Archives for January 2025

Building a Custom Home in the Village at Willow Grove: Part 1 The Inspiration and Process

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What is it like to create a custom home?

It’s a culmination of countless decisions, intensive planning, and personal expression. While every custom home journey presents challenges, it’s an incredible process that yields exceptional results. And, it all begins with a spark of inspiration.

For Emily, building a custom home with Bardwell was no debate, as she and her family have loved living in their current Bardwell home for nearly a decade. Not to mention, she’s part of the family business. In this series, Emily will take us behind the scenes to share her insights, influences, and experiences, offering a rare look at what it takes to build a custom home in Baton Rouge from the ground up.

1. What inspired you to build a custom home?

We have lived in our current Bardwell home for almost 10 years and we absolutely love it. But we needed to be closer to my daughter’s school, we needed more space, and there were a few particular changes we wanted to make to our floorplan that may not be considered “standard,” so we knew the custom route was the right one for us.

2. How has the process been so far? Can you share a moment that felt particularly significant or rewarding?

This was a completely custom home, from choosing the lot, creating the house design, and picking every single finish.

It’s been a slow and steady marathon, but having professionals help us along the way has been invaluable.

Even though I used an outside architect, I was able to bounce ideas off of the Bardwell team to make sure I was on the right track with budget, buildability, and available materials. We are still early in construction, so I would say the most significant moment I’ve felt so far was when the architect presented “the” plan to us. As I walked through the house, room by room, in my mind, I knew this was it. And, it was such an exciting and rewarding feeling to have created our home.

3. What role did the Bardwell team play in balancing your vision with practicality?

By having Bardwell partner with me as we were developing the plans, I was able to review preliminary plans with them so they could provide insight on costs before we got to the final plan set. It’s a check and balance to have the builder involved, because vision and practicality (a.k.a. cost) often conflict when it comes to custom homes. People can get to the finish line with the architect and find out the plan they thought they could build is out of range. In our case, we used JDE Designs, which is one of the trusted architects Bardwell often works with, so it was an efficient feedback loop as we worked toward the final plan set.

4. How does this build reflect your long-term goals and vision?

We wanted to make sure we built a home with longevity in terms of style, materials, and overall value, so that has played a key role in many of our decisions. Being close to our daughter’s school, I also wanted this house to have an open-door policy to all her friends as they make their way through middle and high school. So we kept that in mind as we created different spaces to eat, visit or play.

5. This home will be in the Willow Grove neighborhood… What drew you to this location for your custom home?

First, its central location in Baton Rouge. I’ll be within 15 minutes of work, family, and school. And second, we love the amenities of the neighborhood – from the pool and nature preserve to the commercial district with pizza, coffee and cocktail places – we will have so many options at our fingertips.

6. How do you think this home will grow with you and your family over the years?

We thought about different spaces we could host people and that our daughter and her friends could enjoy as they got older. With the layout of the home, we will have opportunities to sit and visit in intimate settings, both inside and out, and also have opportunities to open everything up to host large parties. I’m so thankful to be building a home that can do this, and we’re all so excited to grow in this home together.

7. What are you most looking forward to about living in your new custom home?

Hosting friends and family!

Build for the Long Run with Bardwell

Building a custom home is a test of endurance, and it requires meticulous planning, creativity, and collaboration. For Emily, it’s been an opportunity to bring her family’s vision to life while leveraging her expertise in homebuilding and new construction with the guidance of the Bardwell team. As construction progresses on this beautiful home in the Village at Willow Grove, stay tuned for the next chapter, where we’ll explore more details of the build and discover how this vision transforms into a home built for the long run.

Built for the Long Run with Bardwell

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New Homes That Last

Send me the revised report?

Are you available for a 2pm meeting?

What did you need me to get at the store? 

Sound familiar? We live at a relentless pace, and finding time to quiet the endless demands often seems impossible.

Where do we go to escape the noise and find sanctuary? Where do we spend our days seeking to return and relax? 

It’s our home. Such an ordinary thing that holds great importance. 

