Bungalow Beauties Will Be on Display

Some of the finest homes in Old Seminole Heights will soon welcome about a thousand visitors eager to see historical bungalows fully restored and modern renovations made in period style.

is set for April 3. Tours leave from the from 11:30 a.m. through 5 p.m. Trolleys will ferry visitors to the homes. Cyclists can follow the route with the Seminole Heights Bicycle Club.

Tradition dictates that attendees are kept in suspense about which homes will be shown until the day of the tour. They won't learn the chosen stops until they receive their official tour brochure.

"We don't want people to go knocking on the door ahead of time," said tour chair Cathy Simon. "It's kind of a surprise when they get their brochures, and they say. 'Wow, I've always wanted to go to that house.'"

This year's event features 10 homes.

"Ten is a good number," Simon said. "With 10, you can get through the whole afternoon, you can take your time and it doesn't take a whole day."

The hunt for homes to feature on the tour began in the fall. Committee members use grassroots methods of recruiting, such as leaving flyers at interesting looking homes, going door-to-door, neighbor nomination and self nomination.

"We see a house that we're interested in, that looks nice on the outside, and we hope it has good bones inside," said Simon.

The tour does not repeat homes from year to year unless there is a special event or circumstance. Simon's home was first featured on the tour in 2001 and again in 2008 for the 10th anniversary of the tour, which featured all repeat homes.

Last year, at the suggestion of neighbors and his architect, Robert Fausette entered the tour while his house was gutted to the bare bones for renovation. Guests walked across plywood that was carefully placed over the termite eaten porch. Inside were sketches of what the finished product would look like.

This year, Fausette's home breaks tradition by not only being the only advertised home on the tour, but also by appearing two years in a row.

"A lot of people kept asking if I wanted to do it the following year, because they wanted to see what it would look like," Fausette said. "I wasn't sure if the house would ready by then or not, but I just decided to do it."

Fausette put in nearly a year of renovations into a home that he didn't originally intend to keep. He and his business partners buy homes, fix them up and resell them.

"I started getting into the characteristics of this house, fell in love with it and then decided to live here."

The plumbing, roof, electric and wood floors were completely redone. Fausette added some extra surprises which attendees will be able to see on the tour.

"Throughout the process I sometimes regretted it because it was taking so long," he recalled. "It's definitely worth it now."

Committee member Ann McDonald credits a lot of the success of the home tour to people like Fausette that update homes from a total state disrepair to HGTV-esque marvels.

"They have the vision to see how a place that's literally sagging into the ground will look after it's restored," said McDonald.

Want to go?

Advanced ticket sales  are $10 at two locations: , 5127 N. Florida Ave., and , 7410 N. Nebraska Ave. Tickets are also available on the OSHNA website.

Tickets will be $15 if purchased the day of the tour. Last tickets will be sold at 3:30 p.m. on the day of the tour.