Kansas City Home & Style Praised LBC for Design of Wine Cellar for Client

Our company could not be more thrilled to be featured in Kansas City Home & Style for our work on a home in Old Leawood. 

The article showcased the wine cellar that we designed with our clients. It's a very unique and extravagant cellar taking up a large part of the open basement.

Our Chief of Operations, Jim Kiely, broke down our thought process when we go into a new custom project, "It's our job to create exactly what the homeowner wants," expressed Kiely, "Every home we build is a true custom. That means it is only built once. We feel our clients expect this in this price point." 

 

As seen in the photo, the wine cellar sets up right next to the bar. The area is perfect for entertaining guests.

Larson Building Company was Featured in the May Issue of Johnson County Lifestyle Magazine

Katherine Bontrager, a writer for Johnson County Lifestyle, covered the 2016 Spring Parade of Homes winner in Old Leawood, Kansas. She spoke with CEO and president, Lance Larson about the process that went into building this home and what makes LBC so special. 

Building Custom Dreams One Home At A Time

by Katherine Bontrager, Photography by Paul Versluis

When a client found the ideal location to set down new roots, but the existing home on the property left much to be desired, a call was put in to Larson Building Company with hopes to remodel the abode. The desired changes were significant, however, and beyond the bones of the existing structure. So Lance Larson and his crew found themselves with an exciting challenge on their hands—a total tear down off of Mission Road in Old Leawood. The end result? A stunning home with 12,000 square feet of finished space in an equestrian-like setting and curb appeal that causes many a driver to slow down in appreciation.

The project, which took a little over a year from footings to finish, is a one-of-a-kind custom design by Gerald Janssen at Elswood Smith Carlson with a High Plains Transitional Equestrian Estate-styled theme, featuring seven bedrooms, nine full baths, and two half baths. The front of the home is distinctively adorned with authentic stone, brick wainscot, HardiePlank lap siding, and board and batten siding on the second floor exterior. A turret on the rear of the home carries from the lower level through the second floor, creating the feel of an early 1900s railroad water tower.

The interior is just as fantastically attired, with rift-and-quarter-sawn white oak flooring (random widths with flush-mount wood vents), custom wood cabinets, GE Monogram professional-grade appliances, and custom marble countertops and granite throughout. An awe-inspiring theatre seats 24, while a basement bar boasts rounded walls for a unique look.

As you enter, the home’s breathtaking views beckon, drawing you through the Great Room into the spacious outdoor living area overlooking the infinity-edge pool and picturesque lake beyond. After a little more than a year, the elated homeowner is honored to call it home and can’t wait to enjoy this amazing abode with family and friends.

This home authenticates the Larson Building Company catchphrase “Industry Leading Energy Efficiency” with a HERS Rating of 38, one of the best ever in the city.

Building since 2013, Larson Building Company focuses on truly one-of-a-kind custom homes of the highest quality, with a focus on distinguished architecture and industry-leading energy efficiency. As this spectacular home attests, Larson is adept at both.

“When you build a custom home with Larson Building Company, you are able to get exactly what you want, eliminating the things that you don’t,” says Lance Larson, President and CEO. “This allows for nicer spaces in the areas that you live in the most. Eliminating the spaces that you don’t need also helps greatly when trying to meet a client’s budget. Each home that Larson Building Company constructs is a home that is built for the very first time. Our homes are designed by us with the expertise of a professional architect, which gives our clients the distinguished architecture they expect to receive when building the home of their dreams.”

Larson Building Company Was Recently Featured in ThisIsKc Magazine "A Model (Home) Citizen"

Writer Brooke McGrath came by and visited with our Chief of Operations Jim Kiely and had a great visit with us.  We were given the opportunity to show some of the homes' beautiful design aspects, and took advantage of discussing some of the energy efficiencies the group prides itself in. 

 

A MODEL (HOME) CITIZEN

This custom spec home in The Enclave at Mills Farm was marketed just right, showcasing appealing design aspects, quality materials and fashionable interior design—which is why it sold in record time.

