Tucson Innovative Home Tour 2007

A community sharing of new and better ways to be at home in the desert

Practical tour information

You’ll enjoy the tour much more if you can prepare and plan ahead. The following information, plus the Review of Homes, also linked from the main Home Tour page, will give you what you need. In fact, this provides more information than we can fit in the tour guide, as well as photos.

Tickets

The Home Tour is $10 per person or family. Bring a friend for $5.

Bonus offers. With the purchase of a Home Tour ticket, you can also take advantage of two half-price bonuses:

   Next Generation Home Course is only $5 with your Home Tour ticket ($10 regularly). Bring a friend for $5, sharing materials.

   Memberships in the Tucson Solar Alliance and Tucson Homeowners Alliance are $20, but you can enjoy a one-year trial membership in both of them for only $10 when taking either the Home Tour or Home Course. These are full dual memberships in both organizations, with all benefits for one year.

Ticket Locations
You can get your ticket in two ways:

Please note: Tickets must be purchased in cash only- not check or debit or credit cards. Please help by bringing the exact amount.

(1) On Saturday morning, November 3rd, at the location of the Next Generation Home Course - click for details, including location and map. If you come to the course, you can obtain a ticket and guide at the same time, starting 8:00 a.m. If you are not attending the course, then you can purchase a tour ticket at that location from 10:00 a.m. until noon. Please remember that tickets must be purchased in cash only - not check or debit or credit cards. Please help by bringing the exact amount.

(2) On Friday and Saturday, November 2nd and 3rd, at the new location of Book Stop Used Books, 214 N. 4th Avenue (south of 6th Street and north of the underpass). These will be available only on Friday, November 2, from noon - 10:00 p.m. and Saturday, November 3, 10:00 am - 6:00 pm. Please remember that tickets must be purchased in cash only - not check or debit or credit cards.

For those coming from out of town via I-10, both of these locations are very convenient and open before the start of the tour on Saturday. They're also central to the homes on the tour.

  Important! If you are using the I-10 freeway, construction has complicated things a bit. There are no exits open between Prince Road on the North and 29th Street on the South, which includes all the central Tucson exits, including Speedway Blvd.
  If you are coming from the north, be sure to exit I-10 at Prince Road, where signs direct you to exit for "local traffic." Then proceed south on the frontage road somewhat over 3 miles to Speedway. Turn left on Speedway and go east less than one mile to Stone Ave, the second traffic light.
  Similarly, if you are coming from the south, be sure to exit I-10 at 29th Street / 22nd Street, where signs direct you to exit for "local traffic." Then proceed north on the frontage road somewhat over 2 miles to Speedway. Then turn right on Speedway and go east on Speedway Blvd less than a mile to Stone Ave, the second traffic light.

  Then, for Pima Community College, just turn left and go north on Stone about 150 feet and turn left into the parking lot, then left again to park. Go in the main entrance past the glittering fountain and follow the signs.
  For the Book Stop, turn right on Stone and go south about 1/2 mile to 6^th Street. Turn left and go 4 blocks east to 4th Ave. Turn right and go several blocks south to 214.

  Click here for printable directions.

Answers to frequently asked questions
Ticket prices and deals
Your ticket is good for one person or your family, limited to two adults and two children living at the same address.

On the tour, you can take one or two friends who accompany you in your vehicle and take no additional tour materials for $5 each. For the course, you can bring one friend who accompanies you, and does not take any materials, for $5.

The cost of the tour, the course and membership separately would be $10 + $10 + $20.
You can go on the tour and take the course $10 + $5.
You can go on the tour, take the course and join for $10 + $5 + $10.
You can take the course and also become a member for $10 + $10.
Please remember: cash only - please help by bringing the exact amount.

Other ticket questions
You must sign the separate Validation Certificate as a necessary condition for going on the tour - no exceptions. You are signing a waiver and hold harmless agreement, which seems a sign of our times. Your signature affirms your agreement and your name and address identify you as the signer. These homeowners do their part by letting you into their homes. You do your part by taking responsibility for yourself and those accompanying you, and agreeing not to sue anyone. Our Privacy policy is simple: We fully respect your privacy. We will not share your information with anyone. Period. We have never used the addresses for anything else. No junk mail will come, no salesmen will call.

Can I get a tour guide without buying a ticket? No, the guides are the ticket. More information can be found on our web site than in the tour guide. Printing is getting expensive and we try to keep costs down so that we can continue to keep ticket prices low.

Suggestions
Here are a few suggestions to help you prepare and enjoy the tour:
  Read the information on this website carefully to help plan your tour.
  Get your ticket ahead of time so you can plan your tour better. Read days, times, directions and notes carefully.
  There are more houses than can be comfortably or safely visited in one day. This is to give you a choice. Choose 5 or 6 houses and take your time exploring them. Respect the homeowners – stay within tour hours and comply with requests.
  Get good map(s) of the Tucson metropolitan area to plan your route. It does not have to be detailed - just with the major streets, for orientation. If you are a member of AAA, the Tucson map will cover it very well. Many gas stations and bookstores have maps for sale. There are also maps available on-line, through MapQuest.com or AOL.com, for example. The tour guide does not have a map, but the directions are very explicit, starting from major intersections.
  Schedule a nice lunch break.
  Bring your ticket (= tour guide), map(s), water, snacks, sunglasses, hat, sun protection, and material to take notes. Wear appropriate comfortable shoes and clothing.
  Consult your map while reading directions and look for tour signs as you near your destination.
  Be careful of how you drive. Respect the speed limit.
  Be thoughtful when parking. Respect people, property and vegetation. Don't block neighbors or traffic. Choose a pleasant walk over struggling for parking.
  Present your ticket (= tour guide) and sign in at each location.
  Remember, you are a guest. Please be a good one. Homeowners do this out of the goodness of their hearts. They receive no compensation. It is their home: they may deny admission at any time.
  Be especially careful if you choose to visit a construction site. Watch for holes, ditches, nails, broken glass, electrical hardware and other hazards. Don't mess with things.
  By participating, you agree to waive, release and hold harmless the homeowners and all those associated with organizing the tour from any claims or lawsuits.
  Join in the spirit of the tour. This is a community sharing event. Take your time. Have fun. Enjoy yourself. Help others enjoy it too.
  After the tour, please get in touch with us and let us know about your experience. What did you like? What didn't you like? What would you like to see more of? Did you have any problems? Please give us information and suggestions so we can make the tour better next time.

If you have any other questions, feel free to get in touch with us.

Please help pass the word ... and bring your family and friends. We look forward to seeing you.

Have fun! See you there!

Many thanks to to the Book Stop, its owners and employees, for volunteering to help people obtain tickets for the tour. They do this without compensation. From the beginning, the organizers of the tour have approached only local, independent, small businesses of this kind, with good reputations and with whom we are familiar, because they contribute in other ways to the kind of community that the organizations of the Solar Institute are helping to build. We hope that you will give them a try and get to know them yourself.

A special thanks to the UPS Store, 5575 E. River Rd, in the River Center, for their help with printing for the tour.

What You Can Do
Participants and supporters of this community initiative include many individuals, organizations, businesses, educational institutions and government jurisdictions and agencies.

We invite you to become a part of this community sharing too. Let us know how we can do better. If you have comments, ideas or suggestions, know of a good home you would like to nominate, or would like to help or contribute to the home tour in some way, please get in touch with us.

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