Sept. 8, 2022

This paid event listing is sponsored by the Home Builders Association of the Sioux Empire.

It’s 7,000 square feet, includes an elevator, is filled with “smart home” technology and is designed for extreme energy efficiency.

The five-bedroom walkout ranch at 204 S. Boathouse Circle will be one of two featured homes on The Fall Parade of Homes, which runs Sept. 10-11 and Sept. 17-18 from 1 to 5 p.m.

And, like most homes designed and built by NRG Homes, it’s already sold.

“We feel blessed to be as busy as we want to be,” said Shannon Grismer, who co-owns the business with his wife, Tonya. “It’s ideal if we have two houses going at a time, and we’ve been blessed to have customers waiting a year or two for us to do a house.”

The backlog is both good and bad, he said, echoing the thoughts of many home builders.

“Spring of 2024 is honestly the soonest we can get a hole in the ground,” Grismer said. “But we’re not about mass building and having five to 10 going at once. They’re big, custom homes that require a lot of time, and I’m the one on site.”

In this case, the home is even bigger than most. The home in the Cherry Lake West neighborhood includes an automation system that controls many day-to-day home operations with a single button.

“The switches are set up so you push a button in the kitchen for cooking and certain light scenes come on,” Grismer said.

“There’s a switch in the master bedroom next to the bed, and at bedtime you push one button and all the garage doors are closed and locked, the TV is off and the blinds are automated. It’s pretty unique.”

The outdoor living is next-level, too, with a “very large terraced backyard on the water,” Grismer said. “There’s a pool, hot tub, outdoor kitchen and bar area, and the main floor has approximately a 90-foot elevated concrete deck, which is really cool to see.”

The home is designed with an energy-efficient approach that defines NRG’s work. Its structural insulated wall panels include 5.5 inches of solid foam so homes are “very, very energy-efficient,” he said. “Homes are very quiet, no bugs, zero air penetration, so that’s one of the main differences.”

The way material prices have escalated, the approach actually has become cheaper than a stick-built home as lumber has increased, he added.

“Everything changes near daily,” he said. “You get one price increase in an email and the next day you could get another one. This has been the most stressful year in terms of rising material costs.”

In all, the Parade of Homes event, which is organized by the Home Builders Association of the Sioux Empire Inc., will offer a look inside nearly 50 homes at a wide range of prices.

“We know there are concerns about rising costs and rising interest rates,” Grismer said. “It’s not as easy to build a house when you’re financing, and we know that means some people aren’t thinking about building at the current time. But, it’s an opportunity to meet builders, get ideas and prepare yourself for when you are ready.”

For now, there’s still plenty of interest from buyers, he said.

“They’re just having to be patient,” he said, adding that supply chain issues continue to stifle the building process.

“And it’s all stuff you wouldn’t dream of being an issue. Deck railings, step lights. I have a refrigerator that’s been on order for a year. It’s just crazy stuff.”

For more information on the Fall Parade of Homes, click here.