By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Several homes in Shelby County recently took home top honors in the Greater Birmingham Association of Home Builders’ 2013 Parade of Homes, which will run through April 28.

For the past 57 years, the Association of Home Builders has featured dozens of homes from across the Birmingham metropolitan area in the parade. After this year’s tour kicked off on April 20, a panel of Alabama home building professionals judged the homes and named the top houses by city and square-footage.

The gold award in Alabaster went to the DR Horton company for 204 Lacey Avenue in the Lacey’s Grove subdivision. Harris and Doyle Homes took second and third place in Alabaster with 217 Wisteria Lane and 221 Wisteria Lane, respectively.

In the U.S. 280-Hoover category, Ridgecrest Properties took first place with 2013 Drayton Place in the Highland Lakes subdivision, and Gibson ad Anderson Inc. finished runner-up with 108 Waterloo Bend in Lake Wellington Estates.

Helena’s Hillsboro subdivision swept the Calera-Helena category, as Newcastle Construction took gold, silver and bronze. First place was 529 Rosebury Road, second place was 536 Rosebury Road and third place went to 108 White Cottage Road.

In the Chelsea area, DR Horton took first place in the 1,000-2,500-square-foot category with 104 Chelsea Station, and Embassy Homes took silver in the division with 5001 Hawthorne Place. First and second place in Chelsea’s 2,500-3,500-square-foot division went to Signature Homes, with 1100 Highland Village Trail and 119 Lake Chelsea Drive, respectively.

Marks Davidson took first place in Columbiana with 123 Perkins Point.

In the Pelham 1,000-2,500-square-foot division, Thoroughbred Homes by DAL Properties took first and third place with 209 Dunrobin Cove and 211 Dunrobin Cove, respectively. Gibson and Anderson Inc. won second place with 324 Oxford Way.

Pelham’s Ballantrae neighborhood swept the city’s 2,500-3,500-square-foot division, as Thoroughbred Homes by DAL Properties won gold for 101 Gleneagles Lane and silver for 287 Macallan Drive.

Tours of all the new houses included on the 2013 Parade of Homes will be offered from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday, April 27 and from 1-6 p.m. on Sunday, April 28. For more information, including a complete list of homes, visit Birminghambuilder.com.