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2008 Parade of Homes: A new take on Tuscan

By Lisa Marshall, Special to the Rocky

Published July 25, 2008 at 5:38 p.m.

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Parade of homes


Photo by Ellen Jaskol © The Rocky

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The word Tuscan conjures images of clay tile roofs, stone archways, lush outdoor gardens and traditional Old World design.

You'll find all that on the outside of Casa Vecchio e Nuovo at the 2008 Parade of Homes, but step inside this "House of Old and New" and things become far less predictable.

Hanging in the entryway, two funky light fixtures look a lot like iron branches adorned with giant red and white Life Savers. Downstairs, a sleek wine cellar is fully enclosed in glass. In the master bedroom, silver "mica-fleck" wallpaper sets the tone for a decidedly contemporary look. And on the main floor, dark-stained Brazilian wood cabinets, modern art and a steel fireplace create an unmistakably 21st-century vibe.

"We wanted to create something a little simpler, as if someone had come in and remodeled an old Tuscan house and made it more user-friendly for how people live today," says the home's interior designer, Jennifer Jelinek of Arvada-based JJ interiors.

With its ultra-modern interior and classic Tuscan exterior, the house, by Ades Design Builders, captured the pre-parade judging contests with more than 10 awards, including those for best interior design and the judges' overall choice.

It and the seven other homes on display also demonstrate that if you give eight builders the task of building a home with a "European hill town" feel, you'll get eight dramatically different results.

Beginning today and running through Labor Day, the 23rd annual Parade of Homes is expected to draw more than 90,000 visitors to Solterra, a new master-planned community at Lakewood's scenic western edge.

With views of Red Rocks' towering sandstone and the rugged Rooney Valley, it seems a more fitting place for log lodges or Southwest adobe homes. Instead, the 330-acre development oozes Old World feel, with all the 1,400 homes there to be modeled after those in the hill towns of France and Italy.

"It's a new style for Colorado," says Vicki Pelletier, vice president of operations for the Home Builders Association of Metro Denver, which hosts the tour. "There's everything from French Provencal style to an Italian farm home. They all have a different breath of fresh air."

The eight tour homes range from 5,494 to 8,800 square feet and from $1,995,000 to just under $2.5 million, and all are certified Built Green. But each is radically different.

"We really bought into the idea of true Old World Tuscany and tried to carry that throughout the entire home," says Jeff Cline, who designed and built the Bella Vista house.

At Bella Vista's core is a curved gnarly stone wall, intended to look like a remnant of an ancient fortress, with each room sprouting from it as if it had been added on to through the centuries. The kitchen - with its warm, old-country feel - features cabinets made from beetle-kill wood from Grand County, a stellar view of Red Rocks and - appropriately - the words The Beautiful View of Red Rock scrawled in Italian over the breakfast-nook window.

Brookline Homes went even further in its quest for authenticity, building its 7,302-square-foot Il Campanile (Italian for "bell tower") around - of course - a bell tower (the bell was supposed to be imported from Italy but didn't arrive before the show, so Brookline had one made locally). It also features a groin-vault ceiling (an architectural feat modeled after those in European cathedrals) and a 1,000-square- foot sunken courtyard with its own water feature, outdoor kitchen and fireplace, and accordion doors opening to a vast indoor wine cellar.

"Outdoor living spaces are huge in Italy," says Tara Carter, co-owner of Brookline Homes. "From everywhere in the house, all the windows open up and you can hear that waterfall in the courtyard. They truly bring nature inside."

Tara and husband Scott Carter are so confident that the home will be a hit that, rather than put it on the market, they've opted to do something never done before with a tour home. On Sept. 2, they'll auction off the house and all its contents to the highest bidder.

"People love this area. It is so popular out here they already have waiting lists," Carter says. "We figure there is going to be more than one person who loves this house, so we're going to put them all in a room together and see who loves it most."

The details:

* Where: Solterra, located a half-mile east of C-470 and the Alameda Parkway exit in Lakewood

* When: Through Labor Day. Open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and Labor Day.

* Cost: $12 for adults; $8 for seniors 65 and older; $8 for children 6 to 17; free for children 5 and under

* More: This year's tour will be a zero-waste event, using compostable paper products and corn- or sugar-based flatware (rather than petroleum products).

* Auctions: The Parade will auction select items, such as furniture, bedding sets and a stained-glass window from one of the homes, on Aug. 30 and 31. For details and how to bid, call 303-551-6735 or visit paradeofhomesdenver.com. For more information on the Sept. 2 auction of the Il Campanile house, go to brookline colorado.com.

* Information: Paradeof homesdenver.com

Casa Vecchio e Nuovo, Ades Design Builders:

* 8,000 square feet. $2.5 million. Tuscan exterior, but contemporary interior with sleek wine cellar, modern art and a steel fireplace.

La Bella Vita, Gregg Design Custom Builders:

* 7,444 square feet. $2.6 million. Tuscan-style estate with Venetian plaster walls in the dining room, a gourmet kitchen, a circular wine cellar and a "Juliet balcony" with great views.

