Tour of Homes set for this weekend, in-person again

Builders FirstSource
1830 SW Black Lake Blvd
Olympia, WA 98502
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This one-page map shows the starting point of the 2021 Olympia Master Builders Tour of Homes along with orientation points for the five residences that will be open on Sat. and Sun., July 24-25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Olympia Master Builders' annual Tour of Homes returns as an in-person event this weekend, with six stops spread across northern Thurston County. 

Now that most people have been vaccinated against COVID-19, OMB has assembled a variety of projects into a tour of five houses. “We’re extremely excited to be in-person again this year,” according to Angela White, the OMB’s executive director, who added, “there’s nothing like seeing these new or newly remodeled homes in person.”

In previous years, house tourists could start anywhere.  This year OMB recommends starting at a new “Tour Kickoff Hub” – Builders FirstSource in west Olympia (see inset map). Besides being able to see and touch various building materials there, you’ll receive a printed tour guide and a scoop of Gelato from Sofie’s Scoops, courtesy of OlyFed.  A map showing an overview of the tour is attached to this story. 

The properties on tour include:

• Evergreen Valley Lavender Farm, which will show a solar roof-panel array from Capstone Solar.
• A remodeled home on East Bay Drive in Olympia, presented by DL Phillips Construction and Interior Dimensions.
• A new house on Black Lake Boulevard, constructed by John Erwin Remodeling
• A visit inside the Views on Fifth, the nine-story downtown apartment building that was transformed in recent years from offices to residences.
• A new, 3,047 sq. ft. house in Lacey at The Village at Mill Pond.

Because the houses are spread miles apart, the full tour will likely take about three hours.

In 2019 and previous years, the Tour of Homes saw hundreds of people walking through brand-new or newly remodeled homes.  With the pandemic in full force in 2020, OMB was forced the organization to experiment with an online-only tour.

The houses will be open to the public on Sat. and Sun., July 24-25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you’re not vaccinated, the OMB and location hosts are asking people to wear masks inside the houses.