Okaloosa-Walton Parade of Homes 2010- my thoughts on the fun
Here's the party line for it:
The Building Industry Association of Okaloosa-Walton Counties | General Information
And a bit of a rambling summary of our take on this year's version..
So we started out on Saturday, figuring we'd hit the Ft. Walton area homes after our usual weekend lunch at Tijuana Flats. Our first stop is in Mary Esther. It's in one of those typical for the area short cul-de-sacs that are wedged between US 98 and the Sound. The street developer has done a nice job of requiring builders keep a fair number of middle-aged live oaks, which I'm always glad to see. The house itself Has a reasonable amount of curb appeal, though I really hate that they've got these weirdly angled pylon things painted dark brown instead of less architectural columns. We walk inside... and it's a total echo chamber. I mumble something about accoustics to the agent in the house and she swears that it won't sound like that once you get furniture. Much more troubling is the paint scheme. Now I'm all for fewer beige walls because I just really, really hate beige, but I really wish that the paint sellers of America would stop trying to convince me that yellow and cranberry go together because they just don't. Ever. On the bright side, the kitchen is pleasant, and the fridge is as huge as promised. We go upstairs and uneventfully wander through the bedrooms, briefly opening up a bedroom window that faces US 98 and are impressed at how much sound reduction the impact glass windows provide because without them, the house would be unliveable. A brief moment of snark at how you can see down into some incomplete crown molding while you're on the stairs, and we're on our way.
Our second stop is a Dixon Kazek house on the bay in Ft. Walton proper. I always really enjoy the Dixon Kazek homes because they do such a good job of seamlessly blending cutting edge into something familiar and comfortable, and their Parade home this year doesn't disappoint. The detail work is impeccable, the tile in the master bedroom is first rate, and they do a wonderful job with using paint and trimwork so that the 17' ceilings seem to be on a human scale. It also helps that they've got one of the best waterfront lots in the area: look right and it's a long sandy stretch of Okaloosa Island that the Air Force owns, to the center is Destin, and to the left you can see the Shalimar Yacht Basin, where a fleet of sailboats are merrily tacking along as part of the day's regatta.
We take a brief break at Lowe's to contemplate our hall bathroom remuddle and are on to the next house just off Lewis Turner. The booklet describes it as 'Craftsman' but it's more like the kind of Craftsman modern you see in Dwell where all the neighbors are angry that the developer got something like that approved to build in an otherwise more traditional area. Unfortunately, it's not nearly as interesting on the inside. They've decided to go with a beige and terra cotta paint scheme on the first floor, which, sorry, makes baby Jesus cry. Kitchen is similar to the Mary Esther house, which is no surprise because it's the same builder, and the similarity continues when I notice that they use the same shag carpet on the second floor of both homes. When we get upstairs, we discover that the 'view of Chula Vista bayou' is blocked by live oak trees, so it's one of those views that is more theory than reality. It's not a bad house, but it just kind of seems overpriced for what you get. Though someone probably will snap it up sooner than later because it's fairly hard to find new construction 2500sf single family in Ft. Walton Beach.
And then we're on to a newer development in Shalimar. As soon as we hit the 'decorative monument' out front, Malvina Reynolds' 'Little Boxes' starts looping through my head, and I find myself wondering which one of these houses belongs to the friendly neighborhood pot-grower. We follow the signs to the Parade house, which is otherwise utterly undistinguishable from the 60 other houses in the development. And that's where the bad begins. The vinyl siding is horribly installed with seams everywhere, the decorative stone just looks outright cheap, and that's even before we get into the home. And yes, it has granite and stainless but they had to cut everywhere else in construction to get to that point. The low of the house is in the master bathroom upstairs, where the builder couldn't even bother to switch out the bright gold doorknob to something that didn't clash with the silver $4.88 each towel bars. And then there's the toilet closet, which is not only perched directly at the front of the house but also has a picture window in front of the commode. At least for this house, you're opposite a retention pond rather than staring directly across the street into your neighbor's toilet closet, but could we please have a little thought with the floor plans?
We escape from there to Swift Creek, and cleanse the plaette by wandering through three Randy Wise homes. While you're never going to get cutting edge with him, he builds attractive and solid homes with wonderful brickwork that are as energy efficient as you'll find in conventional construction. It's actually kind of hard for me to remember much about the pleasant but a little bland homes other than it seems like you're not trying to have two different homes with the same floor plan in the same Parade and that his third house had a really awesome 60' lap pool. The other Swift Creek house is an Arthur Rutenberg, and it leaves me with envy over the gorgeous hardwood floors they carry through the common areas of the house.
Last stop of the day is an infill build in Niceville, and it turns out to be the pleasant surprise of the day. It's an unpretentious 3/2 ranch constructed with ICF, and I'm thrilled to see that getting used in these parts for a home with a $250K sales point. The build quality is very good for these parts; they've gone with a better quality impact glass window than what you see in million dollar homes in these parts, and I love how the thickness of the walls leads to window ledges that are perfect window seats for humans or felines. The home is only $10K more than the Shalimar monstrosity and it's not in the same league in terms of what you get for the money. Granted, you don't get that Agrestic vibe like you do in Shalimar, but in that part of Niceville, your neighbor is probably a retired master sargeant that knows 18 different was to kill someone with a clipboard, and how cool would that be?
