Builders break ground for Parade of Homes

September will mark the 40th year of the NW Natural Parade of Homes, where new spec homes serve as a showcase for the latest trends in home design.

The annual, two-week event hosted by the Building Industry Association of Clark County broke ground Wednesday morning. Three developers will build five homes for this year’s show in September, but Jim Beriault, a spokesman for the event, said attendees might be most impressed by the location.

“I think it’s a really pleasant and beautiful setting and I think that’s what really draws people in,” Beriault said.

The Parade of Homes this year will be held at a subdivision called The Meadows at Whipple Creek, northeast of the Clark County Event Center at the Fairgrounds. Builders include Cascade West Development, Generation Homes Northwest and Quail Homes.

Prices of the new homes will range from $700,000 to $900,000 — well above Clark County’s median home price for March at $316,500 — and sized between 2,500 square feet and 3,500 square feet. The homes will display trends in building techniques, landscaping and interior design.

Usual paradegoers, according to Beriault, can be prospective homebuilders looking for ideas or just people who like seeing new home designs.

“They want to see a nice variety of design and architecture. They want to see ideas, they want to see the latest color trends and what kind of design ideas they can pull from,” he said.

Beriault said that this year there may be an emphasis on smart home technology, a trend in homebuilding that pairs smartphones to a house’s internal systems such as locking or heating and cooling.