Before, during and after photos of one of the fabulous kitchen remodels on the 2021 SBCO Home Tour.

Get ready to experience firsthand fine craftsmanship and innovative home remodeling ideas as the owners of seven SaddleBrooke homes open their properties to community residents on Saturday, November 13— all to benefit the SaddleBrooke Community Outreach programs that make a significant difference in the lives of thousands of children and their families.

Perfect for those dreaming of remodeling their own home or outdoor patio spaces, the tour is an exclusive opportunity to see some of the finest custom-remodeled and professionally landscaped private residences throughout our community and speak with some of the building and design professionals who make it all possible.

Whether or not your home’s floor plan is represented, organizers assure the tour will offer a plethora of remodeling, renovating and decorating ideas that will translate to any home. Docent volunteers will be delighted to show you the “before” photos of spaces as you marvel at the after. In some cases, the remodeling result is a home that looks like an entirely new SaddleBrooke floor plan!

Homeowners, contractors and designers will be on hand to answer your questions—everything from identifying paint colors and sourcing materials, to engineering the removal of view-blocking patio pillars, or building a pool, casita or golf cart garage.

You’ll see how creative homeowners, with the assist of licensed contractors and designers, have removed interior walls to trade formerly dark, cramped rooms for open concept living spaces. Since Robson Builders utilized trussed roof construction which distributes weight on outside walls, many interior walls of SaddleBrooke homes are non-loadbearing and may be removed.

Unlike residents of other more restrictive southwestern Arizona adult communities, SaddleBrookers fortunately may modify their properties in innumerable ways, with the approval of the HOA’s architecture and landscape committee. The tour showcases some of the ways you might consider adding space to your home; a freestanding or attached casita, an attached or detached golf cart garage, a new room to your existing home, or even the addition of an outdoor “room” utilizing an innovative louvered pergola.

You’ll be awed by the before and after’s of the formerly closed-off kitchens of several homes, now transformed, by the removal of walls, or the elimination of dropped ceilings and bulkhead cabinets, to enhance the culinary experience and entertaining lifestyles of the owners.

Short on storage? Find out how homeowners have cleverly crafted full walk-in pantries of space borrowed from a former kitchen desk, a utility closet, or a portion of the laundry room. Kitchen islands have been enlarged for greater storage and adroitly appointed in several kitchens to accommodate the home chef and provide more seating.

Bathtub, or no? You’ll see both options in the numerous bathroom remodels on tour. Shower remodels continue to trend toward the doorless walk-in with multiple shower heads and built-in niches. Long-spanning contiguous countertops with unused vanity space have been repurposed with handsome and practical storage drawers and tower cabinets. Closets have been gutted and rebuilt with far greater utility and beauty.

Take a careful look around at the number, sized and shape of windows. Many homeowners have increased natural light while enhancing views with the addition of new, larger windows. Others have contemporized their space by replacing arched windows with rectangular windows, while some have improved their view by trading mullioned and double-hung window for fixed picture windows.

And for goodness’s sake, don’t forget to look up! If you don’t, you’ll miss out on what many designers consider the most important design element— lighting. See how homeowners have affected the mood and size of their spaces through the addition of recessed lighting, solatubes and beautiful specialty accent lights.

You’ll come away with an appreciation for how “custom” a production home can feel and find inspiration to express your own individuality by tweaking your home’s design.

While they last, tickets are $20 and on sale to SaddleBrooke and SB Ranch residents at the SBCO office open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Suite L in the SaddleBrooke Business Complex. Tour guides with a map and information about the self-paced tour will be available for pickup at Suite L starting Monday, November 8. Please note that participants are required to wear a mask inside tour homes.


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