A day to dream of a $2.1M condo

PHOTOGRAPHER: David Lombardo

Her mom wasn’t looking to buy, but that didn’t stop 12-year-old Mabel Chenier from assigning rooms in the large home they were touring as part of the fall Showcase of Homes.

“This is your bedroom,” she said to her 7-year-old brother Lucas, who seemed content with his sister’s choice.

This was the second time the Chenier family, of Queensbury, had toured the house at 25 Foxhound Run in Wilton, which is part of the Chestnut Hill development. From the outside, the house looks like it swallowed a smaller house and the vast array of well accessorized rooms seems to indicate it did. There were a string of bedrooms, bathrooms and living areas that smoothly rolled into the next one.

The house was one of 19 that were on display as part of the Saratoga Builders Association 2011 Showcase of Homes, which began last weekend.

Jessica Chenier, Mabel’s mother, said she was really struck by this house and acknowledged that there wasn’t much she would want to change. “I like it a lot. I like the layout, it’s great for a family or entertaining,” she said. At 25 Foxhound Run she was drawn to the screened in back porch, which came with its own pizza oven.

“We’ve done all but one. We started last week,” Jessica said. “I like to check out the houses. I do house design for a living.”

According to Nancy Patrizio, of Saratoga Lake, the house at 25 Foxhound Run was generating a lot of buzz among the hundreds of people visiting homes. After visiting about 10 houses, she said the feel of the interior and exterior, its location and the products placed around the home made it the best on the tour.

“It’s timeless,” she said. “This is a timeless property.”

Patrizio, who uses the tour to pick up style ideas and to network, joked that she would adopt foster kids and pets so she could fill the large house and live in it.

A sharp contrast to this home was a condominium in Saratoga Springs at 268 Broadway. After an elevator ride and a hallway walk, a surprisingly large amount of space was revealed behind a single door. The condominium was furnished with a mix of items that included a craps table, a second refrigerator in the laundry, a giant magnifying glass, and a manual typewriter. Project Manager Tony Bonacio said the rooms provided people with a host of different visions for the property. One of the striking features about the home is how much space is actually available. “They are wowed,” he said of people walking through.

Bonacio added that the showcase has also presented a number of sales opportunities, with last year’s model selling right after the showcase. This year they’ve already had a couple second tour requests for the $2.1 million home.

One Realtor on the tour suggested that the people touring the houses were pretty evenly split between admirers and interested buyers.

Taking an ice cream break at Ben & Jerry’s from a day full of tours were Page Schmitt and June Schmitt, both of Malta, who have been going on the tours for years. They started their day with homes in Malta and were traveling north.

June was particularly impressed with the work of one builder on the tour, who had multiple homes. “Witt Construction is great,” she said. “He’s a very good builder.”

The showcase continues next weekend from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and tickets are $20. Houses are as far south as Clifton Park and as far north as Moreau. Proceeds from the showcase will benefit Rebuilding Together Saratoga County and Habitat for Humanity.