Sometimes homebuilders are informed by personal or familial experiences. Other times they are simply anticipating a trend. These days, New Orleans-area builders of upscale homes are doubling down on personal spaces and amenities, including not just one, but two, of some desirable features.
“My grandmother told me, ‘When you start building houses, you need two master bathrooms,'” said builder Sam Solomon, of Bancroft Property Investments. “She and my grandfather had that set up in their home, and she attributed it to the longevity of their marriage.
"She told me, ‘People need their privacy. They don’t need to share absolutely everything.’ I remember this when designing a home."
Private walk-in closets are accessed through the baths in the Bellaire Drive home. This one, for a woman, has a central storage island and built-in cosmetic vanity illuminated by a graceful chandelier.
One of Solomon’s recent speculative homes, located at 251 Bellaire Drive, a low-traffic street that only recently opened to new development, will be among the 20 homes from 16 builders on this weekend’s Parade of Homes Tour, presented by Troyer Builders and James Hardie and hosted by the Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans.
The Bellaire Drive home includes two luxurious and well-thought-out primary baths among its 6,000 square feet. There are five bedrooms, five bathrooms and a half-bath in all.
In the primary bedroom, a glass-fronted built-in linen closet separates the sleeping and lounging chamber from the bathing and dressing areas.
The two private bathrooms are accessed via private entrances. Both contain a water closet, lavatory and a soaking tub, and both open into a spacious, shared walk-in shower with dual shower heads and controls.
Private walk-in closets — one with a central storage island and a built-in cosmetic vanity illuminated by a graceful chandelier — are accessed through the private baths.
A glass-front linen closet separates the sleeping and lounging area from the bath and dressing spaces in the Bellaire Drive home.
Solomon sees the need for privacy as a trend. “We don’t see people building larger homes,” he said. “But I do see them reallocating their spaces. They are putting less emphasis on dining rooms, and more on private spaces."
In Gretna, builder Leobardo Garcia Jamies, of Garcia & Jaimes Contractors, recalled the customs of his extended family in Mexico when planning a speculative house at 531 Oak Glen Drive in the Hamilton Oaks neighborhood.
“I grew up in Mexico where family is everything,” he said. “Homes were designed in anticipation of older family members eventually living with younger ones. My mom and dad built their house that way because my grandfather lives with them."
The Garcia & Jaimes Contractors’ speculative home has primary suites on both the first and second floors.
Both baths on Bellaire Drive open into a shared walk-in shower.
The suite on the first floor is outfitted with an open-bath concept meant to accommodate a wheelchair, and doorways are generously sized for the same purpose.
“I think people should be looking forward in anticipation of their family members aging. You need to stay a step ahead. I hope my kids do this for me.”
A custom home built by Ryan Fitzsimmons, of Fitz Construction, at 97 Dogwood Drive in Kenner is also on the tour. It features a multitude of dual amenities to accommodate the couple who had the home built.
The light-filled primary bedroom on Bellaire Drive includes a sitting area at one end and entrance to the his-and-hers baths.
The 4,750-square-foot space features his-and-hers home offices and his-and-hers garages, a spacious playroom, a lavishly landscaped outdoor living space, a pool and an outdoor kitchen, along with its five bedrooms, four bathrooms and two half-baths.
“He collects cars, so that’s what his is for. He has lifts so he can double-stack his cars. She just wants a place to park her car,” Fitzsimmons said.
He sees a larger trend at work. “My custom clients are willing to spend the money now to get what they want now and just re-fi later when interest rates come down. During the pandemic, 80% of the buyers I saw were in their 30s. Now it is people in their 50s and 60s who are cash-heavy and want to invest in properties instead of the stock market.“
Parade of Homes
What: The Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans' annual open house features 20 new homes ranging from about $300,000 to $3.6 million
When: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Where: A variety of locations, including Lakeview, Metairie/Old Metairie, Kenner, Destrehan, Plaquemines and Belle Chasse
Cost: Free. See hbagno.org for information.