It can be a bit exhausting keeping up with all the home tours in Austin, but the Modern Home Tour this weekend is one that you don't want to miss. Unfortunately I won't be there this year because of a wedding in Mexico, but luckily I've already been through almost half of the homes. I'm actually really excited about this year's tour because a lot of my architect friends have homes featured. It's always great when you see good people, doing great projects get the attention they deserve.

So if I was in town this weekend, which houses would be on my must visit list? Here are my top 5 in no particular order.

1907 Barton Pkwy : Chris Cobb

Chris has been on a roll lately. He had a project featured on the latest AIA homes tour which was one of my favorites. The thing that has me interested in this particular project though is all that fantastic woodwork. There is nothing that give a home more character and warmth than wood. Extensive use of wood in modern homes takes some true craftsmanship though. It looks like they nailed it on this project.

2510 Trail of Madrones : Erik Gonzalez

Erik and Sago International have a special place in my heart. There work, as there name implies is a international modernism. I like to think of it as classic modern. It's timeless, simple and done right. I walked through this house last when it was still under construction. It was still pretty early on, but the floorplan and scale were spot on. It looks like the finish out is just as good.

2708 Townes Lane : Bercy Chen Studio

You know I love Bercy Chen, it's why I picked them for my own house. You can read about that here if you need a refresher. It's interesting to look at this project and compare it to my house and see so many similarities, whether it's the baseboard details, materials used or just the scale of the spaces. If you are a details kind of person, this house is for you.

3305 Garden Villa : North Arrow Studio

I wish every spec house that was built in Austin could be architect designed. Just think of the neighborhoods if houses like this (and the next one) were the norm. North Arrow always manages to bring a little something playful to a project. For this one it's those amazing metal privacy fences. Those shadows are a true jaw dropper.

2002 Peoples Street : un.box studio / Newcastle Homes

I'm just going to say it one more time. More spec homes like this please! I absolutely love that long time east Austin developer Newcastle Homes has started to team up with un.box studio. It's no surprise that this house was sold before it could even get close to completed. I had the chance to walk through this house a few times as it was being completed, and there is just so much to love about it.

Whew, that's it. Obviously I can't give a shout out to everyone, and there were so many good houses this year. Make sure you head over to the Modern Home Tour Austin website to see all the homes on the tour this year, and get your tickets.

Insider tip: Check out and like some of the architect and builders facebook pages. Many of them have discount codes you can use to get your tickets cheaper.