Sweep all your summer toys into a heap and haul them to the attic, garage or back under the bed, it’s time for a seasonal refresh. And what better way to see the trendiest paint colors, newest kitchen innovations or up-and-coming architectural trends than at the Olympia Master Builders annual Tour of Homes on Saturday and Sunday, September 16-17, sponsored by Olympia Federal Savings (OlyFed).
Dream Homes Become a Reality at the 2023 Tour of Homes
Watching HGTV or wandering the aisles at a home renovation store is great. But getting to see your favorite products in place, within a working home environment, is priceless. The OMB Tour of Homes is a scattered site event meaning you drive to – and then drool over – real, lived-in properties. You’ll be able to meet the teams who design and install the work, ask questions and even make appointments to start on your ultimate wish list.
OMB Director of Events Brianna Bedell says this year they’ll showcase seven remodels, three new builds and a specialty solar project. Two stops on the map are Accessory Dwelling Units or ADUs. “OMB has been instrumental in working with local jurisdictions to allow these much-needed ADU programs,” says Bedell, “so we are excited to showcase the results of our efforts.” ADUs are typically tiny backyard homes which can be designed for aging parents, college students, rental income or a home-away-from-home office space.
OlyFed Sponsors Inspiring Tour Projects
The Tour of Homes is sponsored by many generous groups, but OlyFed is once again this year’s title sponsor. Tumwater OlyFed Branch Manager and Tour of Homes Co-Chair Nicole Montoya says they continue to showcase the event for a very simple reason:
“Housing plays such a critical role in the overall health and wellbeing of our community,” says Montoya. “Right now, our community has a housing shortage, so creating new inventory opens the door to homeownership for more individuals and families. The OMB Tour of Homes provides an opportunity for our community to meet builders, designers, architects and other construction-related professionals and see their work first-hand. The event really gives our community an inside look at the construction process and gives folks the chance to meet financial professionals like me who can help them understand savings, budgets, lending tools, the financing and construction process and so much more.”
She echoes the importance of being able to “walk through project sites that have utilized new technologies, building materials and design strategies; you get to touch, feel and see firsthand how projects of various sizes come together. Whether you are looking to build, buy, remodel or retrofit for energy-efficient living, you will find insight, inspiration and fun when you take part in the Tour.”
OlyFed – Helping New Homes for 117 Years
With their longstanding history in our community, OlyFed helped finance some of the very first homes ever built in Thurston County. Montoya explains that this long, invested history gives them “the connections and expertise to ensure projects are both successful and stress free. As a leader in the development of our community and in helping people become homeowners, we are fully committed to supporting events like the Tour of Homes because it creates avenues of access to information, resources and supportive professionals.”
The Tour really provides a stress free, zero obligation way to find information, ask questions and “let your imagination go and think about all the possibilities of your future dreams,” says Montoya.
The Tour of Homes Guide will be available at the Olympia Master Builders website the week of the show. A limited number of printed copies can be found starting September 13 at all OlyFed branches, the OMB office and the offices of Silver Sponsors: Olympia Overhead Doors, McKinney’s Appliance and Capital Heating, Plumbing, Cooling & Electric. New this year is an interactive Google map also found via the OMB website.
Participants include:
- 4th Dimension Construction
- Brown Building Contractors
- CW Construction, Inc.
- Garrette Custom Homes
- Lifespan Construction, Inc.
- Sparrow Design Company
- Artisans Group Architecture & Planning
- Dunamis Interiors & Design Build
- Kuster Homes & Remodeling LLC + Interior Dimensions LLC
- South Sound Solar, Inc.
- JER Remodeling & Custom Homes
Anywhere from 500 to 700 attendees take part in the tour, which runs from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. both Saturday, September 16 and Sunday, September 17. This is a self-guided tour and is free and open to the public. Look for ballots at each home and vote in the People’s Choice Awards. Each ballot submitted is entered to win an Apple iPad 10, provided by Ballot Sponsor, Capitol Painting Company.
If you decide to take the plunge, reach out to OlyFed at 360.754.3400 or customerservice@olyfed.com to learn more about lending opportunities. For additional resources check out OMB’s Hire a Pro business directory. Both OlyFed and OMB know that a strong, healthy community is built one welcome mat at a time.
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