One of the Desert Golf Property homes, Village of Saguaro Forest #89 (6,272 square feet; $3.75 million), presents its grand single‑door entry from a porch flanked by cantera columns. Stone used for accent here is locally mined DC Ranch stone. The eco‑friendly theme is carried out in the wall finish throughout the house: American Clay plaster, an award‑winning non‑fired product, pigmented rather than painted, on which repairs are easily made with a soft sponge. Hand‑troweled, it adds another level of insulation to the walls.

The kitchen is a central feature in this house, to which the foyer flows. A 48‑inch gas Viking cooktop sits in its own alcove, with an electric oven and a convection microwave built into cupboards nearby. Drawers won’t slam shut in this kitchen as all employ the soft‑close feature whereby they can be closed only so far manually, then snick shut the rest of the way on their own.

Hand‑blown Murano glass pendants are suspended over a breakfast bar, whose bowed shape directs the eye to the wine cellar at the edge of the kitchen. This decorative wine cellar has display capacity of nearly 400 bottles behind its double‑paned glass door.

Entertainment area inside flows smoothly to include the outside, especially when the doors are retracted into the walls. The large patio is broken into several distinct spaces that include a full outdoor kitchen, a firepit from which can be enjoyed a night‑time view of city lights, a negative‑edge swimming pool, and a hot tub placed to be most convenient to the master suite.

Still all‑natural, the master suite is floored in marble tile and features a large corner fireplace made of local stone. There is wiring in place for a plasma TV in the bedroom and then also in the bathroom, where the TV would be positioned for easy viewing from the “hers” side of the room–specifically, from “her” make‑up vanity area of sink and cupboards. “His” sink features an extra‑wide bowl (a benefit when shaving) in a wide expanse of counter‑top. Cantera columns flank the bathtub in its nook. The separate shower stall is tiled floor to ceiling, except for the glass door.

Saguaro Forest #129 (6,200 square feet; $3.695 million), also by John Tracy, has more of a mountain retreat aspect on arrival, as the house is reached via a long driveway that bridges a natural wash. Past the lodgestone columns on its flagstone porch, however, the house itself has more formal attributes than #89.

The dining room, for instance, boasts a 952‑bottle wine cellar, stretching deep behind a door of hand‑reclaimed mesquite with designs in wrought iron over its glass pane. And there is a dedicated theatre.

Walls are true Venetian plaster, with a smooth, glass feel to the touch. In the foyer, one wall is a work of art, built in. It is translucent onyx, shimmering when the fluorescent lighting behind it is turned on, framed in a grid of alder planking. Use of onyx is repeated in the powder room opposite the art wall, in the above‑the‑counter vessel of the sink.

Flagstone flooring gives way, in the kitchen, to cherry wood planks. Furniture detailing sets off the cabinetry of the kitchen island (which also sports the convenience of two refrigerator drawers), while a rough‑hewn beam across the base of the commanding stove hood lends a country warmth to the cooking area.

Livability is as much a concern as luxury. This shows in touches such as the landing shelf in the walk‑in pantry, and, in the laundry room, the fold‑away, wall‑mounted ironing board as well as the hanger rod built into the cupboards. Photo‑sensitive footlights illuminate passage areas.

This four‑bedroom, six‑and‑a‑half‑bath home (with office as an optional fifth bedroom) looks from the front to offer a three‑car garage. But with what the builder calls a “cul‑de‑sac garage,” it can actually accommodate an extra vehicle in the V‑shaped space created as each end of the garage spreads outward.

Another multiple presence on the tour is Carlson Homes, showing two houses. One is in Scottsdale’s historic Cattletrack area (5,000 square feet; $2.75 million), and the home pays homage to its historical context. With an arts‑and‑crafts‑style exterior, it features geometrics as a major architectural theme throughout and blends the arts‑and‑crafts style with contemporary and Asian influences in its interior design.

Unassuming from the street, the house packs a jaw‑dropping wallop in its courtyard entrance. The swimming pool seems to take up most of the space, but there is 1,400 square feet of under‑roof patio. And the house is designed to make the most of Arizona’s outdoor lifestyle by using window walls that fully retract. This opens up the home’s interior and extends it through the patio. Both the Carlson Homes properties on the tour feature this amenity, but in the Cattletrack house there are two window walls that corner to each other–so when they are opened, the effect is even more dramatic.

Like its four‑bedroom, four‑and‑three‑quarter‑bath sister, Carlson Homes’ second tour entry (3,800 square feet; $1.8 million) also orients to the central courtyard: The great room, breakfast nook, kitchen, master bedroom and third bedroom all look onto the courtyard. Smaller by one, this three‑bedroom, three‑and‑a‑quarter bath home is in the gated Cantada community of North Scottsdale and sports the Mediterranean look of that neighborhood. The slate floor of the great room enhances the effect of the indoor/outdoor design when the window wall is fully retracted. And the home’s automation system coordinates lighting, heating and air conditioning, security and audio‑visual systems.

The Landmark offers the only non‑single‑family residence on the tour. This is a condo–a penthouse condo (4,400 square feet; $2,702,200) on the seventh floor of Tower II. Facing the golf course next to Kierland Commons, it is oriented south and thus captures views both east and west. Amenities of the three‑bedroom, three‑and‑a‑half‑bath home include designer finishes such as onyx countertops in the master bathroom. Another striking feature in this master bath is the shower, which is side‑to‑side glass flanked by the his‑and‑hers sinks.

Other amenities of the penthouse are part of its lock‑and‑leave lifestyle–on site but maintenance‑free for the homeowner. These include a 5,800‑square‑foot clubhouse, a climate‑controlled wine cellar with a locker for each resident, a business center, and a concierge to help you make plans for all that time you save not doing home maintenance.

Other homebuilders participating in the Phoenix Luxury Home Tour are Elite Luxury Homes, Jerry Hillard Custom Homes, Kyan Builders, LaBlonde Homes, Platinum Homes and Tierra Custom Homes. Homes are open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday the weekends of April 20‑22 and 27‑29. Tickets for the self‑guided tour are available at A.J.’s Fine Foods, by calling (866) 895‑8912, or by visiting the Web site at phoenixluxuryhometour.com.