Parade of Homes Marches to a New Tune
Classic communities serve as models for homes
People Newspapers
By Austin Kilgore
Real Estate Editor
IN THE KNOW
WHAT: Home Builders Association of Greater Dallas’ Spring Parade of Homes
WHERE: Tucker Hill, 7270 West University Drive in McKinney
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. May 30-June 1, June 4-June 8
TICKETS: $12 at the door. Discount tickets are available online at paradeofhomesdallas.com and area Tom Thumb locations.
There aren’t any floats, marching bands, or baton twirlers, but this year’s edition of the Home Builders Association of Greater Dallas’ Spring Parade of Homes has North Texas residents flocking to McKinney to see the eight featured homes within the new Tucker Hill community.
While previous editions of the parade have been spare-no-expense showcases of the latest and most impressive new home trends and features, this year’s parade has been toned down. Parade-goers won’t see the extravagant fireman’s poles coming out of the ceiling or a two-story garage with a hydraulic car lift like in previous years.
“They’re pretty decked out, but they’re a lot more realistic,” said Mary Day, marketing director for Tucker Hill developer Southern Land Company, whose home-building division has three entries in the Parade.
The development is a throw-back to the traditional small-town community with homes that feature large front porches, long breezeways, and an overall neighborhood appeal. The development, still in its early stages, features a small “town square” green space with the nation’s largest wrought-iron fountain in a residential area, and plans for a community center and a mixed-used development with small boutiques.
This year’s parade is less about the individual builders and more about the Tucker Hills community, but there is still a lot to take in, even for those not interested in moving to McKinney.
“Even if you don’t want to move or remodel, you can still get ideas for doing something as little as painting or adding a new piece to a room,” Sandra Harlow, the parade’s event coordinator, said.
In addition to Southern Land Company’s homes, the parade also features homes by Darling Homes and Flagstone Custom Homes. Darling’s corporate director of marketing, Mike Carter, said the Tucker Hill development calls on themes and traditions present throughout the Park Cities and Preston Hollow.
“We look for communities that have a real pointed difference and really help people connect with other people. A lot of what you see in the Park Cities area is what’s appealing to people today, but unfortunately a lot of developers have gotten away from that,” he said.
Carter said the designs of Darling’s parade homes were inspired by a desire to combine the best features of the classic styles of homes in the Park Cities with modern features and amenities. Developers toured homes in the Park Cities, Preston Hollow, and East Dallas prior to creating their designs in order to better understand those communities.
“If someone were to buy a home in the Park Cities or in Dallas, they’re buying a home and typically having to update and remodel a lot of it,” Carter said. “We’re looking at what was done in the ‘20s and ‘30s and saying, let’s give that same feel, let’s give the front porches, let’s give the community, but at the same time, let’s include the modern amenities that people are buying homes down there and having to remodel and add in.”
In addition to the homes, planners have scheduled a variety of events at the site. There’s a working garage featuring a 1940 Willys drag car, a kitchen demonstration booth, as well as many home improvement product displays that line the parade route.
Five of the homes have rooms with designs inspired by wishes granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation of North Texas, including a NFL quarterback Vince Young room inspired by a boy's wish to meet the former University of Texas star.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Home Builders Association’s HomeAid/Home Builders Care charity, which raises funds to stop homelessness, are both charitable beneficiaries of the parade. All of the parade homes are professionally decorated by a variety of designers, including a team of three from Robb & Stucky Interiors, which has a showroom at the NorthPark Center.
Designing a home for the parade is very different than working for an individual client. The Robb & Stucky team of Judy Conley, Carla Murrin, and Gretchen Stewart had two months to accomplish a task that normally would take a year.
“It’s pretty intense on all levels,” Conley said. “We adhere to a strict budget. It’s intense because it has to be accomplished in a definite amount of time, so there can’t be any slip-ups on production or delivery.”
The team wanted to create a design that gave the impression that the home’s pieces were collected over time, and used a variety of elements from different time periods to create that look.
By designing an entire house, viewers can get a better feel for how design elements will work in a home that is impossible to do in a store showroom.
“In a store, you might just get a vignette of a feeling from a small display,” Conley said. “Until you see how things are combined, it’s very hard to visualize how things will look and how they’ll combine and how the colors react and how the rooms will look side-by-side.”
Despite the challenges, Conley said it was a rewarding experience that gave the team the opportunity to create a vision without worrying about anyone’s tastes but their own. She hopes their creation will inspire parade-goers.
“It’s very hard for people to visualize, so often you hear people say ‘I love this. I never would have thought of it, but I love it,’” Conley said. “We’re able to help people visualize so then they know and they can go and accomplish it for themselves.”
E-mail austin.kilgore@peoplenewspapers.com