Seated, from left, are Tour of Homes Chairwoman Diana Blethen and the tour’s advertising chair, Gina Massotto; standing are, Glencairn Cottages Developer Carl Krave and Dunedin Youth Guild President Susan Wilson.
DUNEDIN – The Dunedin Youth Guild is set to kick off the holiday season with its 40th annual Holiday Tour of Homes Saturday, Dec. 5, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 the day of the tour.
This year there will be eight homes on the tour, with three in Dunedin, one in Palm Harbor, two in Oldsmar/Eastlake Woodlands, and two in Tarpon Springs. From houses decked up exquisitely for the holidays to one in Tampa Bay’s first completely green community, the guild believes this will be the best year yet for the tour.
“It’s just a great way to spend an afternoon,” said Diana Blethen Tour of Homes chairwoman. “You get a couple of girlfriends or your husband and go to a few homes and have some finger sandwiches, a couple of cookies and a cup of tea, and then you go and see some more homes, so it’s a great afternoon.”
Guild President Susan Wilson added that the tour is a great way to get into the mood for the holidays and help a good cause. All proceeds will benefit the guild’s scholarship program and local schools, Blethen said. Additionally, participants are asked to bring canned goods to donate to a local food pantry to ensure no one will go hungry during the holidays, she said.
Usually about 600 people participate in the tour, Blethen said, but she hopes for at least 1,000 people this year. The more people who come, the more scholarships the guild can give out this year, she said.
“The youth are the future of Dunedin, so in helping us, people help the future of Dunedin,” Wilson said.
There also will be a complimentary tea from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and a boutique that will be open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 455 Scotland St., Dunedin.
The first house on the tour is a Palm Harbor three-story Italian villa that overlooks the Gulf of Mexico. The home is 11,000 square feet, has a media room, a 36-foot ceiling, and four master suites with walk-in closets and private full bathrooms.
The second stop on the tour is the Dunedin home of Wanda Sharpe, who has been a Dunedin Youth Guild member for more than 36 years. Her home shows off eclectic décor, with a cowhide living room rug, a Waterfort crystal nativity display, and a Christmas tree with more than 200 sterling silver ornaments.
Next up is another Dunedin home that backs up to Beckett Lake that will be all dressed up for Christmas. A Lladro nativity set greets guests as they enter, and there will be several Christmas trees throughout the house. One will be decked with homemade family ornaments, and another will be adorned with Wisconsin ornaments.
Later in the tour is the Oldsmar home of Christopher and Jill Rees that is to be like walking into a holiday fantasy. A tree in the living room will be decked with pink, burgundy, gold and red, and the kitchen and family room will have elaborate garlands throughout it and a Dept. 56 North Pole Series Village. The playroom will have a Little Pony tree and village, and even the pool bath will be decorated for the holidays.
The Eastlake Woodlands home of Richard and Deanna Glen also will be ready for the holidays with a pencil Christmas tree greeting guests as they enter. The hall will hold a collection of Snow Babies and Dept. 56 White Bisque, and planter shelves will be home for a Christmas village. A 12-foot tree with Christopher Radko ornaments will be set up in the family room.
There will be two houses on the same property in Tarpon Springs, built on 13 acres of land neighboring Lake Tarpon with a total of 26,400 square feet of structures. The summer home was once owned by a former Buccaneers player, and the study is home to an original bathing suit from Bay Watch. The winter party house has hosted parties for more than 800 people, though it reportedly did not seem crowded. It has five bedrooms and eight bathrooms as well as a full gym and a servant’s corner.
One unique home on the tour is one of Dunedin’s new Glencairn Cottages, which is Tampa Bay’s first completely green community, said the developer, Carl Krave. The 14-home community has been certified green by the Florida Green Building Coalition, and this home is also the state of Florida’s first Water Star Gold Certified home.
To be green certified, one must earn a certain number of points in eight areas of a checklist, Krave said. Some of the green features of this 2,000-square-foot, three-bedroom home include a tankless rinnai water heater, dual flush toilets and a radiant barrier in the roof.
“There are different ways heat can penetrate a house, and radiant heat comes from the sun, so think like a microwave,” Krave said. “So a radiant barrier is a foil-backed sheathing ... and you have foil behind the plywood that you nail the shingles to, and it deflects 97 percent of the radiant heat.”
All the efforts also help in keeping the utility costs down, Krave said. Even though the house is kept pretty cool in the summer, the average electric bill was $98, he said.
Krave had to lay pipe underneath the church next door all the way to Highland Avenue to get reclaimed water for the development because Douglas Avenue does not have it available he said. However, he said the extra expense was worth it to provide reclaimed water.
This year, there will be a registration book at the Tour of Homes tea so people can sign up if they are interested. in their home being featured in next year’s tour. For ticket information for the Tour of Homes, call the Dunedin Youth Guild at 734-0394.
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