Story by Brooke McGrath  |  Exterior photo by Paul Bonnichsen   |  Interior photos by James Maidhof


Taking roughly a year to build, Larson Building Co.’s European chateau in Mills Farm, with 6,800 square feet of finished space, had its last stone laid the evening before the doors opened for the HBA’s 2015 Spring Parade of Homes, where it was chosen as the American Dream Award’s Grand Award Winner. After touring the house, which boasts a total of 11,242 square feet including the unfinished basement, it’s easy to see how it sold after only two days on the tour (and with multiple offers)—and it wasn’t for sale during construction.

To create a plan that blended well within the Mills Farm community and their target budget, owner Lance Larson and Jim Kiely, chief of operations at Larson Building Co., came up with “The Interlachen,” named after a popular resort town in the Swiss Alps, a brand-new floor plan with details and distinguished architecture that made this home the talk of the tour.

“When you build a true custom home, you are able to get exactly what you want, eliminating the things that you don’t want,” Kiely says. “This allows for nicer spaces in the areas that you live in the most. Eliminating the spaces that you don’t need also helps greatly when trying to meet the client’s budget. Each home that Larson Building Company constructs is a home that is built for the very first time. Because of that, you will find a lot of opportunities during the build that can be taken advantage of. Our homes are designed by us, with the expertise of a professional architect, which gives our clients the distinguished architecture they expect to receive when building their dream home.”

Architect Gerald Janssen at Elswood Smith Carlson Architects was presented with the conceptual plan, where “he put his own spin on the floor plan and gave the exterior a lot of interest and eye candy,” Kiely adds, while designer Erin Mankameyer, owner of Groover Interior Design, created a classy, elegant interior with designer furnishings and a timeless color palette. “It’s an Old World European chateau feel but with a sophisticated, modern twist,” Mankameyer explains of the interiors. “There are natural, rustic elements mixed with clean, simple lines and a color palette that’s light, bright and soft.”

Architectural and interior design features aside, energy efficiency is also a main priority when building a Larson home; this one has an HERS rating of 49 (the lower the number, the more energy-efficient the home). Wrapped in high-quality, energy-efficient Marvin Integrity windows, with 96-percent efficient, 16-seer HVAC equipment and an extreme level of insulation and sealing, the home is estimated to cost only $202 a year to cool.

The exterior, with a porte cochere, motor court and five-car garage, features travertine, stone and 100-year-old brick pavers, a combination of materials that also flow through the interiors and out to a covered backyard patio, built-in fire pit and seating wall. The 1.5-story, with five bedrooms, five full- and two half-baths, and an unfinished lower level (that has big finishing plans!) combines subtle faux finishes with colorful wallpaper, trendy fixtures and custom design details that’s suitable for the family of seven that is taking up residence in September.

If you weren’t one of the 10,000-plus to tour the home during the Parade, here’s an in-depth look at some of the home’s most prized features.

An Entry That Truly Welcomes

If you want to make a statement, you add a turret. It’s a defining feature on the outside that can make an even bigger impact inside. Larson, Kiely and Janssen shared design ideas that materialized into the circular beam design that presently shows off the height of the turret inside. Custom wrought iron stair spindles, inspired by the front door design, plush designer carpet and a dazzling Currey & Co. chandelier round out the entry aesthetics.

Mess-Free Kitchen

This is the main kitchen, one of three in the home. It’s the “pretty but simple” kitchen, as Kiely calls it, with its Wolf range, Quartzite counters, custom cabinets, brushed bronze fixtures and Crystorama pendants. Directly behind it is the scullery, a caterer’s kitchen, built to handle the mess that comes with cooking.

This working kitchen, with marble tile backsplash and travertine flooring with a marble border, is equipped with all the necessary Wolf/Sub-Zero appliances needed and has direct access to a wine room located right outside one of the sliding barn doors, which flank the space, keeping prep and clean-up out of sight. 

  

 

 

Running the Floor

New to KC, the wire-brushed, rift-and quarter-sawn white oak hardwood flooring with micro bevel throughout the main floor and travel corridors is extremely durable and stable underfoot. An engineered product, you can actually see and feel the texture in each board, though no two are alike. To complement the look, Larson's skilled craftsmen installed rough-sawn white oak flooring on the ceiling of the dining room, adding architectural interest with hand-carved crisscross beams, also a functional element that hides the seam. 

