Spokane Home Builders Association’s Fall Festival of Homes returns for 18th year

Spokane homebuilder Kyle Marsh enjoys turning concepts of unique residential projects into reality.

One such project is Marsh’s family home, a nearly 7,000-square-foot, five-bedroom, seven-bathroom property that combines modern farmhouse elements with traditional features on 10 acres in Colbert.

“I hand drew the home floor plan,” said Marsh, who owns Kyle Marsh Construction Inc. “When I started conceptualizing it and putting it together, I thought, ‘This is going to be pretty cool.’ It’s very special to us because everything that I thought I could offer my kids, I put into this thing.”

The home, valued at more than $1.8 million and built over 18 months, includes two indoor playhouses along with a 1,900-square-foot garage with a radiant heat flooring system. Each room in the home has a different theme yet seems to blend cohesively throughout the property, Marsh said.

“I’m kind of excited to see people’s response because I think it turned out as good, if not better, than I envisioned it,” Marsh said. “I had a lot of help from my wife and a designer. It all came together beautifully, I think.”

Marsh is among 10 Spokane-area homebuilders participating in the Spokane Home Builders Association’s annual Fall Festival of Homes.

In its 18th year, the festival will feature in-person and virtual tours of 16 single-family homes over this weekend and next – Friday through Sunday and Sept. 30-Oct. 2.

It marks the first year the festival has returned to a full in-person event without pandemic-related restrictions, which were in place in 2021. The event was virtual in 2020.

The home tours, available 10 a.m.- 5 p.m., provide people access to residential construction industry experts and a chance to view the latest trends in architecture, energy efficiency and interior design.

“We have more of a modern feel in this year’s show with increased technology in the homes. There are some new designs that I hadn’t seen previously,” said Joel White, executive officer of the Spokane Home Builders Association. “People are going to be wowed by some of the features and views created on some of the lots.”

Attendees are encouraged to begin the tour at one of three host sites featuring homes by local builders Greenstone, Camden Homes Inc. and Pennsylvania-based Toll Brothers, a luxury homebuilder that entered the Spokane market in the spring.

From the host sites, attendees can use the SHBA Fall Festival of Homes printed guide or app for turn-by-turn directions to the newly constructed homes, some of which are mapped using GPS coordinates because they are not yet listed on Google Maps.

This year, the homes will offer “something for everyone” with prairie, farmhouse, craftsman and contemporary designs, White said.

The homes are spread across north Spokane, the West Plains, South Hill, Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake and Deer Park.

Those properties on the tour that are for sale vary in price from nearly $420,000 for a 1,400-square-foot home on the West Plains to nearly $1 million for a 1,970-square-foot home in Deer Park.

Prior to the pandemic, the festival drew several thousand people with builders seeing about 400 to 500 guests at their homes on an average day, White said.

It was challenging for builders to prepare the homes this year as the construction industry faced a shortage of skilled workers, lack of buildable lots and supply chain issues.

As a result, a couple of homes are missing items, like a mirror or appliance, that are on back order, White said.

The association is anticipating more than 3,000 attendees opening weekend, said Jessie Madison, marketing, events and communications coordinator for the SHBA.

“It’s really a way for builders to grow their names,” she said of the festival. “They are meeting new people, potential clients and Realtors. If they get two or three potential clients out of it, we see that as a success.”

Those unable to attend the festival in person can view 3D virtual tours of each home beginning Friday. The virtual home tours will include information about the builders, floor plans, smart-home technology trends and interior design.

Marsh is a newcomer to the festival this year, in addition to Big Blue Homes, Grit & Timber Properties and Toll Brothers.

Marsh joined the festival to potentially gain more exposure for his company and continue a family legacy of homebuilding, he said.

Marsh grew up in the construction industry as his father, Ken, has been an award-winning homebuilder since the early 1980s. At 23, Marsh founded his construction company, which has steadily been growing for more than 16 years.

“I’ve always looked up to him and the quality he’s been able to put together, and that’s the reason I’m in this industry,” Marsh said of his father.

“Hopefully, I can bring home an award and follow in his footsteps.”