If you're looking for high-end options for any home improvement, you're in luck: Six new luxury houses, displaying the latest trends and technologies, will be open July 28 through Aug. 26 during the 43rd Annual NW Natural Street of Dreams home tour.

The once-quiet street along a golf course in a South Hillsboro planned community will be crowded with thousands of people over the next four weeks who are eager to see practical to pricey perks: We're talking about a golf club washing station and a fridge activated by Alexa.

The custom houses showcase Portland area builders' abilities to execute complicated, cutting-edge construction in a range of architectural styles, from European farmhouse to modern, as well as interior designers' selections of pretty, durable finishes and landscapers' water-wise gardening solutions.

Despite large footprints -- up to 5,420 square feet -- each of the dwellings has earned Earth Advantage sustainability certification of silver or better, and an Energy Trust of Oregon performance score that is at least 10 percent more efficient than a similar-sized house built to code, according to the Home Builders Association of Metro Portland, which produces the popular tour.

The Northwest contemporary house called Suteki Harmony by Toshiaki Chiba of Suteki America with Anlon Construction rose to Earth Advantage gold status. The two-story structure was built to Japanese earthquake-resistant standards, which are almost twice as demanding as Oregon codes, and has walls adorned with Japanese cedar sculpted into wave forms that the builders say aid humidity control and air purification.

In all the houses, you will learn ways to improve indoor air quality, reduce energy and save on utility bills, from chandeliers with LED lighting and rooms with nontoxic paints, to high-performance insulation, windows, and heating and cooling systems.

The average electric and natural gas bill for each of the houses is estimated at $160 a month, according to Energy Trust of Oregon.

The residences, priced as high as $2.25 million, if they're not already sold, were designed for families. There are giant great rooms, four or five bedrooms, as many bathrooms and bonus rooms with vaulted ceilings to handle any activity.

Mike Harn of Anlon Custom Homes describes the house he built, named Hearth and Home, as "warm and inviting, but with amazing bells and whistles."

He worked with interior planner and designer Wendy O'Brien, who wanted plush amenities like a coffee and tea nook with an espresso machine in the master suite, and an extra tall garage that can shelter an RV, and still have space for a dog bath and a place to charge a golf cart.

The backyards aren't vast, but boast panoramic views of holes 10, 11 and 12 of Vendage at the Reserve Golf Club and the Cascade mountains.

Covered patios, facing the scenery on the other side of low backyard fences, are outfitted with outdoor living luxuries more exotic than a fireplace and built-in grill: Think beverage coolers and lavish television areas. Step onto the grass to practice on a private putting green or meditate beside a long reflecting pond.

Inside, the houses have been designed for living on one level; if there is a second story, most contain a guest suite and other rooms that can be used as needed. Several of the homes integrate aging-in-place features like wide doors and treated concrete floors to make it easy for people with wheelchairs or strollers.

Versatile spaces, as seen in Serenity house by Pahlisch Homes and other Street of Dreams dwellings, can adapt to the owners' desire to live, work or play. Do you need an extra bedroom, office or craft room?

On the home tour, you'll see new products, some making their debut in Oregon. The modernist house called Private Reserve by Bill Winkenbach and Scott Bowles of BC Custom Construction with Carin L. Atterbury of Surface interior design has new Marvin Ultrex onyx-frame fiberglass windows and a Montigo Prodigy corner fireplace.

Colossal kitchens come with sprawling counter spaces, inventive storage areas and top-tier appliances. Winkenbach calls his black stainless-steel Dacor appliances "wicked cool."

Graceview, a farmhouse-style house by Phillip Pahlisch of Legacy Built Custom Homes with Jamie Opsahl Interior Design, has an 18-foot-long poured concrete kitchen island, a sliding library ladder to reach high cabinets under tall ceilings and a hidden prep kitchen.

For a powder room, Opsahl designed a live-edge vanity top from oak. She also created shelves from unique wood pieces found at Salvage Works.

And you'll see fresh takes on popular features, like barn doors that are decorative, functional and fun.

