Parade Of Homes winners revealed

K.A. Clason Fine Woodworking’s Parade home “Little Green,” overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee in Moultonborough was the visitors’ overall favorite home on the tour and voted Lakes Region Parade of Home’s “People’s Choice” Winner. This is Clason’s third time on the tour and it was a charming 1,800-square-foot, three-bedroom, 2¾-bath lakeside home that showcased his fine craftsmanship.

Kurt Clason has been in business for over 10 years developing and building new structures, additions and making alterations and repairs to homes on the islands and shorefront of Lake Winnipesaukee. He is a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist and past New Hampshire Cornerstone Gold Winner.

Visitors at this year’s Parade of Homes held during Columbus Day weekend were once again treated to beautiful homes scattered throughout seven communities including Laconia, Meredith, Center Harbor, Moultonborough, Wolfeboro, Ashland and Hebron. Upon entry of their first home, they received a detailed guidebook with a map and home descriptions, “swag” bags filled with supporting industry information and an official ticket. As the visitors toured the homes they were asked to choose their favorite home and cast their ballot at the completion of visiting their last home on the tour.

Visitors had no special criteria to judge on but to pick the home that resonated as the best out of the 11 homes. Some people picked the one with the best overall amenities, size, flow of the house, energy efficiency and most innovative technologies, while others just picked their favorite home with the best view or special features.

The voting was very close between several of the homes but after all the entries were tallied the visitors found that Home #4 in Moultonborough built by Clason was their favorite.

“We are thrilled to receive this award,” said Kurt Clason. “This house was so special. A lot of our guys' energy and sweat went into getting everything right. In the end it paid off and the People’s Choice is verification! This was a true group effort from the excellent design work of Christopher P. Williams Architects to Stone Age Design Masonry, Greg Brooks Electric, JNM Mechanical and of course the landscaping by Stephens Landscaping.”

This home is a remodel of a 1902 cabin and stands on its original lakefront location. After lifting the home up and building a new foundation, the house was partially demolished. Clason and his team built new walls and added a second floor. The interior of the home features rustic exposed framing and warm heart pine flooring for a classic cottage feel. This unique remodel is a classic example of preserving the old rustic “lake camp” with modern amenities and energy efficiency.

Other winners

A separate “Awards of Excellence” program took place, recognizing builders in a variety of categories. The judges included Lynette Rodgers, president of New Hampshire Home Builders Association and owner of Homescapes of New England; Matthew Towle, Building Construction Instructor at Lakes Region’s Huot Technical Center and Chris Clymer, a licensed Home Inspector and owner of Assured Home Inspections in Meredith. The judges were required to rate each home on eight separate categories. Each of the eight categories had five specific points for judges to rate on a scale of 1-5 for a possible high score of 25 points in each category. Some of the specifics that the judges looked at were overall layout, use of natural lighting, originality, trim work, curb appeal, effective land use, and creative use of space, to name a few.

The winners were announced at the Lakes Region Builders & Remodelers Association’s October meeting held at the Chase House in Meredith. Winners included Cargill Construction recognized for Best Kitchen, Best Bath, Best Exterior Finish and Most Unique Feature & Product. Cargill Construction also won Best In Class – New Construction Award for House – House #3 located on Black Cat Island, Moultonborough. K.A. Clason Fine Woodworking took home the Best Interior Finish, Best Interior Design and Best In Class – Remodel Award. The Best Floor Plan was awarded to Inter-Lakes Builders – House #9 for their distinct grand spaces and expansive wraparound porch located on Lake Waukewan. For a second year in a row, Belknap Landscape was recognized with Best Landscape for their extensive project and collaboration with builder Fleming & Sons Construction in Hebron - House #11.

The Parade of Homes is a long-standing community event showcasing beautifully crafted homes. This a highly-attended public event that is fun and educational. Over 900 visitors toured the homes over the three-day Columbus Day weekend and the money raised through the ticket sales goes towards the funding of educational scholarships and tool belt scholarships as well as this year’s “Tiny House Build #2” – Workforce development outreach to get students involved with the trades as a profession.

For more information visit www.lakesregionparadeofhomes.com.

The Parade of Homes is brought to you by Lakes Region Builders and Remodelers (www.lakesregionbuilders.com), a nonprofit organization with a mission of providing quality housing opportunities through education, vision and advocacy for the betterment of our communities.

Kurt Clason wins the People’s Choice Award for Parade of Home Favorite House. (Courtesy photo)

Liam Cargill from Cargill Construction accepts awards including Best New Construction from Parade Co-Chair Marie Degulis of Secondwind Water Systems and Ray Boelig, vice president of Lakes Region Builders and Ponders Hollow Custom Wood Flooring. (Courtesy photo)

Hayden McLaughlin and Craig Wentworth from Belknap Landscape won Best Landscape for their project overlooking Newfound Lake. (Courtesy photo)