Fall home events return – with a difference

Tired of looking at your own home? Need some inspiration for ways to spruce it up?

Three annual home-related fall events will take place this month, right on schedule. But in the pandemic era, all will operate a little differently than in a typical year.

The Fall Parade of Homes, an opportunity to traipse through and gawk at new homes all across the Twin Cities, is back but with new COVID-19 safety precautions. Each home will have access limited to 10 people at a time, and guests will be required to wear masks in addition to the blue booties.

The 355 homes on this year's tour, presented by the Builders Association of the Twin Cities, range in price from a two-bedroom home in Isanti for $239,570 to a $2.8 million 4,666-square-foot home in Prior Lake.

All homes will be open to the public from noon to 6 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays, Sept. 12 through Oct. 4. The Remodelers Showcase, featuring 43 remodeled homes, will be added the final weekend, Oct. 2-4.

In addition to showcasing homes and neighborhoods, the Parade is a way to see the latest in home features, finishes, products and colors, for those who want to check out current trends.

All the homes are free to tour, with the exception of four Dream Homes where visitors will be asked to pay a $5 admission at the door. The Dream Homes include a $1.595 million home in Shorewood (#33), a $1.69 million home in Orono (#42), a $1.216 million home in Medina (#54) and the $2.8 million home in Prior Lake (#332). Proceeds from the Dream Homes go to the Housing First Minnesota Foundation to help build and remodel homes for Minnesotans in need.

Free guidebooks, including maps, descriptions of all the homes and a calendar of special events, are available at area Holiday Stationstores. Information also is available at Paradeofhomes.org.

Personalized homes designed by architects also will be available for viewing, but from the comfort and safety of home. The Homes by Architects tour, presented by AIA Minnesota, will go virtual this year. The tour of 17 new and remodeled homes, representing a range of project sizes, styles, techniques and budget scopes, will be launched online beginning Sept. 26 at HomesByArchitects.org.

The tour has hired Spacecrafting to create a 3-D virtual experience with 360-degree views of every room and interactive tags so that tourgoers can learn specific details, such as countertop materials, wall finishes and flooring.

Advance tickets can by purchased at HomesByArchitects.org for $15 ($10 for students). The tour will be available for view until Oct. 10.

Looking for ideas for seasonal decorating or holiday hosting? The Bachman's Fall Ideas House, usually presented in the historic Bachman family home, is moving into the Lyndale Avenue store to provide more room for social distancing.

This year's "Harvest Ideas and Inspiration for the Home" will include three rooms — a kitchen, a living room and a home office — that will be completely decorated and filled with ideas. The display will include four tabletop ideas, an outdoor fire pit, a Thanksgiving bar and pie area, and six different doors showcasing ideas for decorating your front entrance, as well as a potting bench with seasonal container ideas.

The display will open Sept. 10 and continue through Oct. 4.

A maximum of 15 people will be allowed into the area per half-hour. Tickets are $5; guests are asked to reserve a time at bachmans.com. Guests will receive $5 off their next $25-plus purchase of regular-priced items at Bachman's, and 20% of all ticket proceeds will benefit Urban Ventures, a Minneapolis nonprofit committed to building a healthy community through education and outreach programs.

Kim Palmer • 612-673-4784

@stribkimpalmer