Monett families open their homes for Habitat's Holiday Home Tour

The home of Kenny and Mindy Barnes, located in Monett's Blue Ridge Estates subdivision, is one of four homes that will be decorated for the holidays and open to public tours this Sunday, Dec. 6 between 4 and 6 p.m. The Holiday Home Tour event is hosted by the Monett-Purdy affiliate of Habitat for Humanity with proceeds benefitting the local organization. [Times Photo by Murray Bishoff]

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Monett area homes on the tour include:

* The homes of Jack and Margaret Prim at 811 Hampton Place and Jon Suit at 831 Lakewood Drive, both located in the Lakewood Terrace subdivision.

* The rural home of Kenny and Mindy Barnes at 23866 Lawrence 1104 in the Blue Ridge Estates subdivision off Business Highway 60 two miles east of Monett.

The Prims' home, which was built around 10 years ago, is a spacious 4,200 square feet. The three-bedroom house was built in a contemporary style with an open floor plan. The living rooms, dining room and kitchen are larger in size, which is great for entertaining and family gatherings.

One of the most distinctive feature of the house is its hearth room, which connects to the kitchen and opens onto an exterior deck. The master bedroom is on the opposite end of the main floor. A staircase leads up to children's bedrooms and a workroom for family projects, connected by an open hallway overlooking a two-story great room.

The Suit home is a 13-year-old four-bedroom house with a full basement, built in an open Southwest style. The entrance leads into a great room with a 15-foot ceiling. Suit has used the space to display several Christmas trees and his large collection of Santa Clauses.

The Suit house has a large room with wood flooring for the kitchen and adjacent informal dining room, leading to an exterior deck. A formal dining room connects to both the kitchen and the great room. A master bedroom with an exceptionally large bathroom is on the opposite end of the house, connected to two bedrooms, decorated around large furniture pieces. Plantation shutters add to a warm feeling in the rooms.

The basement provides the main living space for the home with the entertainment center. Suit has converted an exercise room into another full bedroom for convenience and comfort.

The Barnes home has a distinctive Old World design. The two-story brick home, which was built four and a half years ago, features five bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms. Kenny Barnes built the house himself using custom plans from an Atlanta architect that the Barneses further modified.

Wood is a central element in the decor of the home, showcased in the hardwood floors and custom cabinetry. The Old World feel is enhanced by archways into rooms, pillars and granite counters throughout the house. The master bathroom has a luxurious raised tub reached by two steps between two pillars under a barrel ceiling.

The home's great room offers a spacious living room for relaxation next to the dining room. Two staircases lead upstairs. An outdoor patio offers a beautiful view of the five-acre property, including the people-sized dog house for the family's bull mastiffs.

The Jobe home is a prime example of what Habitat is able to do. Completed in less than six months, the project had financial support from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, which made rapid progress possible.

Tickets for the home tour are available for $5 from the Monett Chamber of Commerce office at 200 E. Broadway or from the First United Methodist Church or the First Presbyterian Church. Tickets will also be available at the homes on the day of the tour.

For additional information, call 417-669-1612.