Calvacade of Homes is a must-see
I don’t know if it was because of an email, or an ad on Facebook, but I learned that the Calvacade of Homes would again take place. After a two-year hiatus, because of COVID, they’re back.
What is the Calvacade? It’s a grouping of many homes, located all over the different suburbs, that are available for viewing. Normally all the homes are newly built, but this year they even included a 25-year-old home that had undergone a major renovation. The Cavalcade lasts for two weekends. The houses are available to be seen Friday through Sunday.
I have a friend who, like myself, loves to tour the homes. I hadn’t talked to her in over a year, so when I dialed her number, I was disappointed that the call didn’t go through. I knew she had moved, but I really didn’t recall where. I remembered the area where her sister lived, but when I drove over there, the exact house was a faded memory. As I pondered how to find her, I decided to check my email. Guess what? I had two email addresses for her. I sent a note and within a couple of hours, she called back. People change phone numbers but thank goodness they don’t usually change their email address!
We decided to start the tour going to the house located furthest out. It was a modern home built in Ottawa, situated on a lot overlooking the Illinois River. To say the house is gorgeous is an understatement. Every floor, including a rooftop deck area, showcased the magnificent view.
The exact cost of the house wasn’t given in the guidebook, but I would put it easily in the $4-5 million range. The house even has an elevator that takes you from the basement all the way up to the roof. I don’t have the money to buy that kind of house, but should I ever get some money, I know what to look for! We managed to get through viewing eight of the houses on Friday. I couldn’t do the tour on Saturday, but we resumed on Sunday and got through four more.
I have a very critical eye when touring homes. I feel that if one is spending millions of dollars, perfection should come with the cost. One of my pet peeves is builders who are still using regular outlets. I am an advocate for the newer rectangular switches and outlets.
I also noticed that the biggest trend now is black. The windows are black, the roof, and even the gutters. It will be interesting to see in 20 years how that trend holds up. Interestingly, one of the houses featured was completely remodeled. The designer did a great job of redefining features that were popular 25 years ago. The octagon-shaped sun room, the double staircases, and the pop-in glass transom window above the interior doorway were modernized into a sleek update.
This coming weekend is your last opportunity to see many of these homes. Visit cavalcadetourofhomes.com to learn more.
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