"They hide stuff and make an artistic statement," says Gerald Rowlett of Westlake Development Group, who worked with Brittainy Tiffany and Joelle Jarvis of Tiffany Home Design to install 7-foot-long barn doors in the European farmhouse-style house called Fairway Manor.

Each door weighs more than 200 pounds but "glides like a warm knife through butter" because of architectural hardware, Rowlett says.

For the first time, the Street of Dreams is showing off a fancy home with a small footprint. A tiny house on wheels, valued at $140,000, will be auctioned off to raise money for Oregon veterans committees and nonprofit organizations such as Forward Assist and Remembering America's Heroes.

The 204-square-foot abode was designed and built with donated materials and time volunteered by professionals. The fundraising team was led by Rowlett of Westlake Development Group and M.J. Boyle of Empty Nest Tiny Homes.

The mobile home is powered by natural gas, thanks to donor NW Natural, but it has appliances that can also run off-the-grid on propane.

You can bid on the modern mini mansion online at tinyhousewithabigdream.com through Aug. 28.

Information about products and services is available at each house.

The NW Natural Street of Dreams home tour, produced by the Home Builders Association of Metro Portland, will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily July 28 through Aug. 26 at Southeast Century Boulevard and Southeast Provence Street ($20, 503-684-1880, streetofdreamspdx.com).

Here are highlights from each of the 2018 Street of Dreams houses:

Fairway Manor, a 5,200-square-foot European farmhouse-style house by Gerald Rowlett of Westlake Development, has cream, gray and charcoal stone inside and out. Charcoal is repeated in the metal roof, iron railings and French doors.

Care was taken by Brittainy Tiffany and Joelle Jarvis of Tiffany Home Design in selecting materials to make this new home look as if it has evolved over time. Notice the intentionally weathered-looking ceiling beams in the great room and two types of kitchen cabinets.

Classic farmhouse characteristics can be seen in the reclaimed wood mantels, oak floors, shiplap walls and barn doors.

Other traditional features include a formal dining room -- rare in new homes -- and a quaintly named butler's pantry. And yet the interior layout has the open great room that today's families prefer.

The covered outdoor entertainment area has a stone fireplace wall and a wood-clad ceiling with skylight boxes.

Don't miss: Past the breakfast nook's built-in banquet and the sunlit laundry room is an inviting solarium with plant shelves illuminated through skylights. Read more

The house was pre-sold during construction. The builder values the property at $2.25 million.

Suteki Harmony, a 4,320-square-foot Northwest contemporary house, is "strong, sustainable, healthy and smart," says Toshiaki Chiba of Suteki America, who partnered with Anlon Construction.

Built to high Japanese seismic standards and earning Earth Advantage gold status, the house has cedar and stone columns that rise to a solar-ready metal roof. Extended eaves reduce heat loss in cool months and provide shade on warm days.

Glass aligns to see completely through the house, from the double entry doors to 8-foot-wide sliding glass doors that open to a covered patio, a 15-foot-long reflecting pond and views of the golf course and Cascade mountains.

Other interior spaces also connect outwards. Brittainy Tiffany and Joelle Jarvis of Tiffany Home Design selected warm interior colors as backdrops to allow green accents and the manicured fairway to capture attention.

Suteki, which owns sustainable forests and conducts research on how wood can add to a calming environment, has adorn walls with Japanese cedar sculpted into wave forms. Wood accent walls are also seen in the staircase and upstairs hallway and Japanese cedar beams cross the ceiling in one of the four bedrooms.

An elevated catwalk balcony that overlooks the great room links to a bonus room and covered "sunset" deck designed as a meditation space.

Can't miss: The great room's 42-inch-wide Town & Country fireplace embedded in a tiled, towering wall. Read more

The property is listed at $2,050,000 by Marie Boatsman of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices.

Hearth & Home, a 4,783-square-foot modern farmhouse by Anlon Custom Homes and Wendy O'Brien Interior Planning and Design, was designed to convey a relaxed and refined approach to golf-course living.

Wendy O'Brien says the farmhouse theme is seen in the great room's 28-foot-tall ceiling with rough-hewn ponderosa pine beams as well as white-washed cedar barn doors, a farmhouse-table eating bar and "timeless" tile with a fresh twist.