Home isn’t just a physical place, it’s where our lives unfold, our families grow, and our stories take root. So, we want our homes to mimic that sense of stability and warmth. We want to build homes that will provide a strong foundation amid all the changes of life. We want a home that will last. 

The process of building a new home can be just as relentless as the pace of our lives. It’s an all encompassing project that’s exciting and overwhelming. But it’s not a process meant to be rushed. 

Most builders only emphasize being on time and on budget. And while that’s certainly crucial, at Bardwell, we believe it’s equally important to do a job right.  

At Bardwell, we create homes built for the long run. Over the years, we’ve honed three key areas of expertise required to do this: intentional design, precision to process, and community connectivity.  

Intentional, Thoughtful Design

First, we design homes and communities that ignite a spirit of intentional living. Trends come and go, but we pursue thoughtful designs that stand the test of time. 

Our aim is to create a beautiful space that works with your daily life. It’s not just a house that has a great layout but one that feels custom to work with you through life. 

There’s an art to building thoughtfully. It requires care, time, and meticulous attention to small details. Bardwell homes feature timeless finishes and quality materials, chosen to remain beautiful and functional for decades. 

But, intentionality isn’t just a buzzword – it’s about considering how you live each day and integrating those needs and desires into the design to make your life more functional and enjoyable. From optimized kitchen flow to cabinet placement, Bardwell homes balance performance with warmth.

Durability is more than a standard feature – it’s our promise of excellence. Our homes build timeless aesthetics with robust construction techniques to ensure they stand the test of time. Whether you’re building new construction with Bardwell in a community in Covington or Baton Rouge, you know your new home is built for longevity. 

Precision to Process 

With decades of experience and a proven process, Bardwell brings unparalleled expertise to every project. 

Every Bardwell home is proof of our unwavering dedication to quality. From initial design to the final walkthrough, our process is a methodical discipline that requires absolute precision. Our team’s commitment to high standards and transparency provides a smooth new construction experience, whether you’re in Baton Rouge or Covington.

Our process begins with you. We align design with your lifestyle, values, and future needs. Whether it’s a semi-custom home or a fully custom masterpiece, Bardwell homes have the capabilities to be as distinct as the families who live in them. 

Ultimately, building a new home is about so much more than blueprints and materials, it’s about carving out a space where life and connection thrive. 

Part of a Community 

Since 1946, the name Bardwell has been a cornerstone of the Baton Rouge community. Over 79 years, we’ve evolved as a family, creating memories, traditions, and legacies. Our story is woven from a rich Louisiana heritage, an unmatched entrepreneurial spirit, and a diligence to process, reflecting our commitment to families and their visions for the future. 

Life requires support. And, there is inherent value in the sense of belonging fostered among shared green spaces, neighborhood strolls, and holiday celebrations. 

At Bardwell, our work goes beyond individual homes. A home is a singular entity within the larger context of its community. From thoughtfully planned neighborhoods to shared spaces that encourage connection, we build to enrich the lives of entire communities in Baton Rouge.

This year, Bardwell celebrated an expansion into Covington. In addition to newly acquired lots in the TerraBella community on Lake Pontchartrain’s Northshore, Bardwell will open a new office building in TerraBella in early 2025. This investment into our Covington community will allow us to better support families on their homebuilding journey. 

New Homes Built for the Long Run 

Building a home is a transformative experience – a journey of reflection, intention, and commitment. At Bardwell, we celebrate this process, knowing that each step contributes to something extraordinary. 

As we look to the future, our focus remains on building homes and communities that will stand the test of time. It’s a testament to the dedication, precision, and consistency that define the Bardwell way. It’s an invitation to embrace the art and science of building, to trust in a process that upholds excellence and longevity.

Because in the long run, it’s not just about building a new house. It’s about creating a home, a legacy, and a place to return to.

Are you ready to invest in your legacy?

If you’re ready to build something that lasts, discover the Bardwell Difference today. Take the first step toward creating a new home built for the long run.

Start your journey with Bardwell and learn more about our custom and semi-custom offerings here.