Homearama includes fresh faces, one-of-a-kind designs

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WEST CHESTER TWP. — The homes in the 49th Homearama showcase each feature a unique touch from their builders.

One includes a sports court, one has interior made to look like a castle, and another has a fireplace with giant flames.

One bedroom in each house has a theme, decorated on a $2,500 budget with specific information available on paint, colors and decorators so it can be copied, said Dan Dressman, executive director of Home Builders Association of Greater Cincinnati, the show’s sponsor.

This year marks the return of Homearama with the construction of five new homes on Keltner Drive in the Foxborough housing subdivision.

The home showcase was on an economy-driven hiatus in 2010. Two of the houses have been pre-sold.

Builders were putting on the finishing touches, moving in furniture and applying the final layer of paint this week.

“It’s just great exposure,” said Jan Gerding, the real estate broker for one of the houses, about the show.

Justin Doyle Homes

House stats:

• Approximately 6,400-square-feet;

• One story ranch-style with a finished basement;

• Five bedrooms and four 1/2 bathrooms;

• Sold for $830,000.

A Homearama first-timer, this is the first house Justin Doyle Homes has built in Greater Cincinnati with the exception of its model home in Lebanon. The house is designed for the buyer, who came to Doyle in March, Justin Doyle said.

“The homeowner basically told me ‘we want the house to look like a castle,’” Doyle said.

To that effect, the house features eight-foot doors with a custom wood stain finish, a library on the first floor with a sliding ladder, a wine cellar in the basement and a theater room, he said.

Justin Doyle, 2292 Triple Creek Court, Lebanon, is a 100-percent Energy Star builder. Doyle said the high-end company started in the Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus area in January.

Daniels Homes

House stats:

• 7,100-square-feet;

• Two upper levels and two lower levels;

• Five bedrooms and five 1/2 bathrooms;

• Listed for $1,077,000.

The real estate broker for this house describes it as an “entertainer’s dream.”

The house built by the Cincinnati company has a first floor with a master bedroom suite and a second story with three bedrooms, including a loft area, said Jan Gerding, an agent with Coldwell Banker West Shell. But the lower levels house an exercise room, theater area and a bar area, Gerding said. The bar area overlooks a second lower level that has half an inside sports court, she said.

European influences are throughout the house in the painting, finishes and lighting fixtures. She added that there’s an outdoor patio with a kitchen area.

Daniels Homes, 9380 Montgomery Road, Cincinnati, has participated in Homearama the most consecutive years from 1993 to 2008, she said.

Jack H. Wieland Builders, Inc.

House stats:

• 4,700-square-feet;

• Two stories plus partly finished basement;

• Four bedrooms and six bathrooms;

• Sold for approximately $672,000.

The Fairfield-based family builders are making their 19th appearance in Homearama with a house made for a buyer who works from home and their children at mind.

It’s a transitional first floor master plan style house with a traditional exterior of a front porch, brick and shutters, said Jeff Wieland, vice president of the company. Because the buyer runs their business from home, it has an office attached to the back right of the house.

The second floor is designed for the kids with extra room for entertainment, Wieland said.

On the first floor is an open space with the foyer, kitchen, great room and dining room, he said. A deck off the first floor is partly covered and partly exposed.

“When people come through...they see a distinct difference in quality and craftsmanship,” he said.

A lot of the woodwork in the house was done on site, he added.

Willig Greystone Custom Homes

• 5,300-square-feet;

• One story plus finished walkout basement;

• Four bedrooms and three 1/2 bathrooms;

• Will be listed at approximately $814,000.

This builder is trying for two firsts at the show: their first appearance and possible Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certification, said Kimberly Fox of Kimberly Fox Designs, who did the interior design of the house for the Cincinnati area builder.

The house incorporates several environmentally friendly features, including all energy efficient lighting, higher efficiency heating and cooling and a hand-scraped hickory floor made by inmates in North Carolina, said Fox and Dan Willig, with the building company. Fox said the inmates give the money to the families of their victims or their children if they have them.

Area floor rugs were made without child labor, Fox said.

“I don’t think there’s been one [a LEED house] before,” Willig said.

In the lower level is an open floor plan with a full pub, video projector and separate spaces for a poker table and exercise room, Fox said.

Zaring Premier Homes

• 5,934-square-feet;

• Two story plus finished basement;

• Four bedrooms, plus guest suite and four and 1/2 bathrooms;

• Listed for $834,000.

One of the most unique features of this home is a Solaris direct vent gas fireplace. The fireplace is thin, see-through and has a flame that appears to be suspended in midair, according to the manufacturer. It’s double-sided, meaning it’s in between two rooms in the basement and can be seen from both rooms, said Ray Neverovich, division president of The Drees Co. The fire also seems to never go out, Neverovich said.

Zaring is a high-end brand of The Drees Co. of Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati, one of the partners of Foxborough. Other unique features of its home for the show include a guest suite, maybe for in-laws or parents, that has its own kitchenette and full bathroom, Neverovich said. In addition to the fireplace, the basement has a walk up bar and a freestanding table for social gatherings.

There’s a recreation room with a Cincinnati Reds theme.

On the first floor is an open space connecting the family room and kitchen, he said. A large covered deck is off the back.

“I think this house is setup for a family with young teenagers,” he added.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2551 or clevingston@coxohio.com.