[ ILLUSTRATION: In RER-58. CREDIT: Photo illustration ]
Baton Rouge homebuyers who can’t find what they want on the market are tearing down existing homes to build theirs.
Anyone who’s ever bought a house knows that finding the perfect home in the perfect neighborhood can be next to impossible. But some homebuyers aren’t letting that deter them. Instead, they identify the location they want, buy a house, then tear it down and build their dream house.
Buying a house for the purpose of tearing it down is a growing trend in Baton Rouge, according to local real estate agents and contractors. Teardowns typically occur in older, well-established, centrally located areas. In Baton Rouge, those neighborhoods include Bocage, University Acres, Jefferson Place, the LSU Lakes and Old Goodwood. City of Baton Rouge records show 346 residential demolition permits have been issued since 2012, and 86% of all demolition permits that have been issued since 2012 are for homes.
“There’s definitely an increasing trend in teardowns, mainly because of lot availability,” says Daryl May of Daryl May Construction. “Young affluent families are searching for large, treed lots in the heart of town, which also allows them to be close to schools, shopping centers, church and sometimes work. I see this as being a driving force in bringing families back into these older, quaint and charming areas of town. However, with the challenge of lot availability, teardowns will continue to increase.”
This means homebuyers wanting larger lots have two options. For one, they can turn to the suburbs and outlying areas, where more land is available. However, this often means a long commute on Baton Rouge’s congested roadways.
“People don’t want to sit in traffic,” says Donna Wolff, a professional with RE/MAX Louisiana. She says this then leads to the second option: buying an existing home in Central Baton Rouge not for the house, but for the land under it. For example, Wolff says, people are tearing down homes because they “want to be close to everything, they want to be in a good, established school district and in a good place to raise kids. And, if the average lot size is 75 by 150, they’re going to have a nice, big yard,” she says.
Guy Oliver, owner of G.W. Oliver Construction, agrees. “It’s very common for a client to buy a home in an older neighborhood, where the home has little value, but the lots are worth a lot,” he says. “Maybe the home was built 40 or 50 years ago for $40,000, but now the lot is worth more than $300,000.”
In many cases, older houses have not been well-maintained. “Sometimes there’s just nothing to salvage,” Oliver says.
In other instances, the house is so old and outdated that extensive renovations are needed. In both situations, demolishing the house is often the most logical—and cost-effective— choice.
“Houses age to where they don’t fit modern needs,” says Quita Cutrer, an agent with Burns & Co. “The younger generation lives more casually. They don’t want a formal dining room and a lot of rooms that aren’t used. They want open floor plans and high ceilings. Sometimes it’s more cost-effective to just start over.”
Adds Wolff: “Some of the homes built in the ‘ 60s are fortresses—they don’t build them like that anymore. But, when you’re renovating, you have to ask if you’re settling. How would you add on? Would it look choppy? Can you open it up?”
