The Wow Factor

It can take a lot to impress veteran Parade of Homes judges. That's why you sit up and take notice when they start saying things that sound like laudatory blurbs from best-selling book covers.

"It won hands-down over the other houses. As you walk through, it's full of surprises. By the time you're done, you're on Cloud Nine, wishing you could afford it."

That fulsome praise, for example, was from Ralph Hippard, a Fort Lauderdale-based consultant to builders, describing Destino, a $2.5-million Winter Park home by Phil Kean Designs

Kean's spectacular entry earned the Grand Award in the custom home category during this year's parade, an event sponsored by the Home Builders Association of Metro Orlando.

Hippard's fellow judges offered similar accolades about the home, with its classic Tuscan look, contemporary furnishings and distinctive floorplan designed with indoor-outdoor living in mind.

Instead of walking through the front door into a traditional foyer, you step onto a huge lanai that runs along the whole side of the home and depth of the homesite.

Glass walls on both sides of the family room can roll out of the way, leaving no barriers between the living areas, the lanai and the deck surrounding a long, thin rectangle of a pool.

Screens that come down from the lanai soffits at the touch of the button can protect the lanai and the open home's interior from insects.

"The Destino just overwhelmed us because it was just so unique and so different," says Sam Pupello, of New Homes America, a Tampa-based judge. "It's all very dramatic and attention-getting."

But the 4,660-square-foot home, with six bedrooms, seven full bathrooms and two half-bathrooms, was more than just beautiful. It was also well-constructed, according to the judges.

"More than anything, the craftsmanship was far superior to anything else we saw," says Michael Padgett, an owner of Vision Homes in Sarasota. "We thought it was at a whole different level there."

The Destino was built using environmentally friendly green materials and techniques, further winning praise from Padgett.

"That struck a chord with me," he says. "Not only that they spent time on the gingerbread, but what was beneath the walls."

Craftsmanship was also a hallmark of the Grand Award winner in the single-family production home category. The Beazer Homes-built Portofino D model, located just three miles from downtown Orlando, had the detailing and care in construction usually found in custom homes, judges said.

"The craftsmanship was just impeccable," notes Hippard. "I don't see that often." But the 3,917-square-foot, four-bedroom, four-bathroom floorplan also was a winner, he adds.

"The Beazer home was just totally out of sight," he says. "It was just a beautiful, beautiful home. When you walk in the door you think, 'Wow! I don't know where to go first.' It makes you want to see more."

The home, with a base price of $479,990, had a "wow" all its own, according to Padgett.

"The floorplan was just super-impressive to walk into," he says. "You're able to see three major living areas in front of you. The house also had a nice use of loft with a home theater upstairs. And the elevation was impressive."

Montacino at Maitland, a mixture of townhomes and single-family homes, won the Grand Award for a community. Judges were particularly complementary of the project's overall look.

"I think we were most impressed with Centex's ability to make use of such a small piece of land," says Padgett. "They were able to keep it from being crowded (despite a high density) and their streetscape was beautiful."

An ERM Development project, Lotus Vista in Altamonte Springs, won a Grand Award in the production attached home category for its 2,470-square-foot penthouse with a 394-square-foot, wrap-around balcony. The building sits across from Lake Lotus Park.

Jonathan McGrath Construction notched the Grand Award for remodeling with its transformation of a 1970's-era Winter Park ranch house with Colonial touches into a home reminiscent of the movie Out of Africa.

Drywall coated with thick, hand-troweled plaster and woodwork gave the home's interior a rustic look. But it also boasted some Asian-inspired touches, including a master bath with a Japanese soaking tub formed out of concrete. The tub was poured in place and then stained to resemble aged copper. A nautilus-shaped shower with frameless curved glass completed the room's Zen-inspired look.

Central Kitchen and Bath was given a Grand Award in the newly created Design Specialty Showcase category for a kitchen in an Oviedo home.

The kitchen looked like something out of an English castle, with a cook top area resembling a walk-in fireplace, heavily distressed cabinetry, a wrought-iron gated "dungeon", and arched pantry "castle" doors.

The Parade of Homes boasted numerous other winners in an array of price ranges. A winners' list appears on the following page.

This year's event had 110 entries, including for the first time "virtual" entries that could be seen only via the Internet. For more details, photographs of all entries remain online at www.comehomeorlando.com.

Teresa Burney, contributing editor of Big Builder magazine, wrote this story for the Orlando Sentinel and Orlando Homebuyer. A version of it previously appeared in the Orlando Sentinel.

