Over the years, we’ve learned some things about building tour homes. On one hand, having thousands of area residents view one of our projects provides great exposure to potential clients. On the other hand, homes with compressed schedules and an impending “Opening Day” when viewers will be sliding borrowed cotton booties across the hardwood floors have a way of demanding most of your attention. If you’re not careful, other important projects can get neglected. You know how the eight-year-old twins can crack skulls while jumping on the big bed in the master bedroom while everyone else is doting on the newborn baby? It’s kinda like that.

The “Giving House” was our first turn at bat with tour homes, so named because we donated all the profits to Open House Ministries, a local family shelter. Despite being the smallest house in the 2005 Parade of Homes, the Giving House won six out of seven People’s Choice Awards, including Best in Show.

Completed in just five months, this three-story classic bungalow with a guest suite above the garage felt intimate and cozy next to its McMansion competitors. Viewers loved the painstaking detail they found in every corner of the home. While our kitchen failed to provide a clean sweep of People’s Choice hardware — Best Kitchen went to one of the McMansions — it remains one of our favorite parts of the house.