Has your crib grown ho-hum, channeling Jim and Pam from “The Office,” rather than Beyoncé and Jay Z, as you feel is more your vibe? Or, perhaps, your brood has outgrown your abode, leading to a setup resembling a collection of dorm rooms. Maybe you are just ready for a change?
Whatever the case, there’s a cure for that: The 2025 Parade of Homes, the second weekend of which is from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, is showcasing 16 newly built homes by 14 area builders.
The homes feature the latest amenities and design elements, including lighting, fixtures and appliances, as well as flexible, multifunctional floor plans and outdoor living spaces designed for year-round use. Attendees can also obtain advice from builders, designers, lenders and real estate professionals.
DIA Custom Builders created an invisible scullery/pantry that looks like an armoire outside, but inside, one side conceals the refrigerator and freezer and the other side opens to reveal a fully concealed room with ample pantry shelving storage, cabinets, and a wet bar (or place to do the dishes).
Studies show consumers are driven to seek new homes that offer style, increased space and affordability, as well as comfort, safety and a sense of community. Luxury touches are high on the wish list, too.
Eight of the 16 homes on this year’s tour feature either a scullery or a butler’s pantry. Six of them have wine cellars. One of them has an elevator and a pickleball court. Another was built specifically to be affordable and energy efficient with its own fortified roof and wind mitigation certificate.
This is no one-stop tour. These homes are spread across a variety of desirable New Orleans area neighborhoods: Lakeshore subdivision, The Parks of Plaquemines (a growing area in Belle Chasse with four homes on the tour); Giaise in Marrero; Place Pontchartrain, Gabriel and Louisiana Trace in Kenner; Old Metairie; Bonnabel Place in Metairie; Live Oak Manor in West Jefferson; and Lakeview, Bucktown and the Fairgrounds areas in New Orleans. The event is organized annually by the Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans.
In this $2M Kenner home, Creative Builders included a series of hidden doors on the second floor to conceal a laundry area.
What’s on trend
This year, the industry is seeing large porcelain tiles (48 inches) being used in homes, reducing the number of grout joints in bathrooms, backsplashes, fireplaces and more.
Fiber cement siding on exteriors has become more common in recent years (it doesn’t burn, it doesn’t rot, and nothing eats it), and vinyl windows are now standard for maintaining a well-insulated interior during the hot, humid New Orleans summers.
Also, it seems few want to gaze lovingly upon the coffee maker once the appliance has completed its task. Ditto indulging the compulsion to do the dishes halfway through a dinner party. These desires have made the butler’s pantry, aka the scullery, a necessity. Just toss those dishes in the sink behind a closed door and get right back to an otherwise pristine showplace kitchen.
Creative Builders’ Kenner kitchen includes a coffered ceiling, butler’s pantry and paneled refrigerator.
Matt Hannan, founder and president of DIA Custom Builders, took the concept of the scullery a step further. Enter the invisible scullery/pantry. From the outside, this buildout looks like a handsome armoire, yet on one side a set of panels conceals the refrigerator and freezer; on the other side of the armoire, a panel with over 6 feet of headway clearance opens to reveal a fully concealed room with ample pantry shelving storage, cabinets and a wet bar (or place to do the dishes) and electrical outlets for that unsightly coffee maker.
“In a pinch, it could be a safe room,” Hannan said. “I started doing this three years ago, and now I try to include it in all my builds. People love it.”
Outside of the invisible room, the primary kitchen has a panel-ready dishwasher concealed in the island, leaving nothing to distract from the showstopper 48-inch Jenn Air range with dual fuel ovens.
The kitchen’s counters are kept clean of unsightly outlets with clever hideaway pop-up power strips for both electrical and charging that recess into the kitchen counters with a quick press.
On the floor, luxury vinyl plank matches the natural honey-hued custom wood cabinets.
“LVP is the way to go,” Hannan said. “It’s water and stain resistant, defect resistant, more durable than wood, and it’s half the cost.”
Hannan designed his Old Metairie home on the tour to have the look of the architecture found on Florida’s celebrated 30A, a 24-mile stretch of highway sometimes described as the “Hamptons of the South,” with a recessed arched entryway and a balcony supported by corbels off the primary bedroom.
Upsizing, not getting smaller
Rather than downsizing, clients of custom builder Adam Bertuglia, founder and president of Creative Builders, wanted a custom home where they could enjoy pickleball with their children and grandchildren. The $2 million Kenner home features four bedrooms, 4½ baths and 6,600 square feet of living space.
Other lux touches include an elevator and a series of hidden doors on the second floor to conceal a laundry area, a gaming room, decorative ceilings, and a glass railing off the second floor that affords views of Lake Pontchartrain.
When building out this year’s St. Jude Dream Home (the Home Builders Association is a supporter), Hyman L. Bartolo Contractors spared no expense on the $700,000 abode that will be raffled off to support St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. The Dream Home, 425 Live Oak St., in Bucktown is 2,768 square feet with three bedrooms and 2½ bathrooms. It has a sleek, chic, contemporary design. Standout touches include a floating staircase with lighted treads and a butler’s pantry.
2025 Parade of Homes
What: The Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans hosts the open house at 16 metro-area new builds ranging from $250,000 to over $2 million.
When: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 28-29
Cost: Free.
More: Select homes can also be seen virtually starting July 31. See hbagno.org/signature-events