16 builders to participate in annual home tour

PHOTOGRAPHER: Lee Coleman

Home sales in Saratoga County over the past four months are stronger than they have been in four or five years, said Barry Potoker, executive director of the Saratoga Builders Association.

He said this is especially true of the resale of existing homes.

“New construction is slowly getting there. It’s lagging but is better than it was,” Potoker said.

At a glance

• Tickets for the Saratoga Showcase of Homes are on sale at all Adirondack Trust locations, Trustco Bank locations, Curtis Lumber stores in Ballston Spa and Queensbury, Realty USA offices in Clifton Park and Saratoga Springs, Roohan Realty in Saratoga Springs and the Gazette in Schenectady.

• Tickets can also be purchased online at www.saratogashowcaseofhomes.com and are always available at any showcase home during the tour.

• Cost is $20 for the three weekends, allowing people to visit the homes over six weekend days from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

With this in mind, the 17th edition of the Saratoga Showcase of Homes will launch its first of three weekends of home tours Saturday and Sunday. A special Chefs’ “Saratoga Style” will start Friday evening at some of the homes.

The showcase has 19 locations from 16 award-winning builders on display in Saratoga County. Participating builders are: Bella Home Builders, Belmonte Builders, Bette & Cring, Blitman Development, Bonacio Construction, Camelot Associates, Capital District Properties, Cerrone Builders, Heritage Custom Builders, John Paige Contracting, RJ Taylor Builders, Saratoga Builders, SAS Builders, Terrace Homebuilders, Waldron Builders, and Witt Construction. An interactive map with directions to the locations is also available on the showcase’s website.

This year’s showcase includes two Chefs’ “Saratoga Style” evenings, during which visitors can sample culinary delights from many popular local restaurants. Both chef evenings will be from 6 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $35 each, which allows a person to attend both chef events and also includes a Showcase of Homes ticket.

The Southern Chef Tour on Friday will feature: Chef Scott Ringwood of Lake Ridge Restaurant at Bella Home Builders; Chef Carla Kuchar of Zest Chefs at Belmonte Builders; Chef Kim Klopstock of The Lily & The Rose at Heritage Custom Builders; Chef Mark D. Graham of Max London’s at Blitman Development; Chef Jose K. Arteche III of Panza’s at Camelot Associates; and Chef Jay Wynn of Golden Krust Bakery at John Paige Contracting.

The Northern Chef Tour on Friday, Sept. 21, will feature: Dale Miller from Sperry’s at Witt Construction; Chef P. Yono Purnomo of Yono’s at Saratoga Builders; Chef Franco Rua of Cafe Capriccio Saratoga at Terrace Homebuilders and Chef Frank Russo of Russo’s Restaurant & Bar at Waldron Builders.

The annual Showcase of Homes is a community event that has contributed more than $725,000 to local charities. Proceeds this year will benefit Rebuilding Together Saratoga County (www.rebuildingtogethersaratoga.org) and Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties (www.glensfallshabitat.org).

The Saratoga Builders Association is a specialized professional trade association representing home builders in Saratoga County. The membership includes residential and commercial builders, developers, remodelers, building material suppliers, sub-contractors, financial institutions, architects, engineers, realtors, attorneys and other industry professionals. For more information, see the group’s new website at www.saratogashowcaseofhomes.com or contact Potoker by phone at 366-0946 or by email at [email protected]