Waterfront Living, More Features, Upsizing Empty Nesters Among Trends Witnessed by 35-year Custom Builder J.A. Long

By R.P. Whittington

Over the last 35 years the company has provided custom residential design services in the First Coast, the principals of custom home builder J.A. Long have seen many changes in what home buyers are looking for in a new home.

Primarily working in Clay County, J.A. Long has also built some prestigious homes at the Jacksonville Golf & Country Club, World Golf Village and many other well-known residential developments throughout Jacksonville.

The company’s founder, John A. Long, and his son Randy, who serves as chief operating officer of the family-owned business, say that while the basics of the business have remained the same over the last 30 years, the size and scope of the projects they work on have become more complex.

"Certainly, the market in Jacksonville has changed significantly over the last four years," Randy said.

Even now, as the residential market cools down after a three-year period of staggering sales and record home appreciation, he says waterfront properties remain a hot commodity.

"Within the general market of buyers, those attracted to waterfront properties are really a different breed," Randy said. "The house can be on a pond or overlooking a lake at a golf and country club, it doesn’t matter. There will always be a market for those properties because there is such a limited supply available."

J.A. Long is nearing completion on several waterfront homes, including a home at Eagle Harbor where it incorporated its San Marcos Design. The two-story, 4,100-square-foot home at features five bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms and a four-car garage with side entrance. The home, priced at $1.25 million, comes with a dock permit, offering a beautiful view of a wooded area surrounding a new path to Doctor’s Lake.

"Properties like this one, whether they are located within a country club or just near water, don’t follow the same trends as other homes in the marketplace," Randy said. "Since there are a limited number of waterfront homes, the market tends to remain strong regardless of what is happening in the overall real estate market."

Water views, along with trees and the surrounding landscaping, are some of the features J.A. Long now uses in determining which lots they select for their custom homes. The company also keeps an eye on the views from inside the home when they build, typically incorporating lots of glass and large open areas on the first floor of the house.

"When we design a home these days, nearly all have a distinctive Florida-style," Randy said. "The back exit onto the patio will either have the amenities in place to entertain outside, with the house positioned so owners and visitors have the best views, or we will make sure if we don’t add the patio amenities during construction that they can be incorporated on later."

J.A. Long follows the same approach with other houses it builds, including its slightly smaller Costa del Sol design. Located at the Eagle Landing at Oak Leaf development and priced at $585,000, the design still offers buyers five bedrooms and four bathrooms within 3,400 square feet of livable space – and a great view of a lake and golf course.

"Many of the homes we work on today are larger in size and cost," said John Long. "While we are looking at our future designs in relation to what’s happening in the housing market now, recently there have been very few of our homes that offer less than 3,000 square feet. Over the years, buyers have come to expect that kind of space when it comes to custom building."

Home buyers also have many more features and amenities to choose from today.

"Years ago, appliances, countertops and other elements of the home were pretty much standard," John said. "Now a buyer may pay anywhere from $2,000 to $30,000 on appliances alone. People will also pay $50,000 or more to add an audio-theater room in the home, something that wasn’t even considered in the 1990’s."

His son Randy believes the Internet has also been a catalyst.

"Buyers can surf the web and see all these add-ons and features in home building today," he said. "If they have the money to splurge on these things, there are a lot more upgrades they can purchase," he said. "Likewise, all the home improvement shows introduce them to all the choices they have in home construction."

Randy has also noticed another trend – more empty nesters who are upsizing their homes.

"Of our 33 active projects, about a fourth of them involve couples who are increasing the size of their homes to anywhere from 3,200 to 5,500 square feet," Randy said. "While some are local, many of these buyers are moving to Florida from other cities and want a larger house that’s specifically designed for entertaining and accommodating guests."

"Many of these upsizing buyers are asking for design features that include long sight views, cabana bathrooms, big open kitchens and lots of bedrooms," Long said. "In addition to entertaining, they are also asking for bigger, open rooms and fewer small, formal rooms, which will allow for more functionality when guests and family members come to visit."

Most J.A. Long designs accommodate the needs of this emerging market of buyers.

"With more baby boomers reaching retirement age, and with breakthroughs in health care keeping us living longer, these buyers are finding they still want to entertain, have the space available for the kids and grandkids to visit, or the flexibility to have their parents or in-laws move in as they get older," Randy Long concludes. "We’re certainly seeing more of this than we ever have before."

Currently, J.A. Long builds up to 40 custom homes a year – mostly high-end homes in size from 2,800 to 5,500 square feet and ranging in price from $ 400,000 to $1 million.

And it is truly family-owned – and family-operated. Along with John and his son, John’s wife Linda serves as office manager – and their youngest son Ryan, now 22, also works in the office, and he and his father are even taking computer autoCAD classes together at the Florida Community College of Jacksonville downtown.

J.A. Long continues to enjoy an excellent reputation thanks to the early work of John Long, known for working on projects from the original design stage through on-site supervision, and a similar work ethic adopted by Randy.

The firm is also known its personal touch in working with buyers and owners.

"We really focus on delivering a quality product, whether we are working from one of our own original designs or we’re modifying existing designs brought to us by the homeowner," said Randy Long. "We’re proud of the reputation we have established through our personal approach with customers and the high standards we have set for our work."

For more information about J.A. Long, Inc., contact John or Randy Long at 904-264-3073, info@jalong.com, or visit the company website at www.jalong.com.

Media Contact: Ron Whittington (904-563-0402)