These Coast homes, backyards win ‘Best in Mississippi’ awards. Take an inside look.
Home builders across South Mississippi spent the last year constructing homes and outdoor spaces worthy of magazine spreads, home shows and the 2020 Best in Mississippi Building & Remodeling Awards.
“The Gathering Place” on the beach in Pass Christian was crowned the Grand Award Winner for 2020 from the Home Builders Association of Mississippi.
Built by Michael and Kimberly Fritz of Fritz Development in Biloxi, the 6,741-square-foot custom home is described as a “grand Southern home with a nod to New Orleans, nestled among magnificent live oaks.”
A pair of “floating” brick stairs dominates the front of the house, while around back is a lighted pool, spa, tanning ledge with bubblers, a waterfall wall and a built-in fire pit.
The owners gave the home its name of “The Gathering Place,” and it is packed with amenities to pamper the family and their guests. It has an elevator to help get around the home with four bedrooms and five full and two half baths and a brick courtyard with a fountain.
The open floor plan with great room, dining room, kitchen and wet bar has soaring 14-foot ceilings and makes up 25% of the home’s square footage. An 11-foot island and porcelain slab countertops add drama to the kitchen.
French doors in the master bedroom open to the views of the water and the bunkroom can sleep a crowd. The house also comes with what many homeowners crave — a theater room, outdoor kitchen, a whole house generator and a Christmas tree storage closet.
Fritz Development also won the Best in Mississippi Commercial Construction Award for a mixed use project in Biloxi. Upstairs are two bedroom balcony apartments over commercial space.
The project was part of a residential grant program they established with the city to develop long-term residential units in the downtown.
Other Best of Mississippi Award winners for 2020 are:
▪ Joseph Shepard and Shepard Homes in the category of Single Family New Construction Custom, 2500-3000 sq. ft. for the Ladner residence in Ocean Springs
▪ Jackye Hansen and Crane Builders for Single Family New Construction Custom, 3000-3500 sq. ft. for Kamp Kergosien in Bay St. Louis
▪ Kevin Taylor and Plum Homes in the category of Outdoor Space for the Davis exterior living
This story was originally published June 3, 2021 at 5:50 AM.
