Josh and Katharine Knicely, along with their two daughters, August and Gray envisioned their dream home and saw it become a reality. The gorgeous 5,643-square-foot home includes five bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms and a three-car garage.

Today, though, Puckett is one of 15 graduates of a pilot, computer-coding course called HackerForge, a course created by the Shreveport-based Twin Engine Labs and Cohab, the small business-centric nonprofit in downtown Shreveport. And by all accounts, Puckett is no longer a slouch at computers.

One trend for 2015 is the age-old lesson that bigger is not always better. It’s predicted by the National Association of Home Builders that houses this year will be slightly smaller than in recent years – by as much as 10 percent.

What?!?! Excuse me?! That might have been the longest pause or break in conversation I have ever been a part of. I remember the odd feeling more than the actual thoughts, but I am sure I was thinking, “What did you break?” Then, the revelation. “I entered us into an ugly bathroom contest,” he said.