The Housechick Blog

I toured the SAHBA Parade of Homes today, a collection of 7 luxury homes up near Dove Mountain, in the Sonoran Preserve on the Bajada.

Things that appear to be “in” for luxury Tucson homes:

• coffee makers in the master bathroom
• flat panel TVs
• pavers and brick as patio surfaces, instead of scored concrete
• oversized front doors
• roof decks
• outdoor gas fireplaces
• recessed and decorated ceilings in the dining room
• Jack-n-Jill bathrooms for the secondary bedrooms
• forty-plus shower heads in the master shower (that might be an exaggeration)

This is the view from one of the roof decks, by the way.  That’s a gas fire pit on the roof, and I’m sitting on a built in banquette, taking the photo.  I saw another roof deck that had a complete gas fireplace on it!  What a lovely view, we had an absolutely gorgeous day today. 

Highlights, in my humble opinion:

• My favorite house was the one by Lathrem Homebuilders.  There’s a beautiful central courtyard, with multiple sliding doors that open the whole house onto that area, plus a very open living area with yet another lovely patio and pool.  The flooring was brick throughout, which is a personal favorite.  The tile work and finishes were exquisite.
• The patio at the Becklin home felt the most expansive, with a very nice outdoor kitchen and wood burning pizza oven.
• The front doors at the Canatsey house are iron and glass, so you can see through to the lovely backyard as you walk up to the home.  That house also had a sweet master shower with those new Kohler square shower heads all over the place.
• The huge arched wall of the great room in the Casas Bonitas house makes a huge impact as you walk in.  There is also some very nice brickwork in this house, and the Viking appliances are finished in Plum, not stainless, which was a first for me.