Aspirational living, big and small, can be explored on the 2023 NW Natural Street of Dreams home tour

Do you think you might like to have a concealed prep kitchen, serene bedroom and soothing sauna at home? You can find inspiration for adding comfort and style to your residence, inside and out, at the 48th NW Natural Street of Dreams home tour now through Sunday, Aug. 20.

Walking through a handsome, highly functional home designed by professionals can help you see, touch and experience everything — flooring, furniture and appliances like an induction range — to know if it fits your taste. Something as big as a dual shower or as little as a light switch plate may catch your eye, and from there, your imagination can take off.

Builders, designers and suppliers will be on hand to help you find practical solutions to small inconveniences — a built-in wireless phone charger makes tangled cords disappear — to serious needs, such as an private in-law suite for extended family.

Fantasy features are also on display on the Street of Dreams, from a pinball-themed game room, a cocktail bar equipped with a round ice press and a dry-cleaning machine in a closet. Underused space is cleverly converted into storage or even a secret passage room.

Look for a doghouse embedded into a wall under the stairs at a Northwest modern house. Pets also get the royal treatment with a dedicated dog wash as well as mud rooms with built-in food stations that are less messy than bowls on the floor.

The fun extends outdoors. Walk from a golf simulator in a daylight basement into one of the outdoor living spaces. Beyond the covered patios, stocked with grill stations and resort-style seating, are a hot tub and water features, bocce ball and basketball courts, and views of green spaces, walking paths and Mount Hood.

Aspirational living, big and small, can be explored during the self-paced, self-driving tour that opens the doors to different types of dwellings, from luxury residences in a new Sherwood development, to multigenerational living on acreage as well as standalone tiny homes and offices that can be installed on a lawn.

A tour ticket is $27 (children 10 and under are free) and visits to the homes can be completed on different days.

The event’s main venue, which is open daily, is in Sherwood’s Denali Summit development, which has three new residences and an in-progress remodel of a 30-year-old house. Walls are left open to reveal energy-efficient features that qualify for Energy Trust of Oregon cash incentives.

The new custom houses on the tour have been evaluated for their energy performance score (EPS.) This rating is based on efficient building techniques, electricity-saving heating and cooling systems (HVAC), climate-balancing windows and insulation, and features that improve the indoor air quality.

A high-performing, 4,800-square-foot house on the tour has an estimated cost of $200 a month for gas and electricity, which is less cost than a standard newly built home and far less than most existing dwellings (learn more at energytrust.org/eps).

Street of Dreams homes are equipped with electric vehicle-charging stations and smart home technology and luxuries such as the Marvin Awaken Skylight with automated air venting, sun-blocking shades and tunable LED lighting.

Other features on the tour, produced by the Home Building Association (HBA) of Greater Portland, are wall-length glass doors that slide or fold away, linking great rooms to patios and gardens. Tour goers will also see seating incorporated into kitchen islands and dramatic floating staircases made of wood, metal and glass.

Temperature-controlled wine columns near dining rooms, beverage centers in family rooms and kitchen appliances in black stainless steel continue to be splurges that can also make life easier.

Garages are now dressed up and more than just a place to store stuff. Floors have a decorative coating, rather than serviceable concrete, making a garage useful as a party place or flexible space.

The Denali Summit site will also showcase two compact dwellings created by Tiny Heirloom’s designers, engineers and builders, as well as an eco-conscious tiny home by Alto and two freestanding studios by Outdoor Office.

In addition to Sherwood’s Denali Summit venue, there are two more residential properties on the tour that are open Friday through Sunday: Garrette Custom Homes’ multigenerational house in Oregon City and Pacific Lifestyle Homes’ house in Beaverton.

Here are highlights of the 2023 NW Natural Street of Dreams home tour:

JT Roth Construction is the developer of Denali Summit in Sherwood, and has two houses on the tour, including a stripped-to-the-studs remodel of the first house on the land, built in 1992 at 23141 S.W. Curry Ridge Drive. The two-story structure has 5,050 square feet of living space still under construction.

Energy-efficient building science is being employed, which includes extra insulation, and tight construction that prevents drafts and outdoor smoke or pollutants from creeping inside. A mechanical ventilation system brings in fresh air, and double-paned windows deflect heat in the summer, retain indoor heat in winter and reduce the sound of outside noise.

“If you’re doing a remodel, ask us about spray foam insulation, which is really effective,“ said Carol Eisenlohr, an HBA building science consultant who will be at the demonstration house, called Behind the Walls, most weekends. “We can suggest other ways to get Energy Trust of Oregon cash incentives and save money on utility bills every month.”

