THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, March 30, 1996 TAG: 9603280259
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Parade of Homes
SOURCE: BY CHRIS KIDDER, SPECIAL TO REAL ESTATE WEEKLY
LENGTH: Long : 118 lines
Two weeks from now April 11 through 14 - $5 dollars will get you into 20 spectacular Outer Banks houses built by 16 different builders.
The Outer Banks Parade of Homes offers a once-a-year chance to ``ooh'' and ``aah'' from Corolla to Manteo.
Whether house shopping is your passion or an occasional pastime, whether you're looking for a builder or decorating ideas, on the Outer Banks it doesn't get any better than this.
The Parade is a no-sales-pressure opportunity to examine building quality, walk through floor plans, compare finishing touches and see the newest trends in interior design.
This year's show, sponsored by the Outer Banks Home Builders Association, includes homes built for year-round use and homes built for the vacation rental market.
The largest house has more than 3,200 square feet of heated living space; the smallest has 1,800. Prices (not including lots) range from $129,500 to $2,000.
Some of the houses feature private swimming pools, the latest ``must have'' for top rental dollars and an extended rental season. Others have home theaters, hot tubs, spas, game rooms, fireplaces and other luxuries.
One house in the show is a recycled dwelling, built in 1932 on the Nags Head oceanfront. Builder David Ferris recently moved the house to the soundside and gave it new life as a vacation cottage.
He did a masterful job of keeping the feel of the old beach house while updating it with modern comforts.
The biggest challenges in this house were adding ductwork for heating and air-conditioning and working with an old house that wasn't plumb, said Ferris. ``That's where my enjoyment in the job comes: I have to be creative.''
Another Parade house worth special mention is Joe Rhodes' custom factory-built house in Southern Shores.
Most people think of double-wide ``trailers'' when a factory-built house is mentioned but this house matches or exceeds the quality and features of most stick-built houses.
The house, built by Nationwide Homes in Martinsville, Va., was shipped by truck to the Outer Banks almost 90 percent complete. Rhodes added the garage, sunroom and decks on-site.
Some of the features that make a Nationwide Home a good investment won't be visible: 2-by-6, R-19 walls; glued and nailed subflooring and ceiling drywall (eliminates squeaking and nail pops, respectively), and floor insulation installed with mesh rather than metal fasteners.
Modular home buyers generally save 10 to 15 percent over comparable stick-built houses. The Parade of Homes offers a a chance to check out the differences for yourself.
This same manufacturer and general contractor (different house) were featured in an eight-week series that ran in the Virginian-Pilot last year.
Outer Banks architecture has always been influenced by Victorian styling, but builder Skip Saunders' pale blue home overlooking Jockey's Ridge, is a graceful melding of Victorian with Old Nags Head.
With its handsome turret and broad porches, the house has a much friendlier visage than the narrow, uptight Victorian designs that often grace the pages of Architectural Digest.
Saunders' houses are known for their fine woodwork and this house is no exception. The turret features a wood floor with an inlaid compass rose. Local carpenter Terry Price created Victorian, furniture-quality, footed cabinets for the kitchen.
The owners have decorated the home - one of five on the tour already occupied - with period pieces. ``It's really something to see,'' said Marty Saunders, Skip's partner. ``It's full of special pieces. People will really enjoy it.''
The largest and most expensive house in the Parade makes good use of its duneside location. Carolina Beach Builders optimized ocean views while artfully dividing living and working spaces in a contemporary multi-level design.
Builder Ed Janicki and residential designer Clair Sutton provided this upscale retirement home with the amenities its owners need for gracious entertaining, including a dumb waiter, private dining room and full-scale gourmet kitchen.
Beach Realty & Construction's oceanfront vacation cottage in the Village at Nags Head is made-to-order and made-to-rent. For now, it's for sale: $549,000 for the turnkey package, including house, lot and furnishings.
A kidney-shaped, tiled swimming pool at the back door, a hot tub and a private dune-top observation deck are just a few of the rent-boosting amenities.
Great curb appeal is provided by an impressive trellis-topped entry. Decks and covered porches surround three sides of the six-bedroom house.
There are two other Village at Nags Head houses on the tour, both soundside on the community's golf course. Village homeowners have the option of joining the golf course and a tennis and swim club.
Other communities spotlighted on the tour include the Villages at Ocean Hill, Whalehead, Crown Point and Ocean Sands north of Duck, Southern Shores and Martin's Point, and Pirates Cove and Heritage Point on Roanoke Island.
Martin's Point and Pirate's Cove are guarded communities, normally not open to casual viewing. The Pirate's Cove house, on Ballast Point, a spit of land jutting nearly a half-mile into the Roanoke Sound, offers one of the most spectacular ambiences on the Outer Banks.
Getting through all 20 Parade houses is a shop-till-you drop endeavor. It can be done in one day but it's best to split the tour between two or three days.
Every house offers something new, something useful, something worth a good, hard look. Allow yourself plenty of time to savor the planning and workmanship that went into each of these fine, custom-built homes. ILLUSTRATION: Color staff photo by DREW C. WILSON
[Color cover photo, no cutline]
The Tames House of Southside Road in Nags Head, part of the 1996
Parade of Homes exhibit on the Outer Banks.
Cola Vaughan made a maritime ladder for the loft in their remodeled
1932 cottage.
B\W photo
Shiela Tames of Nags Head installed antique lavatory fixtures in her
bathroom. More Parade of Homes photos and info are on page 12.
by CNB