Sure, Dan Ordway had the kitchen and master bathroom in his dated Dellwood home completely remodeled. But what he loves most is the custom-built wet bar made of distressed wood with vintage-style glass cabinets off the kitchen.
"I wanted it to look like it was a part of the house the whole time," he said. "I think they nailed it."
Ordway's extensively remodeled 1950s home is among 10 residences on the Midwest Home Luxury Remodeling Tour, Aug. 13-14 and Aug. 20-21.
The upscale home improvements featured on the tour have budgets of $150,000 and up, and include whole-house renovations, back-of-the-home additions and gourmet kitchens. There's even a $700,000 extreme home makeover at a 1940s Orono lake place.
Big-buck projects such as those on the tour are gaining momentum, said Peter Hagstrom, owner of Hagstrom Builder, which was responsible for the Ordway home makeover. More homeowners are moving ahead on spendy projects because of the stronger economy and increased consumer confidence.
"They want every space in an older home refreshed, not just one or two rooms," he said.
While that provides plenty of eye candy for tourgoers, there also are examples of budget-friendly solutions, even in Ordway's home. Instead of putting in a new fireplace, the ho-hum stone surround was updated with textural black tile, giving it a more modern look.
"I insisted on keeping the old wood-burning fireplace," said Ordway. "It's been great in the winter."
