Missouri Dream Homes builds lofty homes in Nixa

Their first project: a 5,600-square-foot European-influenced house in Nixa, valued at $898,000.

“Our goal is to build the most spectacular home in Nixa, not necessarily the most expensive,” said Darrell Henley, co-owner of Missouri Dream Homes Inc.

Henley formed Missouri Dream Homes about a year ago through a partnership with fellow area builders Travis Brooks and Matt Cook. Homes are designed, built and sold through the company, and Henley said there are plans to build across the state.

Construction began early last year on the Nixa home, situated on three acres at 842 North St. When complete in mid-February, it will feature five bedrooms, a guest suite, 4 1/2 baths, two kitchens, a media room with stadium seating, a formal dining room, a wine cellar and two south-facing decks.

Despite its large size and numerous rooms, the home was built for practicality and usability, Henley said.

A butler's pantry sits beside the kitchen, and a small entryway from the garage into the pantry makes for easy passage of groceries. The home has two laundry rooms, with one joined to the master bathroom. All rooms are wired for automation, Henley said, for quick access to controls for music, the intercom system, security and a centralized vacuum system. On the bottom level, a “dirt room” can be entered from the first floor or the backyard and can be used to house a lawn mover, four-wheeler, tractor - even the family dog.

“We've had a lot of comments about the floor plan - that it's very usable,” Henley said. “That's the intention, but it still has the 'wow' factor.”

Henley and Brooks, who serves as the general contractor for the house, pull their architectural influence from time spent in Europe. While Brooks built houses overseas, Henley worked for his father-in-law's antique importing company, scouring Europe for unique pieces and leftover parts from other homes.

The foreign inspiration is obvious.

Bricks line the home's outer walls with 1-inch gaps between them, which gives it an old and European feel, Henley said. Boards in the home's hardwood floors are shortened to give them an older appearance, and the kitchen will feature concrete countertops. Solid oak beams criss-cross the ceilings in some of the larger rooms. A sleeping veranda walled with windows sits to the side of the master bedroom, and a 120-year-old antique chimney is perched atop the roof.

An open house is tentatively scheduled for 1-5 p.m. Feb. 26.

Million-dollar baby

Meanwhile, the owners of Nixa-based Missouri Dream Homes are jumping into plans for their next project - another high-end home in Nixa with an estimated value of at least $1.2 million, Henley said.

The 9,600-square-foot home will have a two-story library with an open ceiling, a sub-basement below the actual basement and a 40-foot turret with a spiral staircase. Construction will begin later this year.

On whether the region, or the state, has the market for such extravagant homes, Henley said he's seeing homebuyers move in that direction.

“Surprisingly, a larger number of people locally are starting to buy homes like this, and traditionally it's been a matter of people moving in from out of state,” he said. “We're hoping to sell it to someone locally, and I think there's a really good chance of that.”

Coldwell Banker's Luxury Homeowner Profile, which polled nearly 200 Coldwell Banker Previews International sales associates who sold more homes valued at $1 million or more May 2002-May 2003, found that 4 percent of people who bought homes in that price range were younger than 34 years of age. Sixty-eight percent of them were baby boomers, and 28 percent were older than 56 years of age.

Also, according to that study, 72 percent of home buyers who bought properties worth at least $1 million were from the state where the new home was located, and 55 percent were from the same city. A small number, 3 percent, were from out of the country, and 24 percent were from another state.