Energy-saving improvements can be made in phases, said Eisenlohr. “If you have old, leaky windows, replace the large ones and those on the west side of your home first.” She also recommends an HVAC with 95% efficiency, which costs more to buy but pays off by reducing energy bills over the life of the unit.

When completed, the Scandinavian-style house will have single-level living on the main floor, and an upstairs recreation room with a wet bar. The half-acre property is for sale at $2.5 million.

JT Roth Construction built a two-story Pacific Northwest modern house with shed roofs and wood-stained siding and light stucco exterior walls. Inside Miller Paint colors inspired by the region — warm white Mushroom, Chiseled Shale, Forest Walk and Ambiguous Black — work well with the textured walnut seen on a pivot front door to the great room’s fireplace wall that rises 20 feet to the ceiling.

A walnut slab table has a blue river made of epoxy in the center. Hidden doors lead to an upstairs game room, as well as a concealed space off of the pantry and primary suite on the main level.

The house has 4,790 square feet of living space and is based on plans by Mark Stewart Home Design. Interior finishes were selected by Brittainy Tiffany of Tiffany Home Design, who has participated in the Street of Dreams for eight years.

An additional living space with a kitchenette and bathroom on the main level offers privacy to guests or expanded family members. The quarter-acre property at 23067 S.W. Curry Ridge Dr. is for sale at $2,450,000.

An organic modern house built by Mike Riddle Construction and designed by MacKenzie Kauer based on plans by Wavra Design, is called “Lagom,” which is a Swedish word that means “just the right amount.”

The two-level house with 4,821 square feet of living space has a quiet office, sound-enhanced home theater and a 16-foot-long glass wall that opens to a covered outdoor living area.

Organic fabrics, warm woods and natural marble set a serene tone. The nine-foot-tall front glass pivot door leads to rooms with wide-plank white oak floors. The color palette features warm colors by Farrow & Ball. The quarter-acre property at 23066 S.W. Curry Ridge Drive is for sale at $3 million, with Kauer as the broker.

Teal Point Custom Homes built a modern house with two stories and a daylight basement based on plans by Summit Ridge for a Sherwood family.

The entry has large tiles of Epoque Veria Green Italian marble-like porcelain. Kelly Wearstler’s graceful Rousseau Grande modern chandelier helps to illuminate the fireplace in the great room. And the switchback stairs are surrounded by glass panels that rise two levels.

The color scheme throughout the house with 6,040 square feet of living space is Miller Paint’s stark white Slightly Hued, Coal Black, brassy Bronze Lantern and smoky blue Midnight Surf.

LaCantina glass doors open to an expansive outdoor living space with a built-in kitchen, seating and a long dining table overlooking a sports court.

Garrette Custom Homes’ multi-generation house sits on almost 10 acres at 12625 S. New Era Road in Oregon City, and is for sale at $1,950,000. The builder, which caters to people who want a new home on acreage, maintains a one-stop design studio to customize its house plans and orient windows to capture the best views.

The two-story house on the tour has 12-foot-tall walls in the great room and 4,397 square feet of living space. The main house, with three bedrooms, is separated by a three-car garage and an adjacent single-car garage from self-contained second home with an entrance to a living room area, bedroom and bathroom.

“We have built about 5,000 production-based custom homes over the last 25 years and we know how to build efficiently and get pricing locked down,” said Stephen Brooks of Pacific Lifestyle Homes/Garrette Custom Homes.

Pacific Lifestyle Homes has a second new house on the Street of Dreams tour, the three-level Chelan model in Beaverton, which has 3,668 square feet of living space with the option of a fifth bedroom. The finished daylight basement with a bedroom and full bathroom offers a private area for an older child, extended family or guests. The asking price is $1.2 million.

If you go: The 2023 NW Natural Street of Dreams home tour runs Saturday, July 29, through Sunday, Aug. 20. Doors are open 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays and 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Sundays at Denali Summit. Park at 22900 S.W. Murdock Road, Sherwood. For special parking requests, email [email protected].

Show hours are 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Fridays-Sundays for Garrette Custom Homes’ property at 12625 S. New Era Road in Oregon City, and Pacific Lifestyle Homes’ residence at 12455 S.W. Silvertip St. in Beaverton.

Tickets are $27 plus a processing fee at streetofdreamspdx.com/p/online-tickets. Children 10 and under are admitted for free. The self-paced, self-driving tour can be completed on different days.

The show’s producers, the Home Building Association (HBA) of Greater Portland, donates $1 from each ticket sale to its Home Building Foundation, which builds and renovates transitional housing facilities — 70 projects so far — and supports training at-risk youths in construction industry jobs in the greater Portland region.

— Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072

[email protected] | @janeteastman

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