Now in its 35th year, the MSP Home Tour provides participants with ideas about how they can make their homes function better for their lifestyles and look beautiful at the same time.
“From a homeowner’s standpoint, the tour is a way to find out how we can think about our most personal and largest investment,” says Beatrice Owen, executive director of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) of Minnesota. “If our home isn't our castle, then let's make it our castle.”
The tour, attended by over 3,500 each year, is free and self-guided. To help participants, a map was distributed in libraries and showrooms across the metropolitan area, mailed to area homeowners, and available at the homes on the day of the tour.
This year, the tour took place on April 27 and 28 and included 23 stops located throughout the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. “We like to choose homes where the homeowners have done the remodel, where a contractor, architect, interior designer or other professional has worked with the homeowner, or where the homeowner acted as the general contractor,” she says.
One of the homes in Golden Valley had a remodel done in the front half of the home. “The homeowners wanted to celebrate their home and make it more functional for the full family,” says Beatrice. “They really made it their own.”
She adds, “This tour is about who lives in the home, so it's a great way for homeowners to talk to one another, share stories and discuss what it's like to work with a professional if they used one. Sometimes we think that architects only work on multi-million dollar homes, but that’s not always the case. They work on a wide variety of homes, and the same is true for contractors and interior designers. Those professionals are available and within reach of many homeowners.”
In addition to homes in Minneapolis, Richfield, Roseville, St. Louis Park and more, there were two non-home stops. These included a former Carnegie Library converted into a non-lending library and Hmong archive, and the Creative Enterprise Zone with over 50 murals on the sides of buildings in the St. Anthony Park area.
“We had kitchens, basements and whole home remodels that were mid-century modern, historic, and brand new,” says Beatrice. “The beauty of this tour is its accessibility to the full community. Many of the homes had homeowners available to answer questions about hiring a professional, doing the remodel themselves, or about their neighborhood. This tour really is about real homes, real people and real ideas.”
Partners in the tour include a wide variety of industries, community, and professionals.
“NARI is the only association in Minnesota that is dedicated strictly to the remodeling industry,” she says. “We recognize that remodeling happens along a continuum – from a bucket of paint to a full home remodel. Each home is our castle and we celebrate homeowners that want to share their castle with their communities, our community.”
To learn more and take part in this educational and enjoyable tour next year, go to MSPHomeTour.com or NARIMN.org.