There’s nothing like the changing of the seasons to inspire change in the home. Spring brings new life and energy to homes around the area in all different forms – from simply planting a garden or adding a new coat of paint to a fence to a complete remodeling project or even searching for a dream home. If you’re looking for motivation for your latest project, the Home Builder’s Association of Northwest Louisiana’s annual Parade of Homes has just the inspiration one needs.

This year’s Parade of Homes is June 13-14 and 20-21 from 1 to 6 p.m. each day. Tickets are available at all area Brookshire’s stores, at the Home Builder’s Association offices beginning June 10, and inside each home on the tour.

Tickets are $5 each, and one ticket is good for every home on the tour.

The Home Builder’s Association of Northwest Louisiana is celebrating its 60th year, and the Parade of Homes is well past its 50th year of showcasing some of the best and most beautiful of local homes.

“The Parade of Homes is a self-guided tour of newly built and remodeled homes throughout Shreveport-Bossier and even into Stonewall, Haughton and Benton,” Julie Golsby, membership coordinator for the Home Builder’s Association, said. “We have 41 homes on the tour this year. One of the neat features of the parade is in many cases that the builders are present during the parade hours in the house. What’s good about that is you don’t always get an opportunity to visit with the builder, so for someone who is looking to build or remodel that’s a somewhat unique opportunity. They can visit with them builder, see his or her work, and get to know him or her a little bit to see if there can it be a good fit for their project.”

Also available this year is the My Parade feature on the HBA website that allows for customizing the experience to each visitor.

“You can say I only want to see houses that are staged, or I only want to see houses that have a community pool, because perhaps you’re shopping for a house and that’s important to you. If there’s not a neighborhood pool, don’t even show me. People can go in and say three bedrooms plus or square feet, value, city – there’s different things you can search for, so that’s a neat feature,” Golsby said.

All the homes on the tour have been built or remodeled by licensed contractors, and all showcase the best in design, quality, innovation and presence available in the area.

“Many of the homes are for sale, some of them are custom homes that were specifically built for that specific people, and we even have some model homes that are on the tour. We also have at least three remodel projects as well,” Golsby said. “They are all reviewed by a Parade of Homes committee that inspects the homes to make sure they are up to the standards that the public has come to expect from the parade.”

One of the builders featured in this year’s Parade of Homes is Ryan Smith Builders, whose custom home at 2100 Mabry Lane in Benton is sure to impress those on the route.

Smith is selective in participating in the annual event.

“I try to only to do the parade if I’m going to have a house that’s really neat or different. I really want to show off what we can do. I don’t really build houses to sell, people call me to do custom builds, so I put one in the parade just to show people what the company is capable of,” Smith said. “The house [ located at 2100 Mabry Lane] is really cool because it was designed by an up-and-coming architect here in Shreveport-Bossier named Scott Payne, and it’s got some really neat architectural details,” he said.

“It is designed to reflect a famous architect in Louisiana named Hayes Town, and he kind of invented Louisiana architecture. This is kind of a modern twist on a Hayes Town farmhouse. That farmhouse look is really popular, not just here but all over the South,” he said.

Smith is a Southern Living magazine builder.

“If you look at Southern Living magazine, farmhouse is a big deal. It’s got a lot of simple but classic architectural features that we modernized a little bit with some transitional style in the light fixtures and paint colors and flooring. I think it will definitely be one of the coolest houses on the parade this year and people will appreciate it.”

For more information on the Parade of Homes, go to nwlahba.org.