The Tidewater Builders Association is opening up the Homearama houses and inviting the public to get their shoes dirty at the Dusty Boots open house.

People will be able to tour the nine homes in the Riverfront at Harbour View while they are still under construction during the free event Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 10-11, from 1 to 5 p.m.

TBA president Bill Halprin said the Dusty Boots event is the perfect opportunity for people who are planning to attend Homearama to get an idea of what they will see when the homes open for the event.

“It gives spectators a preview prior to Homearama’s opening,” he said. “It gives the public a sneak preview.”

He said the event is an appetizer to get people excited about the main course — the Homearama event — to be served up next month.

“It creates some excitement and gets people involved before the event,” he said.

The name of the event suggests the bare-bones state of the homes at the time of the tour. But despite a little sawdust, the majority of the work on the homes will be done for the event.

“They’re probably going to be 80 or 90 percent complete,” he said. “The last month is getting down to the details.”

Most of the remaining work, he said, is cosmetic, such as interior design and landscaping.

Halprin said he thinks everybody would enjoy attending the Dusty Boots open house, but people who are interested in home construction as well as contractors and home vendors could benefit the most from coming.

“I think we’ll have a good audience,” he said. “And hopefully, we’ll get a better audience for the actual event.”

This fall’s Homearama event will feature nine themed homes range from 2,800 to 4,000-plus square feet and are priced at $550,000 and up.

Homearama officially opens Oct. 15 and runs until Oct. 30. Tickets for the event are $10 for a one-day pass and $17 for two days.