Home Show Entries Display Interesting Design Ideas

Remember that line from “Field of Dreams”: “If you build it, he will come”?

Builder Larry Barcellos and his son, Larry Jr., know the feeling. Ever since they finished their 7,500-square-foot Showcase of Homes entry, area residents have been making pilgrimages up Cedar Road to Five Mile Prairie to discover what $1 million-plus has wrought.

Last weekend, hundreds waited as long as 45 minutes for a chance to examine the home’s 12-seat theater, its saunas, jetted tubs, three kitchens, waterfall and other amenities.

Now, sponsors hope ticket-holders heed another, more obscure line from the film and “go the distance” - travel the 100-mile loop and peruse the other 18 homes on this year’s tour, which ends Sunday. Hours are 3-9 p.m. today, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday and noon-6 p.m. Sunday. Admission to all 19 homes is $5, with children 12 and under admitted free.

No doubt “Barcelona 1” at 8640 N. Cedar will generate the most ooo’s and aaah’s. And it’s sure to garner plenty of judges’ awards, seeing as it’s the only house in the $500,001-andup category.

But almost all of this year’s entries have features that warrant a onceover - even Habitat for Humanity’s three-bedroom, $46,000 “Humble Home” at 951 E. 10th, which moved one visitor to comment, “Now this is real.”

Reality also can be found in Sunny Creek Residential Community, a manufactured-housing development with, by the way, one of the most attractive entrances of any neighborhood on the tour. Many people are getting their first look at a product that represents 35 percent of all new homes in Washington state, and they’re surprised by how far the “mobile home” of yesteryear has evolved.

Just across Highway 195 are two noteworthy homes. Lori Gray’s “Creekside at Qualchan” takes full advantage of Latah Creek with a 100-foot-long wrap-around deck that resembles the prow of a ship. Just upstream in Bridlewood, Rich Dahm’s “Selkirk III” addresses the riparian habitat in a more modest, intimate fashion.

Above Latah Creek in Highland Park, George Paras has imbued “The Devonshire” with his usual attention to detail, including a handsome masonry fireplace and cabinet combination in the family room. His “Brookfield” at 2210 E. 54th is equally well-appointed, with an appealing purple-tiled half-bath, elegantly simple cabinetry and a charming cattail chandelier in the kitchen.

Several homes are worth the drive just to enjoy their settings. Don’t miss “Barcelona 2” tucked away on 12 acres north of Bigelow Gulch (be sure to peek inside the green-marble shower in the master suite). And wind your way to the top of Bella Vista, where John Scandalis has built a lodge-style balcony worthy of this mountaintop property.

Just north of Bella Vista, off 32nd Avenue in Morning Side, are two of the show’s more interesting entries. Mike Murphy’s “Fescue” includes clever built-in hutches in the diningroom corners, and one of the nicest master suites on the tour. Around the bend, builder John Carl has accented his “Olsen” with a distinctive, cultured stone veneer. Inside, Coeur d’Alene decorator Pat Voking of Victorian Treasures has worked wonders with a profusion of silk flowers.

Three other homes in the Spokane Valley are good examples of what can be accomplished with more modest budgets. There’s Bobbie Swanson’s four-level “Sundowner” at 20016 E. Grace, Dean Housley Homes’ “Sycamore” country cottage at Barker and Mission, and Bill Koll’s low-maintenance “Willows” at 402 S. Lucille.

Eagle Mountain has two homes in this year’s show: the exceptionally convenient “Bankside” condo unit astride the Centennial Trail at downtown’s Riverpoint development, and the more secluded “Overbluff Eagle” tucked away in a wooded neighborhood between Rockwood and Southeast boulevards.

Farther south, just off Freya, John Scandalis’ “Millcreek” offers a rugged redwood deck and an inviting master suite. And Koll’s “Beringer” at 5520 S. Thor makes the most of vaulted ceilings and bay windows.

To the west in Medical Lake, Pat Audett offers a surprisingly wideopen floor plan within a relatively cozy three-bedroom layout.

If there’s fault to be found in this year’s Showcase of Homes, it’s the lack of architectural uniqueness. Almost without exception, the homes are reincarnations of designs intended for other sites, usually in other cities.

But when it comes to diversity, this year’s tour has it all. Where else could you take the money being asked for the highest-priced home - $1.75 million - and buy the 11 least expensive entries?

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 3 Photos (2 Color)