Here's the party line for it:
The Building Industry Association of Okaloosa-Walton Counties | General Information
And a bit of a rambling summary of our take on this year's version..
So we started out on Saturday, figuring we'd hit the Ft. Walton area homes after our usual weekend lunch at Tijuana Flats. Our first stop is in Mary Esther. It's in one of those typical for the area short cul-de-sacs that are wedged between US 98 and the Sound. The street developer has done a nice job of requiring builders keep a fair number of middle-aged live oaks, which I'm always glad to see. The house itself Has a reasonable amount of curb appeal, though I really hate that they've got these weirdly angled pylon things painted dark brown instead of less architectural columns. We walk inside... and it's a total echo chamber. I mumble something about accoustics to the agent in the house and she swears that it won't sound like that once you get furniture. Much more troubling is the paint scheme. Now I'm all for fewer beige walls because I just really, really hate beige, but I really wish that the paint sellers of America would stop trying to convince me that yellow and cranberry go together because they just don't. Ever. On the bright side, the kitchen is pleasant, and the fridge is as huge as promised. We go upstairs and uneventfully wander through the bedrooms, briefly opening up a bedroom window that faces US 98 and are impressed at how much sound reduction the impact glass windows provide because without them, the house would be unliveable. A brief moment of snark at how you can see down into some incomplete crown molding while you're on the stairs, and we're on our way.
Our second stop is a Dixon Kazek house on the bay in Ft. Walton proper. I always really enjoy the Dixon Kazek homes because they do such a good job of seamlessly blending cutting edge into something familiar and comfortable, and their Parade home this year doesn't disappoint. The detail work is impeccable, the tile in the master bedroom is first rate, and they do a wonderful job with using paint and trimwork so that the 17' ceilings seem to be on a human scale. It also helps that they've got one of the best waterfront lots in the area: look right and it's a long sandy stretch of Okaloosa Island that the Air Force owns, to the center is Destin, and to the left you can see the Shalimar Yacht Basin, where a fleet of sailboats are merrily tacking along as part of the day's regatta.
We take a brief break at Lowe's to contemplate our hall bathroom remuddle and are on to the next house just off Lewis Turner. The booklet describes it as 'Craftsman' but it's more like the kind of Craftsman modern you see in Dwell where all the neighbors are angry that the developer got something like that approved to build in an otherwise more traditional area. Unfortunately, it's not nearly as interesting on the inside. They've decided to go with a beige and terra cotta paint scheme on the first floor, which, sorry, makes baby Jesus cry. Kitchen is similar to the Mary Esther house, which is no surprise because it's the same builder, and the similarity continues when I notice that they use the same shag carpet on the second floor of both homes. When we get upstairs, we discover that the 'view of Chula Vista bayou' is blocked by live oak trees, so it's one of those views that is more theory than reality. It's not a bad house, but it just kind of seems overpriced for what you get. Though someone probably will snap it up sooner than later because it's fairly hard to find new construction 2500sf single family in Ft. Walton Beach.
And then we're on to a newer development in Shalimar. As soon as we hit the 'decorative monument' out front, Malvina Reynolds' 'Little Boxes' starts looping through my head, and I find myself wondering which one of these houses belongs to the friendly neighborhood pot-grower. We follow the signs to the Parade house, which is otherwise utterly undistinguishable from the 60 other houses in the development. And that's where the bad begins. The vinyl siding is horribly installed with seams everywhere, the decorative stone just looks outright cheap, and that's even before we get into the home. And yes, it has granite and stainless but they had to cut everywhere else in construction to get to that point. The low of the house is in the master bathroom upstairs, where the builder couldn't even bother to switch out the bright gold doorknob to something that didn't clash with the silver $4.88 each towel bars. And then there's the toilet closet, which is not only perched directly at the front of the house but also has a picture window in front of the commode. At least for this house, you're opposite a retention pond rather than staring directly across the street into your neighbor's toilet closet, but could we please have a little thought with the floor plans?
We escape from there to Swift Creek, and cleanse the plaette by wandering through three Randy Wise homes. While you're never going to get cutting edge with him, he builds attractive and solid homes with wonderful brickwork that are as energy efficient as you'll find in conventional construction. It's actually kind of hard for me to remember much about the pleasant but a little bland homes other than it seems like you're not trying to have two different homes with the same floor plan in the same Parade and that his third house had a really awesome 60' lap pool. The other Swift Creek house is an Arthur Rutenberg, and it leaves me with envy over the gorgeous hardwood floors they carry through the common areas of the house.
Last stop of the day is an infill build in Niceville, and it turns out to be the pleasant surprise of the day. It's an unpretentious 3/2 ranch constructed with ICF, and I'm thrilled to see that getting used in these parts for a home with a $250K sales point. The build quality is very good for these parts; they've gone with a better quality impact glass window than what you see in million dollar homes in these parts, and I love how the thickness of the walls leads to window ledges that are perfect window seats for humans or felines. The home is only $10K more than the Shalimar monstrosity and it's not in the same league in terms of what you get for the money. Granted, you don't get that Agrestic vibe like you do in Shalimar, but in that part of Niceville, your neighbor is probably a retired master sargeant that knows 18 different was to kill someone with a clipboard, and how cool would that be?
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Ditto. Now if the builders and designers would read your commentary!
