The events worth marking on your calendar if you love homes or you're thinking about building one — the COBA Tour of Homes, the Spring Home & Garden Show, and more — with a builder's take on how to get the most from each.
Central Oregon celebrates homes and building all year — and it's some of the best homework you can do before you build.
Whether you're planning a custom home, remodeling, or simply love good design, the region's home events are a genuine resource. Most are organized by the Central Oregon Builders Association (COBA), a nonprofit trade association chartered in 1972 that runs public showcases alongside its industry work. Walking real homes and talking with real builders teaches you more in an afternoon than months of scrolling.
This is a builder's guide to those events — what they are, roughly when they happen, and how to look at a home the way someone who builds them does. Dates shift year to year, so we link to the official sources for current schedules.
Event details are organized by the Central Oregon Builders Association. Always confirm current dates on the official pages linked below.
The public events most worth knowing. Only COBA-member builders exhibit, but all of these are open to the public.
Central Oregon's flagship home showcase — a free, self-guided tour of newly built homes by the region's top builders, typically spread across two July weekends. It's the best way to walk finished custom homes, compare craftsmanship, and gather ideas in person.
Official Tour sitecobatourofhomes.com →COBA's Spring Home & Garden Show gathers around 200 vendors — builders, remodelers, designers, landscapers, and home-product suppliers — typically at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds & Expo Center in Redmond. A one-stop place to meet the people who build and outfit Central Oregon homes.
Show details on coba.orgcoba.org →Beyond the two public showcases, COBA hosts education, networking, and industry events throughout the year, and publishes news on Central Oregon housing and building. The current public calendar is the best place to see what's coming next.
Full event calendarcoba.org/events →Want the deeper visitor's guide to the Tour specifically — the app, the interactive map, and visiting tips? See our COBA Tour of Homes guide.
Anyone can admire a beautiful kitchen. The more useful visit is the one where you look past the staging at the things that decide how a home actually lives and lasts. A few of the things we notice.
How rooms connect, where daylight lands through the day, and how the home frames its views — the choices you feel every day but rarely see in a photo.
Trim, transitions, tile layout, cabinetry reveals, and how materials meet. Clean, considered detailing is the clearest sign of a careful builder.
How the home sits on its lot — sun, wind, slope, privacy, and outdoor living. A home right for its site feels effortless; one fighting its site never quite does.
Windows, insulation, mechanical planning, and how a home is built for Central Oregon's snow, sun, and temperature swings. Comfort and durability live here.
Mudrooms, gear storage, pantries, and the practical spaces a high-desert life needs. Great homes plan for the way people actually live in them.
Note the finishes and scope behind the look you love — it's the honest way to connect a tour home to a realistic budget for your own.
Sunrise Construction has a long history with the COBA Tour of Homes. Every home we've entered since 2018 has been named Best of Show — at Ranch at the Canyons, Golden Mantle at Tree Farm, Juniper Preserve, Deschutes River Ranch, Eagle Crest, and Caldera Springs. It's recognition we're proud of, judged by a demanding panel of industry peers.
We're not on every year's Tour, and that's by design — we build a limited number of homes so the owner stays closely involved in each. When we do have a home on the Tour, we'll note it here. Any time of year, you can walk our finished homes through Selected Work.
The Central Oregon Builders Association (COBA) Tour of Homes is held each July, typically across two weekends, and it's free and open to the public. Dates change year to year, so check coba.org or cobatourofhomes.com for the current schedule.
Yes. The COBA Tour of Homes is free and open to the public. Only COBA-member builders may showcase a home on the Tour, but anyone can visit and tour the homes during event hours.
COBA hosts a Spring Home & Garden Show each spring, typically at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds & Expo Center in Redmond. It gathers around 200 vendors — builders, remodelers, designers, and home-product suppliers — and draws thousands of visitors. Check coba.org for current dates and details.
COBA, a nonprofit trade association chartered in 1972, runs education, networking, and industry events in addition to its public Tour of Homes and Spring Home & Garden Show. The current calendar is published at coba.org/events.
Sunrise isn't on every year's Tour of Homes, but the homes we have entered have earned Best of Show recognition. When we have a home on the Tour, we'll note it here. Any time of year, you can explore our completed homes through our Selected Work.
Look past the staging and styling at the things that determine how a home lives and lasts — craftsmanship and detailing, how spaces connect and capture light and views, the quality of windows, millwork, and finishes, and how well the home suits its site. Those are the differences a builder notices, and they matter far more than trends.
That's the best time to talk. Whether you have a lot, a vision, or just a folder of ideas from the Tour, we can help you understand what it takes to build it well in Central Oregon.