By Staci Dennis Correspondent It takes much more than four walls and a roof to make a house a home. An eye for good design is important, too. "The goal is to make every home functional and (to) be creative with every inch of space," said Erin Widener Speckhart, president of The Widener Corp., one of nine participating builders in Homearama 2009.

By Staci Dennis
Correspondent
A few decades ago, a parcel of land in the heart of Chesapeake's Deep Creek was Tim Culpepper's childhood playground.
As a young boy, he explored the area that butted up against the Great Dismal Swamp. He spen t his summers hunting, fishing, camping and riding his bike through some of the 488 acres that his family owned.

CLICK ON THE INTERACTIVE ABOVE TO WATCH VIDEOS AND LEARN MORE.
 
Your video guide to enjoying this year’s Homearama at Culpepper Landing in Chesapeake.
Come back each week for new videos and home features.
 

The Tidewater Builders Association has a new strategy for stirring up new homebuyers: Instead of just one Home-arama next year, the group will host two. In addition to its annual fall showcase, the association plans to hold its first spring Home-arama in 2010. The move is an attempt to attract buyer attention in a market that has seen one of its steepest declines in more than a decade.

Dominique Lawson and Kevin Stanley were about to postpone their "I do's" because they couldn't afford the trappings of a wedding. Instead, they are tying the knot months ahead of schedule because they are getting a free wedding courtesy of the Tidewater Builders Association.

By Barbara Taychert Correspondent Dominique Lawson and Kevin Stanley were about to postpone their "I do's" because they couldn't afford the trappings of a wedding. Instead, they are tying the knot months ahead of schedule because they are getting a free wedding courtesy of the Tidewater Builders Association.

By Taylor Brock Teen correspondent There's a new house on the block and it's green! Not the color, the theme. It's called The Mothership, and it's part of Homearama 2008, an annual showcase of homes by the Tidewater Builders Association. This year there are seven houses on display at Ashville Park in the heart of Virginia Beach.

Trying to take in the abundance of Homearama is like “I Love Lucy’’ pals Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz trying to wolf down chocolates as they speed along a candy factory conveyor belt.
Ambitious, but futile.

Staci Dennis Correspondent   History and new construction typically don’t go together. But thanks to community and architectural designer Stephen Fuller, details from yesterday come alive in the neoclassical neighborhood Ashville Park, site of Homearama 2008.

Herb Watson ambled through the 5,200-square-foot French chateau-style mansion Friday morning, proudly showing off everything from the home's elaborate ceiling decorations to its laundry room. "Where have you seen a utility room with a floor made of solid marble and a counter of solid granite?" he asked.