Now on the market for $16,895,000, a mansion built to the most exacting specifications has achieved the distinction of being Louisiana’s most expensive home.
Owned by Shane Guidry, CEO of Harvey Gulf International Marine, and his wife, Holly, the house on Northline Street in Metairie, LA, just outside New Orleans, is a 15,230-square-foot French Provincial masterpiece.
“It took him three years to design and build this, and they used the most high-end products in this house that you may ever come across,” says the listing manager, Peggy Bruce, who is working with the listing agent, Shaun McCarthy.
“It’s an outstanding home. When you think of luxury, this is what that entails,” she says.
For starters, to make sure there was enough marble for the ground floor and that all the marble matched, the Guidrys bought the entire quarry in Italy.
“It’s 24-by-24 marble flooring that is just luxurious. The veins are just beautiful, and it all just kind of flows together, because it all came from one quarry,” says Bruce.
Quite apart from its ultra-sleek appearance, the marble flooring is heated in the first floor master bedroom and bathroom.
“In the master bathroom, it’s a walk-in shower, and there’s a clawfoot soaking tub in the front of the shower,” Bruce says. “The walk-in has two entrances and four shower-heads. It’s got hand-carved mosaic tile in the shower.”
In the master closet and elsewhere in the home, the cabinet hardware is solid silver.
“It’s tremendous. Everything was hand-milled and hand-carved—custom-done,” she says.
The enormous kitchen offers an array of custom cabinetry, a chandelier, and a large island with plenty of room for seating.
The mansion in the town’s Metairie Club Gardens neighborhood has a total of six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and four half-bathrooms, all with tall ceilings. In the entry, the ceilings are 24 feet high.
“It’s dramatic,” Bruce says, adding that the owners purchased many antique fixtures in Europe and brought them back, rewired them, and included them in their design.
“You go into a lot of homes that look like this on the outside, and you expect the inside to be a little gaudy,” she says. “This is so tastefully done. It is beautifully appointed. Everything just flows perfectly.”
Many of the home’s features are connected to automated technology, and can be controlled via a mobile device or remote, including the home theater.
Bruce explains that it has leather seats for 15 people and includes a digital ceiling that can be set either to clouds, or to the night sky, with twinkling stars.
There’s also a full spa with a massage room, wet and dry saunas, and hair and nail stations.
Canine friends can enjoy an indoor dog home and washing station.
Outside, there’s a large outdoor kitchen, along with a petite pool.
“It’s a co*cktail pool”—a small pool with steps, Bruce explains. “It’s not very deep at all. It’s really for just lounging and sipping co*cktails or just kind of cooling off if it’s a hot summer night or summer day.”
In addition to the three-car garage, there’s room to park a variety of vehicles on the half-acre property.
The owners purchased the land in 2011 for $1.2 million, and Bruce says they poured at least $15 million into building this dream home. But times change, and the family is moving out of town to pursue other interests.
“I think the perfect buyer for this home is someone that values being in the New Orleans area and understands what went into this house—because it is a hefty price,” Bruce says.
The pool of buyers looking for this type of home in the New Orleans area is not large, and Bruce says the future owner might be someone from out of town.
“Beyoncé put a play on this house a few years back, and the owner wasn’t interested in selling at that time,” she says. “We have tried to reach out to Beyoncé using some connections we have, but haven’t received a response yet.”
