The ‘Old Fashion’ home at 11308 Peppermint St. features columns, a brick exterior, and a wraparound porch. These elements offer a classic, traditional feel, even though the house was built just this year. The 2021 Homearama house, like all homes in Norton Commons, was carefully crafted to preserve the planned architectural standards of the community.
Old and new
“If you look toward the fireplace, you immediately see the contemporary details of the home,” builder Dan Perkins, of Mason Construction & Development, LLC, told the Courier Journal about the new build for the 2021 Homearama. “(But) we also have brought (some) brick inside … to allow for that (older)-era (feel).”
He says that the kitchen is also very contemporary — stainless steel appliances, a waterfall edge accent on the quartz countertops, and a custom hideaway walk-in pantry with floating shelves are all modern features.
“But still,” he said, “with the wood floors, we’ve added the older elements throughout.”
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Perkins adds that from the outside, all the windows in the house are the same size and are arranged so that the ones upstairs intentionally line up with the windows downstairs.
“It’s very traditional from the outside,” he said.
A whole other level
Down a switchback staircase, the fully finished basement offers nearly all the amenities of a whole other house.
“Here’s where it all happens,” Perkins said of the large bar area. “It’s where you drink your bourbon. It’s nice and cool, (and there’s) a TV for the game.”
The vast space — complete with an island, ample cabinet storage, and floating shelves — extends toward the right with a long built-in bench, a row of round tables, and adjacent leather chairs. Additional stools are lined up at another small bar space that opens toward the theater area, which includes a large sectional and more chairs. The entire setup easily seats 20-plus people.
At the other end of this lower level — which features a luxury vinyl plank designed to mimic tile — there is a full bath and two additional rooms. Though currently set up for yoga and other exercise, Perkins said that the spaces are technically bedrooms.
“They have access windows,” he explained, “(with) ladders that would allow you to escape (if there were) a fire.”
He adds that every Homearama house is equipped with geothermal heating and air.
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“(There’s) one well per tonnage of unit,” he explained. “(The wells are) drilled under the garage floor … (The) water runs through the wells (and) gets to ground temperature … It always starts at the ground temperature, (whether it’s for) cooling or heating. It’s just like an electric pump, but it uses a water source instead of electric.”
Two 50-gallon water heaters occupying the last room in the basement aid in this geothermal process.
Unique elements
Though certain aspects of the home are typical of houses in the neighborhood, Perkins points out a few unique elements of this build.
“(In) a lot of the houses in Homearama, when you walk in the front door, you’ll notice you just walk into a wide-open home — you walk into the kitchen (or) family room,” he said. “We wanted a (defined foyer area).”
Rather than opening directly into a room, the front entrance greets guests with a large piece of art, which is visible through the door’s windows. The top of the staircase on the second floor offers a similar vibe.
“(When) you walk upstairs, you don’t (directly) go into bedrooms,” Perkins said. “(There is) almost like an entry or foyer to the second floor.”
The landing area leads to what is currently set up as a large home office. LL&A Interior Design worked with Perkins on designing the home’s interior, including this room, which features a large desk and rolling office chair that faces a wall-mounted TV. Multiple seating options are arranged in the middle of the space.
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“(Everything) came together with the furnishings,” Perkins said. “If you just walked into this room … (it just looks like) the same color walls, crown molding, and ceiling — (and you’d think), ‘what’d they do here?’ But when (LL&A Interior Design) brought the furniture in, it brought the grays and the tans out, and (they) added a lot of (texture). It’s pretty cool.”
Know a house that would make a great Home of the Week? Email writer Lennie Omalza at aloha@lennieomalza.com or Lifestyle Editor Kathryn Gregory at kgregory@gannett.com.
Homearama 2021
WHAT: Homearama is an annual Louisville event that showcases custom-built new homes at a single site. The homes are fully furnished, decorated, and landscaped, and feature the latest in building trends, technology, and interior design. Homearama has been produced by the Building Industry Association of Greater Louisville since 1968.
WHEN: Now through Sept. 26. Weekdays, 5-8 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sundays, 1-6 p.m. Ticket gate closes 30 minutes prior to closing time.
WHERE: Norton Commons, 11303 Peppermint St.
TICKETS: Tickets are $10 per person. Children 12 and younger are free with an adult. Tickets are available online.
MORE INFORMATION: homearama.com
nuts & bolts
Owner: Mason Construction & Development, LLC
Home: This is a 6-bed, 4-and-a-half-bath, 4,580-square-foot home in Norton Commons that was built in 2021.
Distinctive elements: Wraparound front porch with ceiling fans; custom hideaway walk-in pantry with floating shelves and ceramic tile beverage refrigerator; quartz countertops in kitchen with waterfall edge accent and quartz cooktop hood; starburst metallic tile on fireplace wall; second-floor loft area with built-in cabinetry; built-in bunk beds in the guest bedroom; hardwood floor throughout the first floor, loft, and upstairs hallway; brick wall finished basement includes a bar with an island, tile accents, custom cabinets, and floating shelves; banquette seating area with quartz countertop built-ins; three-car garage.
Applause! Applause! LL&A Interior Design; Barber Cabinet Company; StoneMark Granite and Quartz Countertops; Cherry House Inc.