An office halfway up the stairs that overlooks the great room and has a viewing deck of the golf course is Mike Harn of Anlon Custom Homes' favorite space. Vintage photographs of golfers are displayed near a slick white turntable.

The covered patio area has a built-in grill, beverage cooler, fireplace, television area and putting green.

Don't miss: The master suite on the main level has an espresso machine near the dressing room, across from the shower. Read more

The property is listed at $1,999,999 through Keith Sjodin and Lisa Bradburn of GO Realtor Group/Windermere Real Estate.

Private Reserve, a 4,939-square-foot modernist home by Bill Winkenbach and Scott Bowles of BC Custom Construction with Carin L. Atterbury of Surface, pays homage to sleek midcentury modern styling with its low-pitched roofline and floor-to-ceiling Marvin Ultrex onyx-frame fiberglass windows.

Dramatic stone columns announce the entry courtyard. Open the fully pivoting glass door to see colored, polished concrete floors that continue throughout the main level, one of many aging-in-place features.

The energy-efficient Lochinvar radiant floor system also keeps everything in the house at a consistent temperature. "Counters, faucets, dishes, everything is warmed to the temperature of the room," says Winkenbach.

The kitchen island has a floating stone top and black stainless-steel Dacor appliances "that look as if they were designed for the house," says Winkenbach.

High-tech gadgets include cellphone charging stations, pop-up counter outlets and the refrigerator is Wi-Fi enabled, "so you can ask the fridge what's in it," jokes Bowles.

The master suite is on the main floor, near a media room with a wet bar, cozy office space and loft reading nook.

Owners can entertain in the backyard kitchen near the fairway or retreat to the front courtyard where there is a bubbling water feature. Read more

Don't miss: The Montigo Prodigy frameless, corner fireplace in the great room, sold through Fireside Home Solutions.

The property is listed at $2,088,000 through Terry Sprague of Luxe Christie's International Real Estate.



Graceview, a 5,420-square-foot modern farmhouse built by Phillip Pahlisch of Legacy Built Custom Homes with Jamie Opsahl Interior Design, has a tall country-style Dutch entry door that leads to a double-height family room. Across the wide entrance is a dining room ready for family traditions.

Continue on the hardwood floors to the living room, which has attention-getting 28-foot-tall ceilings with rustic exposed beams.

Keep out your tape measure: The kitchen has an 18-foot-long, poured concrete island. High cabinets can be reached by a sliding library ladder. Making cooking and entertaining easy: There is a concealed second prep kitchen and pantry.

Wide accordion-doors in the kitchen and breakfast area open to a covered patio with a full barbecue and island and a rock fire pit surrounded by grass growing between concrete squares.

Don't miss: A secret children's hideaway under the stairs is outfitted with mini couches. Other kid-friendly spaces include a loft and a handy mudroom made to store shoes and sports equipment. Read more

The property is listed at $1,899,000 through Jake Goldberg of Equity Oregon Real Estate.

Serenity, a 3,696-square-foot contemporary-style house built by Pahlisch Homes, is centered on high-performance and environmentally friendly materials, says the builder's Region Production Director Jeff Service. Erosion control, storm-water management, tankless water heaters and solar readiness are also part of the design.

The single-story house is fronted by columns of chiseled stonework that frame the towering glass-front doorway. Inside, long corridors connect to three bedroom suites.

Don't miss: Extending the living space outdoors are a covered porch, courtyard and veranda with water features and a putting green. Read more

The house was pre-sold during construction at an undisclosed price.



Tiny house: Gerald Rowlett of Westlake Development Group and M.J. Boyle of Empty Nest Tiny Homes led a team of volunteers and donors to create a decked-out, 204-square-foot tiny house on wheels that will be auctioned off to raise money for Oregon veterans committees and nonprofit organizations such as Forward Assist and Remembering America's Heroes.

You can bid on the modern mini mansion online at tinyhousewithabigdream.com through Aug. 28. Read more

--Janet Eastman | 503-799-8739

jeastman@oregonian.com