The St. George Spectrum featured my Parade House on the front page!

Here is the article.

Portrush home in the parade offers luxury living, great views

Ken Hedler February 17, 2015

Photo: Chris Caldwell / The Spectrum & Daily News

ST. GEORGE – The Portrush, No. 9 in the St. George Area Parade of Homes, offers luxury living with outstanding views of the nearby red-rock mountains.  The views amount to its biggest selling points, said Christine Fielding, a real estate agent with Jack Fisher Homes, the builder in the gated Vistas at Entrada subdivision off Snow Canyon Parkway.  The rust-colored house, located on a cul de sac, blends in with the nearby sandstone rock formations.  Fielding said the retired couple who bought the house for $1.2 million was already living in the 33-lot subdivision but wanted more space.  The couple, from Pacific Palisades, California, structured the house in memory of their deceased child, Fielding said.  The house, which has 3,219 square feet of living space, took a year to build and was completed just in time for the Parade of Homes, Fielding said.  The Southern Utah Home Builders Association conducts the parade, which started Feb. 13, concludes Sunday and is marking its 25^th anniversary.  The house has four bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms, and a number of other features.  “This location is unbelievable. It is private. It is secluded,” Fielding said.  The views played a role in SUHBA picking it for the parade, Fielding said.  Jack Fisher, based in Centerville, also is featuring a home in The Ledges in the parade.  The homes in the subdivision appeal to a demographic group of people in their 50s who expect visits from grandchildren and friends, Fielding said.  Fielding referred to the amenities both inside and outside the house.  Outside, the house has a courtyard as well as a separate private courtyard off the master bedroom suite.  All the bedrooms have private patio space.  The back patio space overlooks Red Mountain, Fielding said.  The house has four patios altogether.

The house also has three fireplaces and a firebox, which is near the entrance, Fielding noted.  “It showcases Jack Fisher Homes really well,” Fielding said.  Jack Fisher specializes in building “exceptional homes that match the beauty of Southern Utah,” Tyler Meyers, Southern Utah division president for Jack Fisher, said in a prepared statement. “It’s been exciting to receive all the positive reaction about the Portrush.”  The house opens to the right to a casita that has a desk and private bathroom, Fielding said.  She added the owners plan to use the casita as a meditation room.  She said all the bedrooms have flat-screen televisions. Fielding said all the bedrooms have separate bathrooms, with a half bathroom serving guests who do not plan to spend the night.  She walked into a large living room dubbed “the Great Room.” Its seamless glass windows open to views of the mountains, a lava field and golf course.  The room also has a wall-mounted, 70-inch flat-screen TV.  The Great Room adjoins a spacious dining room with two tables and the kitchen.  The kitchen has “high-end” Wolf appliances and a pantry, Fielding said.  Fielding said the homes in the subdivision have flat roofs and are limited in height to 18 feet so as not to block views.  She referred to the patio for the master suite that contains a water feature and fireplace.  The master suite also comes with a bathroom with a large sunken tub, Fielding said. The homeowners have his and her closet space.  The Potrush has a 3-car garage, which has complete built-in cabinetry and an epoxy floor.  The Portrush impressed at least three visitors during the parade Tuesday afternoon.

“I thought it was beautiful,” said Pat Larson, a retired elementary school teacher who lives in Layton. “The interior courtyard — that is what I like the best. It is just the outdoor feeling within the home.”

Larson said the Portrush was the 10^th home that she visited on the parade list, adding she plans to see 10 other houses.

Parade participant Tenney Jensen of Nassau, Bahamas, commented, “I love how it blends in with the environment. Views – almost 360 degrees. Fabulous views.”

The colors in the house caught the eyes of Wayne Newson, a LaVerkin resident who is retired from the Ford Motor Co.

“I like the light colors … just the light, airy feel,” he said.

Follow Ken Hedler, @keninDixie2014.