The Villa di Vita, Wall Custom Homes:

* 6,436 square feet. $2.49 million. Tuscan Old World style with interior courtyard, glass walls with Red Rocks views, a caterer's kitchen and a billiard room.

La Maison des Vues, Waterstone Homes Colorado:

* 5,494 square feet. $2.15 million. French Provencal style with floor-to-ceiling custom windows, hardwood floors and an oversize hearth.

Sede Felice, Element Custom Builders:

* 8,800 square feet. $2.2 million. Designed to look as if it's been in the family for centuries, it features stone columns and a 21/2-story rotunda with a clear glass floor and wine cellar below.

La Belle Maison, 9 One 5 Custom Homes:

* 7,694 square feet. $2.49 million. French Provencal style with grange furniture, a 100-year-old French barn door in the wine cellar and a 150-year-old French Bombay window in the master.

Where are they now?

Builders from the 2007 Parade of Homes, at Southshore near Aurora reservoir, have had a tough time selling amid the tough economy. Of the five homes, two are in foreclosure and three have yet to sell, according to public records:

* Celebrations: Builder: Remarc Homes Inc. Was priced at $1.83 million. Went into foreclosure April 7. Public auction scheduled for Aug. 6.

* The Boat House: Builder: Hollyberry Homes. Was priced at $2.4 million. Went into foreclosure July 16. Public auction scheduled for Nov. 12.

* The Shore House: Builder: Village Homes. Was priced at $1.95 million, now priced at $1.63 million. Still for sale but has an offer on it, according to Village Homes.

* Montauk Point: Builder: Rocky Mountain Custom Homes Inc. Was priced at $1.9 million, now priced at $1.75 million, according to real estate advertisements.

* Trade Winds: Builder: John Laing Homes. Priced at $1.7 million.

Past Parades:

2007: Southshore (Aurora)

2006: Reunion (Commerce City)

2005: Pradera (Douglas County)

2004: Vista Ridge (Erie)

2003: Stapleton (Denver)

2002: Amber Ridge at Daniel's Gate (Douglas County)

2001: Spirit Gulch (Parker)

2000: Tallyn's Reach (Aurora)

Comments

  • July 26, 2008

    10:42 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    RM75 writes:

    I'm glad to see that they are certified Built Green, but even with a more energy efficient home, I can't imagine that living in a 5,494-8,800 square foot single family home is green in any way shape or form. From heating, to maintaining, to all of the stuff you "need" to fill a home of that size, buying a home of that size does not appear to be an environmentally friendly choice.

  • July 26, 2008

    11:47 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    LOUIE writes:

    What's up with marble harming pregnant women ? They say certain colors radiate more harmful affects than others. Heard this on a news clip, but I would like to know more. They were talking the slab quarry marble, many use in thier kitchens. Pink, red, odd colors radiate more than others? Did anyone else pick up on this piece?

  • July 26, 2008

    1 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    me2 writes:

    Some granite is radio active and when it breaks down it emits radon. Pregnant women are told to stay 10 feet away from the counters in the kitchen. That makes cooking a bit awkward wouldn`t you say?

    This shouldn't apply to marble which forms in the ocean and not on land, like granite.

  • July 26, 2008

    4:34 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    jjez writes:

    RM75--I agree wholeheartedly with you! If you've got 10 kids and grandma living with you, that much room might be needed. Of course, alot of it is wasted space. Three-story atriums and the like. And who'd want to spend their entire weekend cleaning that place??? Oh right, silly me, they probably have a maid or at least Merry Maids come in once a week so they don't actually have to do any of the work themselves. And to afford that much house, mommy & daddy both have to work so the kiddies are left on their own with enough money to get into trouble! And it's fabulous that they build "green" but still, heating and cooling that big of a space! I could keep my 1100 sqft house at 85 all winter long (not that I'd want to!) for the cost of what that would be to heat for 1 week! But sheeple buy them, so the builders keep building them.

  • July 28, 2008

    9:29 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    RainbowWarrior writes:

    Built Green has become lip stick for pigs, and a way rationalize waste, greed and stupidity as a standard business practice!

    These monsters average $335.00 per square foot to build, which is 3 times what it should cost to build a nice home.

    I wish the HBA would end the Parade of Exccesses, and deveolpe an annual competetion to build the best home for the least amount of money that cost you nothing to live in from a net energy perspective.

    The current Parade of Homes will just be another insult rather than the inspiration and the educational platform it could be.

    Anyone can build something that looks good with an unlimited budget and loose rules... how about building something that not only looks good but functions like something out of the 21st Century and addresses the many problems we have created for our selves over the past several decades from our igronace and complacency?

    The bar should be raised, and if it was none of these houses or builders would make the final cut.

    Sure is sad that it's just another year of the same old construction and mentality, despite all that is happening within the industry and the lost potential to offer so much more than million dollar houses that are money pits forever and ever...