Ready, Set, Show! From Country Cottage To Urban Condo, Local Builders Offer Broadest Range Ever

When Lori Gray’s children were young, she would toss towels in the dryer while they bathed, then wrap the kids in cozy warmth as soon as they hopped out of the tub.

Now the kids are grown and mom’s a builder. But Gray hasn’t lost her motherly instincts. Right next to the jetted tub in her $419,000 Qualchan “spec home” is an electrically heated warming drawer from which bathers, young and old, can retrieve toasty towels and robes.

The warming drawer is one of many fresh ideas for the annual Showcase of Homes, sponsored by the Spokane Home Builders Association.

Other new features include the home show’s first condominium, a two-bedroom unit in downtown’s Riverpoint Village; its first manufactured home, just west of the Pullman Highway; and its most expensive entry ever, a $1.75 million mansion perched on the rim of Five Mile Prairie.

The Showcase of Homes opens Saturday and continues through June 25. Hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays, noon to 6 p.m. Sundays, and 3 to 9 p.m. weekdays. The $5 admission gets you into all 19 homes, with no restrictions on which days you choose to visit. Children 12 and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult.

This marks the second year in a row builders have tried the scattered-site approach. The advantages are obvious: tremendous diversity, with homes this year ranging from Habitat For Humanity’s $45,000 entry to Barcellos Construction’s 7,000-square-foot Five Mile estate.

And with twice the number of homes as were typically seen in Spokane’s traditional single-site format, the scattered show offers more builders, subcontractors and suppliers the opportunity to display their talents and merchandise.

Yet attendance last year was only 10,000, compared with historic highs of 25,000 visitors.

Association executive Michele Roban Malinak describes the 1994 show as a learning experience.

Hoping to avoid pre-show gawking, “we kept too quiet for too long,” she explains. Also, there were problems with maps and signage, and some people mistakenly assumed they had to visit all 27 homes in a single day.

This year’s maps are easier to follow, and driving distance to cover the entire loop of homes dropped from last year’s 140 miles to about 90, including the 30-mile round trip to Monark Construction’s waterfront home in Medical Lake.

Tickets and maps are available at all participating homes. Half the ticket revenue will be shared by various non-profit groups whose volunteers serve as site hosts.

Malinak predicts the scattered-site approach gradually will gain popularity. She notes some communities no larger than Spokane attract as many as 80 entries in their scattered shows.

So why has local participation fallen from 27 to 19 - including one $425,000 home that’s been on and off the market almost a full year? Industry insiders say fewer entries reflect a cooling off of the local housing market.

“Things were so hot a year ago, anyone could make money,” observes Gray. Today, she says, builders are less willing to risk getting stuck with a new home, particularly one with a price tag over $150,000.

But not everyone feels cautious. Just across Highway 195 at Sunny Creek Residential Community, developers Brian and Dinah Layton sell double-wide manufactured houses almost as quickly as they can put them together.

Their 1,675-square-foot, two-bedroom home-show entry is priced at $110,000, and comes with brick wainscoting, a two-car garage, den and hot tub.

And in the Valley off Barker Road, Seattle developer Ed Dean plans to fill a 102-acre alfalfa field with 365 homes during the next four years, with prices ranging from $105,000 to $140,000.

His “Sycamore” model home comes loaded with options, but even the basic $129,00 version includes three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a gas fireplace and lawn sprinkler system.

Don’t get the impression, though, that this year’s show is bottom heavy. More than half the entries are priced at over $200,000, and several are worth visiting just for the views, including Larry Barcello’s 15-acre “Barcelona No. 2” north of Bigelow Gulch Road, Mike Murphy’s “Fescue” east of Sullivan Road, John Scandalis’ “Millwood” overlooking the Valley’s Bella Vista development and, of course, the “Barcelona No. 1” on Five Mile Prairie.

Single siting may have an advantage when it comes to convenience, but no home show in Spokane history has offered the diversity of this year’s showcase.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Photos (1 color) Map: 1995 Spokane showcase of homes

MEMO: Two sidebars appeared with the story: 1. HOME LISTINGS Finding your way: A more detailed map of the tour will be available at any of the home locations.

2. ADDRESSES OF SHOW HOMES 1. 8640 N. Cedar 2. 8418 N. Palmer 3. 20016 E. Grace Lane 4. 1722 N. Harmony Lane 5. 402 S. Lucille Lane 6. 16921 E. Morningside Lane 7. 2321 S. Dusk Lane 8. 5031 S. Hillcrest Lane 9. 639 N. Riverpoint Blvd. 10. 951 E. 10th 11. 2006 E. Overbluff Estates Lane 12. 4309 Greystone Lane 13. 5520 S. Thor 14. 2210 E. 54th 15. 6610 S. Devonshire Court 16. 111 E. Meadow Lane 17. 503 E. Bridlewood Lane 18. 4539 S. Sunny Creek Circle 19. 1210 E. Lakeshore Drive, Medical Lake