Parade of Homes gears up for final weekend

Special to ViewSun West custom homes designer and builder Dan Coletti shows off a model of the ultra-luxury home called Vantage Pointe. The actual home is scheduled to be part of the 2009 Parade of Homes tour, where homes valued at up to $18 million and ranging from 9,200 square feet to 14,000 square feet will be showcased to tour groups, including six homes in the Summerlin area. Advertisement

Does your home have a three-story waterfall? Or a racquetball court? How about a 22-car garage?

All these features can be viewed on a tour of the newest homes in the valley. The final weekend of the 2009 Parade of Homes tour is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Tickets are $25, or, if bought at La-Z-Boy Furniture stores, $20.

Six of the 12 homes are in the Summerlin area. Others are clustered around MacDonald Highlands. A park and shuttle service leaves from 11399 W. Desert Inn Road for Summerlin and at the corner of Valle Verde Drive and Horizon Ridge Parkway for Henderson-area homes.

The homes on the parade are valued at up to $18 million and range from 9,200 square feet to 14,000 square feet.

"Big for the sake of big is not what we look for," executive producer of the tour Lisa Hester said. "This is a builder's showcase, it's the best of what's being built."

That includes whisper-quiet elevators, movie theaters, a bowling alley, oversized pocket doors and windows to bring the outdoors inside, top-of-the-line appliances and even a toilet that doubles as a bidet.

Dan Coletti, owner of Sun West custom homes, designed his home so that every bedroom has a patio with a view. Then there's the pool ... in his living room. It uses bridges to further customize it. Coletti said he likes mixing architectural design with the structural side of a building.

"You say, 'Well, if I could do that, then maybe I could do this,' " he said. "You're always pushing the edge."

Another home features a multi-level pool, a casita, a spa and an outdoor kitchen by Paragon Pools. It's stop No. 4 on the tour, located in The Ridges.

The 750-square-foot infinity edge pool was created by Joe Vassallo, owner of Paragon Pools. The pool is on the cover of the an international design book, "The Al Fresco Life: Pools, Spas, Bars, and Kitchens."

Big is good. So is green. The tour includes an ecologically tuned home that was built in conjunction with Microsoft and the Department of Energy. It uses net zero electricity. It is considered a smart home, with everything -- lights, heating, security, shades, thermostat -- operational without being on site.

"You can turn on your home from the front door or from the Paris airport," said Tyler Jones, partner in Blue Heron LLC, which built the home.

It's been named the Home of the Year for 2009 by the National Association of Home Builders.

For more information about the 2009 Parade of Homes tour, visit www.lvparadeofhomes.com.

Contact Summerlin View and South Summerlin View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.