Sweet, Stylish Dreams

To get to the master suite, you must first go through the rotunda, a transitional space that's dressed in a silk wallcovering with a dome ceiling finished in a metallie silver foil. Above the bed is a complementary dome ceiling inset, as a subtle yet well-done Venetian plaster walls are carried from the bedroom into the bath. In the sitting room a cast-stone fireplace complements a travertine surround.

  

 

 

Additional features and rooms includes

*Nanny, in-law or college student suite over the garage with its own kitchen

* Mother's retreat over the porte cochere

*Second-floor loft space

*Panelized knotty alder wainscoting in study on the mail level

*Three laundry rooms: two on the main level, one upstairs (one on the main is located in the kid's craft room, which is adjacent to a funky, colorful powder bath that features colorful fish wallpaper by Cole & Son.)

Itching to see it in person? We don't blame you. A Larson Building staff member will open the home at 15908 Cody St. Overland Park, KS, to the public on Thursday and Friday afternoons from 2-6 p.m. through the summer. It's also available for private tours by appointment. Call 913-908-0209 to schedule a tour. 

Larson Building Company Earns Top Industry Award

Each year the Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City hosts a Parade of Homes in the spring and fall which allows home builders in the Kansas City area to display their work to the public.  Entries for the contest are submitted by participating builders, and then grouped into price brackets depending on the volume of entrants.  A group of independent judges tours each home entered, and selects a winner and first runner up for each price bracket.  The awards banquet for the 2015 Spring Parade of Homes was held on Wednesday, April 29th at the College Basketball Experience to honor all projects entered in the contest, and to award winners.  Larson Building Company was selected as the Grand Award winner of the $1,500,000 and up price bracket for the Kansas City Home Builders Association Parade of Homes American Dream Award for our model at 15908 Cody Street in Mills Farm.

Our project in Mills Farm features a one-of-a-kind floor plan with exception design and construction details in each space of the home.  Distinguished architecture and industry leading energy efficiency is a premise that each of our projects encompasses throughout the design and construction process, and this project fully embodies our company principle.  Our home rated a 49 on the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) test, meaning it is 51% more efficiency than a home built to today's code standard.  This level of performance is achieved through rigorous attention to detail at each phase of the construction project to ensure we take the steps necessary to provide the most energy efficient home possible.

Our model at 15908 Cody Street in Mills Farm will be open daily through Sunday, May 10th from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM.  We invite you to come out and take a look at our award winning project and see what separates Larson Building Company from our competitors.

Larson Building Company Featured in KC At Home Magazine

When it comes to Kansas City custom homebuilders, Larson Building Company is at the head of the pack. Building stunning custom homes across Kansas City, they were recently featured in an article in KC At Home magazine featuring the top building tips from the industry pros. Below are some of the top insider tips mentioned in the article, straight from the source!

Tip #1: When building a new custom home, it is important to spend the time up front in making the correct planning strategy in selections and developing detailed specifications, before construction starts. This results in a smoother construction process, shorter construction timeline and adherence to the budget.

Tip #2: What distinguishes one custom builder from another today is the customer experience. More so than the price or quality, this is one of the most important things to be comfortable with when choosing the right custom builder for you.

Tip #3: Monitoring humidity levels in the air and raw materials as they are being installed is a critical element, according to Larson Building Company. Expansion and shrinkage will occur in sub-floor moldings and hardwoods as humidity changes. Having an adequate system in place and knowing how to adjust these conditions even after you move in, is important.

Tip #4: Be sure to treat the hardware in your home like you would a fine piece of jewelry. There is a world of difference between a plain cabinet door know versus an eye-catching knob that catches your guests notice and provides an elegant feel.

Tip #5: Building a custom home doesn’t have to mean building the most expensive home. A custom home simply means taking the time to think about the type of home you want to create and live in. You can create a beautiful space at any price point, and create the home you have always dreamed about.

Check out this great article in KC Home Magazine and contact us for more information on how we can make your dream home a reality!