Custom Homes Still Available to Build Near New Orleans

Unlike other towns in the United States that have to worry about the “sprawl” of a metro area that seems to be growing faster than is sustainable by the transportation and infrastructure that the city has to offer, New Orleans, Louisiana and its neighboring cities of Metairie, Kenner, River Ridge, and Harahan seem to be “bulging” at the seams when it comes to available lots to build new custom homes.  It seems that every available inch of space on this much sought-after ground is completely full of existing homes or recently-built homes (and by recent, I mean 10 – 50 years old).
The concept of a new home subdivision in the Greater New Orleans area is also kind of a foreign concept on the West Bank of the Mississippi River as well.  With towns like Terrytown, Algiers, Marrero, Harvey, and Gretna quickly filling up with many different communities of existing homes for sale, and literally very little real estate on which to build, you may have thought that it was a hopeless cause to be able to build your own home and live on the Southshore of New Orleans.  The best that many people can do is to buy a blighted home or even a much older, probably historic fixer-upper home to renovate or restore with more modern conveniences.  In the French Quarter, many residents are doing just that, purchasing abandoned buildings, gutting them, and then recreating them from the inside, leaving the outside facade as is.
If you have the money and resources (and know the right contractor to hire in the French Quarter), then living in the very heart of the culture and history of New Orleans might be the right choice for you.  If you are, however, looking to be able to buy an affordable new home with your own yard and little bit of room to breathe, not too far from the city, look no further than the Parks of Plaquemines, a gated, new home subdivision right next to Jefferson Parish on the West Bank.  The Parks of Plaquemines is a masterplan, new home community with different neighborhoods with contain many different sizes and choices of lots on which to build.
Our builders want you to know that there are custom homes still available to build near New Orleans.  In fact, the community is only 10.2 miles from the French Quarter and Central Business District in New Orleans.  Also, to make your already short commute even easier, you have two choices as to how you might travel to the city to do business, play, or simply go to work – the Crescent City Connection (driving) or the ferry.  Most of the homes built in our gated subdivision were built by home buyers like yourself who wanted to the experience of building their own home.  They were able to bring their plans to our Architectural Control Committee (ARC) for approval and then even use their own approved builder to build their new custom home.
Lots for sale in the Parks of Plaquemines range in price from the $70’s – $140’s, and new homes for sale range in price from the $300’s to over $1 million.  In fact, with the size of lots available, the sky’s the limit as to how much you want to customize your new home.  In addition to lots and homes for sale, the Parks of Plaquemines offers a little bit of country a short commute to New Orleans with a park & trail system, swimming pool, tennis court, and tot lot / playground.  Outside of the actual city of New Orleans taxable limits, you will also enjoy a convenient and SAFE location, excellent Plaquemines Parish Schools, low parish property taxes, low sewer and water rents, and a low risk of hurricane flooding.

So, Come Out & Visit Our New Home Neighborhood Today!  Call 504-364-2350 or E-mail Info@TheParksLifestyle.com to Set Up an Appointment!

Old World Look for Old Town Homes in New Orleans, Louisiana

If you have spent any time in the city of New Orleans or even its outlying suburbs on the West Bank such as Algiers, Gretna, Marrero, Terrytown, and Harvey; you have probably noticed a variety of architectural stylings of the historic and obviously 100-year to 200-year-old homes.  When you view these homes as a current resident or as a tourist, you probably don’t think about what it takes to retrofit these homes during a home renovation, restoration, or new construction on an addition.  If you did, you would be weighing the benefits of more modern systems that are energy efficient and more eco-friendly vs. trying to maintain the integrity of the historic architecture.
Specifically, when it comes to windows in historic homes, many homeowners and home buyers spend a lot of time going back and forth as to restoration or replacement.  The ROI (return on investment) of replacing every window in the house with an energy efficient, low-E, double or even triple paned tinted window is approximately 10 – 12 years for standard-sized windows.  However, the first dilemma in starting a historic restoration is that you are probably going to run into a lot of non-standard-sized windows in your new home purchase.  If you go to custom order a bunch of different window sizes, you may not see a return on investment in savings from your electric bill for up to 20 years.
The second issue that you will have to face is that if your home is already listed on the National Register of Historic Place OR if you are interested in getting your home listed on this registry or need tax incentives for doing a historic renovation or restoration, you will probably have to reconsider using modern vinyl, aluminum, or wood framed window in the home altogether.

