The annual home showcase broadens to a tour that includes all kinds of dream homes.
There was a time when the homes on the NW Natural Street of Dreams® were gigantic, opulent mansions with swimming pools and wine cellars, putting greens and indoor basketball courts. They truly were the kinds of homes most people could only dream about, which is what made the home showcase so much fun and so popular.
But dreams can change — and so can the idea of dream homes. Which is why the NW Natural Street of Dreams of 2024 will look a little different than it did in the past. This year’s Street is bigger, broader and far wider than it’s ever been before, with nearly 20 homes of various sizes, styles and price ranges sprinkled across the entire metro region. The luxury component is still there, but the spectrum has been lengthened to create a tour that encompasses everything from apartments and condos to affordable townhomes, fantastic remodels and classic Street of Dreams custom homes.
“The theme of this year’s event is based around the idea of ‘Because dreams are different,’” says Rachel Trice, Chief Membership and Marketing Officer for the Home Building Association of Greater Portland, which has produced the Street of Dreams since 1975. “We’re changing with the times and taking the Street of Dreams on tour to keep it modern and current.”
Trice says the scattered-site format for the 2024 NW Natural Street of Dreams is something that has evolved in recent years, starting with the addition of “bonus homes” that were added to recent showcases. Those homes weren’t part of the main Street of Dreams site but were added to enhance the number of offerings and locations for showgoers.
“Single-development sites are harder to come by these days,” Trice says, “but the on-tour format lets us expand the kinds of homes and the different places that people can experience.”
This year’s NW Natural Street of Dreams will run for three extended weekends, Thursdays through Sundays, August 1-18. Attendees will be able to purchase one ticket and use it for all the different homes on the tour, which will feature 15 to 20 homes from at least 12 builders. The lineup includes luxury custom-built homes, high-end condos, apartments and, new this year, townhomes that are considered middle housing — the duplexes, cottage clusters and townhomes that have become an important component of the region’s housing puzzle.
“Middle-housing provides a practical alternative that preserves the experience of a single-family detached home with many similar features,” says Darryl Bodle, a broker and owner of Darryl Bodle Real Estate in Portland. “It caters to those who value the dream of home ownership.”
Middle housing projects from Dez Development and Aker Development will be part of this year’s NW Natural Street of Dreamsalongside a three-townhome middle-housing project in North Portland by Fish Construction NW. Justin Wood, vice president and co-owner of Fish, says the townhomes are unique in that they are a little larger — 1,500 square feet with three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms — to accommodate families. Their inclusion in the Street of Dreams in 2024 makes a lot of sense considering today’s housing market, he says.
“I think the Street of Dreams has evolved to the point where it’s more about presenting different ways to do things that people can visualize,” says Wood, who was involved with efforts to get middle housing legislation enacted in Oregon. “It’s not necessarily the dreams of millionaires but the dreams of everyone.”
The tour will also feature two luxury condos in the Frances Penthouses in Lake Oswego; an apartment from Prometheus Real Estate Group in Northwest Portland’s Slabtown neighborhood; a container home from Relevant Buildings; and several luxury remodels from the likes of C&K Custom Remodeling, Portland General Contracting and Earth Choice Construction. In addition, five homebuilders will have custom homes on the tour: Garrette Custom Homes, JT Roth Construction, Toll Brothers, Exceptional Homes by Andre and Renaissance Homes, which built its first NW Natural Street of Dreams home in 1993.
“The Street of Dreams allows us to showcase the unique talents of the Renaissance Homes team, as you will see with our home in the show this year,” says Randy Sebastian, president of Renaissance Homes. “The Sunningdale is a custom-designed, modern colonial home offering over 5,300 square feet of elevated luxury living.”
Though Renaissance Homes has long been a part of the fixed-site Street of Dreams showcases, Sebastian says he is a fan of the tour format.
“I like that the homes in this year’s NW Natural Street of Dreams are not limited to a specific neighborhood,” he says. “The on-tour style allows for more creativity and a variety of home styles and locations to highlight dream-home options in our region.”
