Choice Construction of Gig Harbor has been selected to build two homes featured in next year’s Homes of Distinction program for Seattle’s KOMO-TV. It’s an honor, but Choice owner Doug Clark said he also sees benefits for the community.

“I see it as an opportunity for this whole town,” Clark said. “This is a well-regarded little city and a great destination. But it’s not often that we get awards and recognition.”

Choice Construction is building two properties that will be featured in the luxury home showcase, sponsored by TL Concepts of Kansas and held in a specific region of the country every year with the partnership of a local TV station. KOMO will broadcast coverage of the building process on the two sites, one near Sehmel Homestead Park in Gig Harbor and one near Lake Sammamish.

The homes will be open to the public to tour on three consecutive weekends this spring, and the tours also will be featured during the broadcast. The Gig Harbor property with water and mountain views already has been purchased and is nearing the finishing stages of construction.

Clark said much of the interior is complete, and its core systems have been installed, but things like flooring and cabinets still need to be done. Exterior work, such as landscaping and decking, also has yet to be finished.

Clark hopes that work can be done by local vendors and companies in order to bring more attention to craftsmen who work in Gig Harbor. He invites local landscapers, artists, contractors and others to contact Choice about getting involved in the project.

“The question is, how can we use (Homes of Distinction) to showcase what we have going on in this city?” said Clark, who grew up in Gig Harbor.

Clark estimates 2,000 to 3,000 people will visit the homes each weekend, potentially bringing several thousand visitors to the harbor. He said he expects the event to help local restaurants and hotels as well as his own business.

“Everyone’s going to see more traffic,” he said.

“I think it’s huge for the area,” said Doug’s son, Adam, who assumed operational control of Choice on Jan. 1 and will supervise the Homes of Distinction construction. “It will introduce Gig Harbor to people who wouldn’t normally come in — new buyers and people looking to build.”

As for Choice’s building process, the event’s spotlight has slowed its construction on the property. Homes of Distinction emphasizes high-end products in its featured homes, Doug Clark said, and that means some of the builders’ usual methods need to be taken up a notch.

“It all has to be TV-viewer-friendly,” Clark said. “They want to see something that makes you go, ‘Oh, wow.’ There has to be that something extra.”

For a small company like Choice, taking on the Homes of Distinction project has been a challenge. Clark said he plans to split his staff between Gig Harbor and Lake Sammamish on the tour weekends. Getting both homes ready by the spring will require a lot of work, he said.

But Clark is proud to showcase what his company has to offer. He hopes to hear from other Gig Harbor builders who want to get involved.

“It’d be nice to have some artisans step up and say, ‘I can do something unique,’ ” Clark said.

Choice has 11 current projects, four new homes and seven remodels, mostly between Interstate 5 and Bremerton, but the Clarks expect that number to grow once the KOMO coverage airs.

“We’re looking forward to that,” Adam Clark said. “We’re planning for it, and gearing up for it.”