“Open House” addicts have the next five weekends to indulge their favorite pastime.
And they won’t need a real estate agent to do it.
Nearly 30 high-end homes for sale in some of the Denver area’s most exclusive neighborhoods will be open for drooling (er, viewing) during the Denver Luxury Home Tour, which this year replaces the annual Parade of Homes.
That event was scrapped because the current economy made it hard for builders to finance newly built homes as they have in the past.
Instead, this self-guided driving tour features properties valued at $1 million to nearly $6 million. They will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays through Sundays from Friday through July 5.
Vicki Pelletier, vice president of operations for the Home Builders Association of Metro Denver, said this year’s tour capitalizes on the universal curiosity about what lies behind closed doors.
“As a child,” she said, “if there is a closed door, you want to know what’s behind it.”
Attendees can think of their $15 ticket as a passport into some of the area’s most heavily guarded communities. The craftsmanship on display in these homes might just motivate do-it-yourselfers to install a little luxury of their own. Expect to see balconied courtyards, romantic landscaping, high-tech security systems and integrated elevators.
“We’ve had many people come through our houses and mention that they had no idea that a community like this existed … in Colorado,” said Deb Dribnak with the Mediterranean-styled Goldbranch estates and village homes in Niwot.
In previous years, the Parade of Homes spotlighted five to eight new custom homes in the same neighborhood. Visitors generally viewed all of the homes in one day. That set-up limited the number of builders who participated.
The new tour has 27 showhomes, which have never been lived in before, in established neighborhoods across the Front Range. The homes are divided into five corridors to encourage leisurely meandering.
Visitors will see a variety of architectural styles including Tuscan village homes, Tudor Revival, Spanish continental and Colorado contemporary, and can view them all at their own pace — in just one day or several.
“With the Parade of Homes in the past, when you saw one or two of the homes, the rest all pretty much started to look the same,” said builder Chris Henderson with Landmark Traditions. That company has a $2.75 million Evergreen home on the tour that features more than 120 tons of natural stone and a state-of- the-art geothermal heating system.
“This tour will really showcase that (when) building a custom home in Colorado,” he said, “the sky’s the limit.”
Colorado contemporary
Neighborhood: Upper Bear Creek, Evergreen
Address: 650 Golden Willow Road
Builder: Landmark Traditions
Square Feet: 7,500
Price: $2,750,000
This new Colorado-style home offers a contemporary design softened with rustic elements such as beetle-kill timbers and reclaimed wood flooring. It boasts fantastic mountain views. The floor plan is meant to be functional with sensibly-sized rooms. The home has a state-of-the-art geothermal heating system, which draws heat from the earth and uses only a small amount of electricity for heating. It is finished with custom alder doors, trim and cabinets; and slab granite, marble and travertine. There are four bedrooms and seven bathrooms.
Spanish continental
Neighborhood: Crestmoor, Denver
Address: 119 Krameria St.
Builder: Seremet Development Group
Square Feet: 5,260 sq. ft. on the main and upper floors and a 2,040 sq. ft. finished basement.
Price: $1,995,000
This home, described by the builder as “Spanish continental,” is situated on an elevated lot near the community pool and tennis club. It features a main floor master bedroom and room to install an elevator. Its “wow” factor is achieved by combining ordinary materials with extraordinary craftsmanship. Amenities include five bedroom suites, main floor office, two laundry rooms, four fireplaces, butler’s pantry, basement entertainment area and bar, a 600-bottle wine cellar and a dedicated home theater. There are two outdoor areas for entertaining, which are located under a mature locust and pine tree canopy.
Tudor Revival
Neighborhood: Belcaro Park, Denver
Address: 3336 E. Belcaro Drive
Builder: Weston Construction
Square Feet: 8,724 plus a 3,600 sq. ft. finished basement.
Price: $5,800,000
Named “Belcaro Woods,” this home is inspired by the Arts and Crafts Movement as well as by Sanford Orcas, an elegant English manor built in 1550. It is nestled among mature trees and features a steeply pitched Vermont slate roof, locally quarried Colorado sandstone window surrounds and cornices, and 20-inch-thick exterior walls. The interior has, among other things, a mahogany library, a great hall with hammer beam trusses and a see-through fireplace.
Tuscan (Shown on cover)
Neighborhood: Goldbranch Estates, Niwot
Address: 6817 Goldbranch Drive
Builder: Goldbranch Village Homes
Square Feet: 5,624 finished; 2,727 unfinished
Price: $3,499,000
This Mediterranean-style home is located on an 18-acre parcel seven miles from Boulder in picturesque Niwot with its quaint shops and restaurants. Balconied courtyards enclose the residence. Iron- and wood-gated porte cocheres lend privacy. Additional highlights include cherry wood paneled elevators, groin-vaulted gallery hallways, an automatic entry gate and a four-car garage.
Sheba R. Wheeler: 303-954-1283 or swheeler@denverpost.com.
2009 Denver Luxury Home Tour
For the first time, the Home Builders Association of Metro Denver (HBA) is producing a self-guided tour featuring 27 new homes ranging in value from $1 million to nearly $6 million.
When: Friday through July 5
Time: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays
Where: Throughout the metro area from Niwot to the north and Castle Rock to the south, Evergreen to the west and in a variety of Denver neighborhoods
Tickets: $12-$15 online at or at King Soopers locations. Call 303-551-6728 for more information.
