Cathedral ceilings, wine rooms, nature views: Parade of Homes in KC spotlights luxury

If you’re in the market for a new place, the Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City has a few ideas for you. The organization’s annual Spring Parade of Homes features newly built dwellings throughout the metro area.

Johnson County and Lee’s Summit have many of the Parade’s homes, which are mostly over $500,000, with many topping $1 million.

Brian Kuhn, owner of BK Builds, said he likes the traffic homes pick up from the event, which runs April 29 through May 14.

“It gets the word out there for a young builder that’s just starting out, like me. It’s a great way to get the brand out there, the name out there, and get people through your homes,” Kuhn said.

On an average weekend during the Parade, Kuhn estimated that he might see around 200 people on the tour.

One of the homes he loves, at 25080 W. 105th Terrace in Olathe, includes a wine room, a covered deck and a semi-wooded view of Cedar Creek.

He prides himself on installing energy-efficient appliances, pre-wiring for alarm systems and detailed trim in the rooms.

“They’re little extras that really make the house pop,” he said.

Kuhn has been in the building industry for 12 years and has built homes for the last seven. Although this is his first home in Olathe, he’s had other Johnson County homes in Prairie Village and Fairway.

“Bringing a client’s vision to reality — I think that’s my favorite thing,” said Kuhn, whose Parade home is listed at $1.345 million.

On the Kansas side, in addition to Olathe, visitors can tour homes in Overland Park, Shawnee, Lenexa, Leawood, Prairie Village, Gardner, Spring Hill and De Soto. You can see a map of all the homes at kc.paradeofhomes.io. The listings also note whether a particular home has already been sold.

Justin Pfeifer, vice president of Pfeifer Homes, said that Parade is a unique opportunity to show off his company’s homes to the largest audience. He’s been in the home-building business 12 years, following in the footsteps of his father, who’s been building houses three times as long.

“The reason we decided to participate — and have for many, many years — is it is an excellent marketing opportunity for a builder at not much cost when you look at the overall exposure that you’re able to get for your homes on the Parade and for your company,” Pfeifer said.

He likes that people can visit the homes more or less on their own schedules, as homes are open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day.

Pfeifer appreciates that it can encourage people who may not know about his business to take a look at his homes in a part of the city that interests them.

“Now they’re able to walk through my home, and they fall in love with it or like aspects about it,” he said.

It takes 12 to 14 months for his company to build 10 to 12 homes per year, which are mostly in the Lee’s Summit area.

“There’s a lot of things that have become challenges and continue to be with availability of products. The demand has been there for homes in the last few years,” Pfeifer said.

Pfeifer has two Lee’s Summit homes in the Parade, including one at 329 N.W. Ambersham Drive.

“My favorite feature of that home would probably be how the master bath turned out,” Pfeifer said.

“We actually have a split vanity with a freestanding tub in the middle, and we did stone on that entire wall behind the mirrors of the vanities and then a full shower with half walls and glass panels above.”

He also loves the kitchen, which features a cathedral ceiling and multi-colored doors.

That home is listed for $950,000.

Homes will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 29 to May 14 and admission is free. Parade guides will be available for pickup at the Home Builders Association, 600 E. 103rd St. (at the intersection of I-435 and Holmes), on Monday, April 24 and at all Parade homes during the dates of the event. Go to kc.paradeofhomes.io for a listing of homes.

This story was originally published April 19, 2023 at 5:00 AM.