Communities

Community/Up to 999 Lots

First Place: Centex Homes/Montacino at Maitland

Merit Award: Lexin Development/Mirasol at Celebration

Community/1,000-2,999 Lots

First Place: Newland Communities/Vista Lakes

Merit Award: Transeastern Properties/Independence

Community/3,000+ Lots

First Place: ABD Development/Providence

Merit Award: Eagle Creek Development/Eagle Creek Golf Community

Condominium Conversions

Condominium Conversion/Up to $149,999

First Place: Goetz Homes/Ibiza at Wrenwood Condominiums

Condo Conversion $150,000-$249,999

First Place: Park Avenue Tarragon/North Shore 2S at The Hamptons at MetroWest

Custom Homes

Custom Home/$600,000-$749,999

First Place: Robertson Homes/The Capri at Steven's Plantation

Custom Home/$750,000-$999,999

First Place: ABD Development/The Courtyard at Providence

Merit Award: McNally Homes/Chateau Provence at Steven's Plantation

Custom Home/$1,000,000-$1,499,000

First Place: Empire Custom Builders/La Toscana at Lake Markham Preserve

Merit Award: Groninger Custom Homes/ Stonegate Lodge at Elizabeth's Walk-Windsong

Custom Home/$1,500,000+

First Place: Phil Kean Designs/Destino in Winter Park

Merit Award: Avenue Home Builders/Le Ch?eau du lac at Woods of Windermere

Production Homes Attached

Production Home Attached/$150,000-$249,999

First Place: Centex Homes/Princeton at Oakcrest at Southmeadow

Production Home Attached/$250,000-$349,999

First Place: Toll Brothers/Sandy Cay at Woodland Terrace at Timber Springs

Merit Award: Snow Construction/Battaglia Model B in St. Cloud

Production Home Attached/$350,000-$449,999

First Place: Morrison Homes/Cape Verde at Greystone

Merit Award: Centex Homes/Alcott at Montacino at Maitland

Production Home Attached/$550,000-$649,999

First Place: Centerline Homes/Claremont at Baldwin Park

Merit Award: Centex Homes/Castello at Montacino

at Maitland

Production Home Attached/$650,000-$749,999

First Place: Harkins Development Corporation/Live/Work Homes at Baldwin Park

Production Home Attached/$750,000-$999,999

First Place: ERM Development/Osprey at Lotus Vista

Production Homes

Production Home/$250,000-$349,999

First Place: Holiday Builders/Sterling at Poinciana

Merit Award: America's First Home/Austin E at Doral Pointe

Production Home/$350,000-$449,999

First Place: Inland Homes/The Wellington C at Parkland Square at Remington

Merit Award: Ryland Homes/Garnett A at Manchester Grande at Cypress Lakes

Production Home/$450,000-$549,999

First Place: Morrison Homes/Davenport at Kensington Manor

Merit Award: DeLuca Homes/Heron C at Woodland Lakes Preserve

Production Home/$550,000-$649,999

First Place: Park Square Homes/The Brantley at Summerport

Merit Award: Toll Brothers/Summerbrooke at The Preserve at Astor Farms

Production Home/$650,000-$749,999

First Place: Beazer Homes/Portofino D at Legacy

Merit Award: M/I Homes/Brookshire II C at Wekiva Run

Production Home/$750,000-$999,999

First Place: Ryland Homes/Pinehurst B at Kenmure

Production Home/$1,000,000-$1,249,999

First Place: Tolaris Homes/The Sonoma at Lake Forest

Design Specialty Showcase

Design Specialty Showcase/Kitchen

First Place: Central Kitchen & Bath

Remodelors Showcase

Whole House/Up to $499,999

First Place: JLM Design & Remodeling

Whole House/$500,000-$999,999

First Place: Jonathan McGrath Construction

Whole House with Addition/Up to $499,999

First Place: PSG Construction

Merit Award: Nautilus

Whole House with Addition/$500,000-$999,999

First Place: Farina & Sons

Whole House with Addition/$1,000,000+

First Place: PSG Construction

Grand Awards

Custom Home

Phil Kean Designs/Destino in Winter Park

Production Home

Beazer Homes/Portofino D at Legacy

Production Home/Attached

ERM Development/Osprey at Lotus Vista

Community

Centex Homes/Montacino at Maitland

Remodelors Showcase

Jonathan McGrath Construction

Design Specialty Showcase

Central Kitchen & Bath