How a childhood dream turned into a successful business venture for Russell Alleman of Manchac Homes
Imagine a home that perfectly encapsulates your unique style with meticulously crafted details. Enter Manchac Homes, a luxury custom homebuilder with an established reputation for unmatched quality and exceptional customer service. Based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Manchac Homes’ portfolio consists of high-end residences throughout Southern Louisiana, including Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Mandeville, Metarie, Madisonville, Covington, as well as the Northshore.
Characterized by its tailored approach to the homebuilding process, Manchac Homes builds one-of-a-kind luxury homes that not only reflect the style and vision of their owners, but also reflect the commitment and excellence of the team who played a part in building them. To learn more about how the business reached this point, we have the pleasure of sitting down with owner and founder, Russell Alleman.
“Manchac Homes began in 2014, and was a one man show for the first six years of its existence,” Russell begins. “In the early days, we didn’t work on large scale projects like today, but instead traveled to outlying suburban areas of Baton Rouge to scope lots and build spec homes to get my name out there. The attention to detail and level of craftsmanship of these spec homes allowed us to break into the custom home market, and people gradually became aware of our name and capabilities.
“It was 2020 when business really exploded. I realized that I could no longer do everything by myself and there was a small period of growing pains as I navigated our current contracts at the time alongside recruiting my team. I remember signing my first ever million-dollar contract for an equestrian property in a rural area. Off the back of this, large scale projects came flooding in and I haven’t looked back since. I’m proud to say that Manchac Homes is now a household name here in Louisiana, and our portfolio today now consists of large-scale, complex projects, complemented by perhaps one spec home each year.
“The reason why I choose to occasionally build a spec home is purely personal,” he reveals. “As the company becomes synonymous with luxury custom homes, we’re restricted by what the homeowners and designers want, but we’re a passionate team with thousands of creative ideas. Building a spec home enables us to execute our ideas and designs with no limitations. It becomes a teambuilding exercise for us and reminds us why we do what we do for other people.”
Award winners
Russell’s passion is clear to see, and we’re keen to learn more about how he broke into the homebuilding industry. “I have always loved luxury homes and as a young boy, I always dreamed of building luxury homes one day,” Russell reflects. “When my parents and I would visit Home Depot, I would make them purchase the books full of house plans located by the checkout registers, which I’d take home and use to recreate my own floor plans. My parents would even buy me sticker books of furniture logos and items to lay out the entire home.
“However, as the first in my family to attend college, I chose to pursue an accounting degree at LSU. Upon graduating from LSU and working a few years as an accountant, I realized that I didn’t necessarily care for a ‘nine-to-five’ office job, and made the call to sell my home and use the equity to establish Manchac Homes – all without telling my parents.
“Once I knew the business was going to be successful, I told my parents, and they were shocked but happy. Around one week later, an unexpected package arrived in the mail. To my surprise, I opened it to reveal all the house plans I had drawn as a child that my mom had kept for all those years. I had no idea she had kept them, and I get goosebumps talking about it even now, so I’m confident that I found my calling in the homebuilding sector.”
The growth and success of Manchac Homes has been recognized by several industry awards and accolades, as well as an upcoming appearance on Trending
Today, a television series airing on Fox News. The business is also preparing to break ground on an impressive home for a high-profile client, which has been designed by a world-renowned architect based in Beverly Hills.
Significant project
As our conversation turns to the company’s projects, Russell elaborates on one of Manchac Homes’ most prestigious homes. “Project Aman is a very special house,” he states. “It was my third project for the same family, and as a Hindu family, there were several religious requirements we had to fulfill. There was an extensive planning and design period to ensure we catered to their needs, including specific directions for the headboards and the creation of a prayer room.
“Before we broke ground, there was a ceremony with me, the family, and a priest present, where we laid out the foundations and grade beams, and buried the holy book along with a few other items in the center of what would become the prayer room, which we had to ensure were not disturbed during construction. Upon completion, we held a three-hour housewarming ceremony to uphold Hindu traditions for good luck and prosperity.
“Aside from the religious elements, Project Aman is one of the most modern homes I’ve completed. It features beautiful chandeliers centered in each window, walls that appear to float above the marble floors, and sky bridges to connect different areas of the home, as well as a stage and firepit in the backyard, a hot tub that blends in with the swimming pool, and an entertainment terrace with motorized screens. No expense was spared on the materials with black lava stone sourced from India to create stepping stones in the yard and limestone used to create an impressive staircase. The staircase is a particularly striking feature, with mitered corners to make the limestone look like one monolithic piece.”
As our conversation ends, Russell reflects on how he has fulfilled his mission to transform the homebuilding process, as well as sharing his vision for the future. “We only work on five or six projects at any given time, and we’re transparent with our clients right from the beginning to ensure they feel in charge of the process,” he elaborates. “We provide them with real-time financial data to aid their product selection, for instance, and we often form personal relationships that extend beyond the project’s completion.
“We’re still emerging onto the social media scene, so we’ll continue to grow our presence with brand partnerships and increased exposure,” Russell concludes. “In terms of the future, we’ll strive to maintain the high standards we’ve become known for while being open to change to ensure we remain at the forefront of the industry.”