Finally, let’s consider what you are really getting when you decide to replace your existing wooden / glass windows in your 100 to 200-year-old home.  The wood used in today’s construction is significantly less dense than lumber used in building 100 years ago in the Greater New Orleans area. The reason for this is that the trees had been standing for a much longer period of time because they may have never been cut.  Because of this, the rings in the trees are closer together and much more dense than today’s treed lumber.  Therefore, even though you may find windows that are more energy efficient that look the way you would like or need them to for your renovation or restoration, you may be trading durability for a perceived ROI benefit on your electric bill.

Before you make your decision, consider this: the wood casing for the windows on your historic home is much more durable than today’s wooden window casings.  Also, the construction used to create the window frames themselves was a type of joinery that allowed the wood to expand and contract with the intense humidity of the New Orleans climate.  Finally, today’s wood and even vinyl has been known not to be able to last through the direct rays of the sunshine in this southern region.
The glass that is used in your windows is actually a higher quality of glass than is used today as well.  With the proper insulation, resealing and caulking, glazing, and other energy-smart tactics such as black-out shades and blinds, you can reduce the amount of heat loss in the winter and gain in the summer to fully enjoy the aesthetics of keeping an old world look for old town homes in New Orleans, Louisiana.

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Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Will Be Constructed in New Orleans

The much maligned and re-negotiated lease for the New Orleans World Trade Center finally has a viable tenant in the form of a world-renowned, international hotel chain – Four Seasons.  The Four Seasons Hotel and Residences will be constructed in New Orleans in the old World Trade Center Building with 2 additions to be added to either side of the building.  The Four Season group are partnered with Carpenter and Co. of Cambridge, MA, and Woodward Interests in New Orleans to completely renovate the structure, creating the addition of two wings to the side of the building as well.
Part of the attraction for the Four Season’s bid was the addition of the 76 hotel-serviced condos that would also be available for sale in addition to weekend, weekly, or monthly rentals.  The revenue of sales was a separate income item for the City of New Orleans.  The second attractive and unique part of their bid was their proposal for a “digital, immersive” experience for visitors who would want to visit an exhibit named New Orleans: History at the Confluence of Cultures.  This exhibit would present a digital story-telling experience of the City of New Orleans and would be put together by Henry Louis Gates Jr., a Harvard University professor of African-American studies, and Lawrence Powell, Tulane University history professor.
The financial ramifications of this project are far-reaching.  The construction of the hotel and condos would also contribute to the city’s tax revenues in construction payroll for the $364 million project which is $95 – $130 million higher than its competitors.  Of that amount approximately $127 million of the money is designated to go to minority-owned, women-owned, local, and disadvantaged businesses putting the money right back into the economy.  Along with the construction revenue in terms of payroll as well as building materials and supplies, the hotel would also pay the City of New Orleans a lease, locked in for 10 years of $3.25 million / year, increasing to $3.75 for the next year barring any significant increases in the tax threshold.  Also, percentages of the sales of the condos as well as the gross revenues of the digital exhibit would also be collected by the city, as well as any additional bonus revenue generating components of the hotel.
“In our estimation, in this case, we have both – picking the best cities and partnering with the best developers. I’m confident we will bring new visitors to the city and add to its already vibrant tourism,” said J. Allen Smith, Four Seasons president and CEO.

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Marrero Once Again Is Going to Feature Café Hope’s Local Food Festival

It’s spring in the Greater New Orleans area which means that it must be time for the many spring and summer festivals in all of the surrounding cities – including the West Bank – to make their appearance every weekend. In the spirit of good home making with fresh food and vegetables, Marrero once again is going to feature Café Hope’s Local Food Festival at the restaurant’s location at 1101 Barataria Blvd. in Marrero on Sunday, May 17, 2015.

Café Hope not only promotes the growing of fresh food, but this restaurant (with a full-fledged

garden next door) also is dedicated to the growth and maturity of the youth of the Greater New Orleans area. Café Hope trains interested participants on how to work in a professional restaurant environment, opening the door to the many restaurant working opportunities both on the West Bank as well as the city of New Orleans.

This year’s Local Food Festival is featuring a roasted pork sandwich with taleggio cheese and pickled kale from St. James Cheese Company; roasted eggplant salad, from Angeline; hogshead cheese, garnished with cucumber and cilantro from Coquette; Jamaican jerk pork loin stuffed with plaintains and pineapple, from Steamboat Natchez; cochon de lait, from the Rugby Pub; and chocolate or creole cream cheese ice cream, from Creole Creamery.

This event sponsored by Zatarain’s will also include additional food booths, children’s activities featuring a petting zoo, and a car show. Live, local music will be performed by Michael Liuzza, Los Poboycitos and Soul Creole. The proceeds from the event will be donated to Café Hope to benefit the restaurant training program for at-risk youth. This and other local festivals will be happening in Marrero, Louisiana, in the coming months, so check back often for the local news and events from The Parks of Plaquemines.

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