The BIG house: 32,000-square-foot home about to become Naples area’s biggest

By KATHERINE ALBERS

Saturday, August 27, 2011

■ Click here for list of Collier County’s 10 biggest homes by square footage in living space

NAPLES _ When a crane fell over recently as an operator moved a palm tree on Gulf Shore Boulevard in Naples, the talk wasn’t just about the accident.

It was about the size of the 32,000-square-foot home at 779 Gulf Shore Blvd. N., just south of the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club.

Photo by: David Albers

The home, owned by Neil Whitesell, is poised to become Collier County’s largest home when it is finished. The Daily News reported last year that the successful corporate CEO was building the home there.

The largest completed home in Collier County now belongs to Sandra Gerry and is at 3400 Gordon Drive, according to the Collier County Property Appraiser’s Office. It is more than 30,000 square feet with 16,772 square feet of living space.

Comparatively, the Census Bureau recently reported that the median new home size was 2,135 square feet in 2009. The country’s most famous house, The White House, is 55,000 square feet.

Some evidence suggests that home buyers aren’t going bigger, but preferring to scale down. While the average American home swelled from 983 square feet in 1950 to 2,392 square feet in 2010, the growth of houses fell last year, with square footage dropping by 46 square feet between 2009 and 2010.

Still, the U.S. Census Survey of Construction reported that homes with more than 3,000 square feet grew from 13 percent of the market in 1991 to 26 percent in 2007. The number of homes built in that size-range grew during the same time period from 111,000 a year to 317,000 a year, according to the Census.

Randy Kurtz, owner of Kurtz Homes Naples LLC, said large homes accommodate large family gatherings and give owners the space to indulge in hobbies or display collections.

“The type of home they want varies. We have some clients that want really ornate homes and others that want more contemporary architecture. They all want ease of maintenance,” he said.

Gordon Jenkins, the owner of Gordon Luxury Homes and Interiors, said people build houses with a square footage that makes them feel comfortable.

“What customers are looking for when selecting a contractor are service, quality and a good reputation. A reputable builder,” he said. “The houses have high-end trims, high-end appliances. These houses are quite a bit nicer than the average home. Location is really top of the list.”

But what location you like is as different as the houses they build.

Collier County’s 10 largest homes by living area aren’t confined to a single neighborhood, like the well-known big house mecca of Port Royal, but are spread out across the county to places like Quail Creek, Bay Colony and Grey Oaks.

Mark Weber, principal broker/owner of White Sands Realty in Naples, said what drives luxury homeowners to their communities depends on what they want.

“A community like Port Royal, for example, attracts people who want the deep-water boating access. Port Royal has the deepest canals in all of Naples, which allows them to have the larger sailboats and yachts. On the other hand, some people want to live in Port Royal for the beach-front homes,” he said.

Of the 10 largest homes in Collier County by living area, seven were built after 2001. Beverly Lutgert’s home in Estuary at Grey Oaks is the most recently built and was completed last year. Jerry Galeana’s home is the oldest of the top 10, having been built in 1991.

“Everyone always wants new, whether it is a $350,000 home or a $3 million home,” Weber said.

Kurtz said there definitely is a trend toward newer homes. He said he has participated in tear-downs of homes that are seven years old or newer.

“We have done a lot of renovation work in condos where the people are gutting them,” he said. “The architecture is outdated or they have bought something that isn’t their personality.”

Weber said there isn’t a lack of buyers in the Naples area for large luxury homes.

“The summer for us has been busy,” he said. “When the stock market and the economy is volatile, (buyers) have concerns because their portfolio is affected. But, overall, I think everyone is confident in (real estate). Prices have gone up in certain areas. We are seeing second, third and fourth home buyers.”

Jenkins said three years ago, the luxury home market began to slow down.

“This past year, it’s like someone has flipped the light switch. … We have definitely hit the bottom and are trending up,” he said. “I think it is isolated to the luxury home market, though. Your average $150,000 home, $250,000 home – there are so many of those out there.”

Kurtz said the higher-end properties have been more resilient.

“You are seeing an increase (in building) because you can get a lot more for your money than you could a few years ago,” he said.

Jenkins said if he had to pick the next area for the county’s biggest home boom in the luxury market, he would pick Royal Harbor in Naples.

“There are a lot of tear-downs for the properties and people are putting homes on those,” he said.