you need extra vouchers, go to the LBA website at www.lakelandba.com to print them out.

Two drawings are another new feature in the parade this year. On the first weekend, the winner of the drawing will receive a golf package for men. Each builder at every home will pull a winner at closing on Sunday.

Ann Pienkos, executive officer of the LBA, said, “We want people to visit all the homes, and this is one way to encourage them to do that. You can enter the drawing at each home.”

On the second weekend, Aug. 7 and 8, the drawing will feature a spa package for women, and again, each builder at every home will pull a winner on Sunday. You don’t have to be present to win.

Pienkos said there is plenty to see on this year’s parade.

“Half of these homes are for sale, so if someone is looking to buy, that’s certainly a reason to go,” she said.

One of the major trends this year is attention to amenities. Homes aren’t getting so much bigger, but better, with more luxuries in the bathrooms, kitchens and master suites.

“People will see nicer amenities in the smaller, more average-size homes this year,” Pienkos said.

Bob Clemen, this year’s Parade of Homes’ chairman, agrees.

“The trend is toward smaller homes with higher quality and more amenities,” he said.

Clemen, owner of Covered Bridges Development Co. said the time to build or buy has never been better. Although he doesn’t have a home on the parade this year, he’s always counted on the Parade of Homes to help build his business.

“People find some great ideas at these parades,” he said. “People are going to take away decorating ideas at the very least. They’re going to get ideas for the kitchen, the garage, the decks.

“They can spend time getting to know the builders, talk to them about their ideas, no matter what level they’re at.”

Clemen said people will see a lot of the new amenities that are so popular: outdoor living space, luxurious bathrooms and hide-a-ways, built-ins and architectural details.

“People are building a 2,400- square-foot home and they’re going to have a deluxe bathroom. Buyers want high-quality upgrades, especially in the kitchen and bath and in the energy-efficiency rating of the home. A bigger home costs a lot to build, but it also costs a lot to heat it and maintain it.”

It’s one of the reasons green building continues to excite people. Clemen said that if energy-saving techniques can demonstrate that they also save money, people like them.

“Green is very big; people are looking at all kinds of alternative ideas,” Clemen said.

LBA President Jeff Auberger knows all about green building. His company Preservation Homes-Conservation Development out of Elkhorn, specializes in it.

While Auberger does have a home on this year’s parade, he is not the only builder in the parade that emphasizes green-building techniques: Greenstone Builders in Lake Geneva also is a green builder. Preview both of these homes on page 11.

“Both of our homes feature some very interesting things environmentally,” Auberger said.

He believes this year’s Parade of Homes is especially convenient.

“First, there’s the obvious factor that all of the homes are pretty much clustered around the Lake Geneva area,” he said. “It makes it easy to map out an efficient route. It will certainly be worth the trip to see them all, including the two that are in Elkhorn.

“Thelen’s home (see page 3) is certainly a destination home. And the Arbanella/ Carmody Home is the more average home that people can picture themselves buying and moving into.”

Considering the difficulties currently affecting the housing and mortgage markets, the builders believe they have assembled a nice variety of homes for the parade.

The association also has made an effort to include two community organizations.

“The idea was to have involvement and exposure for some of the good organizations in the community,” Auberger said. “The association prides itself on being involved in the community. We have the Builders Help Committee that is always busy doing good work in the community.”

During the parade, there will be space in some of the homes’ garages and other areas for associate members, like cabinet makers, lighting supply companies, and others to set up booths. The idea is to have a mini home expo within the parade.

Some of this space will be given to Walworth County Habitat for Humanity and the Lakeland Animal Shelter. The executive officer for Habitat for Humanity is an LBA member — an example of how LBA members serve their communities.

But the stars of the parade, as usual, will be the homes.

“And who doesn’t want to walk through a 7,000-square-foot home on the lakefront? You can go through 14 different homes in the space of one or two weekends,” Clemen said. “That’s pure entertainment for you.”