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Credit: James F. Wilson

Lake Davis Drive is one of those established downtown Orlando, Fla., neighborhoods that hark back to the city’s roots, before Walt and Mickey and Shamu the killer whale set up their circus south of town.

Encircling one of the small lakes that dot the city’s core, the narrow, tree-lined street features a comfortable diversity of home styles and sizes, the latest being an imposing, 8,500-square-foot residence that replaced a pair of modest bungalows on a three-lot site: The New American Home 2011.

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Credit: James F. Wilson

While such a large home may seem out of step with the current economy, sustainable building sentiment, and popular McMansion backlash, the classically designed manse built by Continental Homes & Interiors of Winter Park, Fla., is a reminder that there is still a market for large custom homes designed and built with a buyer on board. For the first time in its 28-year history, The New American Home, a show home co-produced by Builder and NCHI—The Leading Suppliers of NAHB in the host city of the annual International Builders’ Show, had a homeowner attached from the get-go. That meant no for-sale sign out front and no follow-up article about when it sold (and for how much less than its list price), but it also presented its share of challenges ranging from communication to product selection, and, ultimately, the size and interior design of the house.

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