The Indians of Louisiana built huts with walls made of clay kneaded with Spanish moss and covered with cypress bark or palmetto leaves. The earliest European settlers used split cypress boards filled with clay and moss; a few early 18th-century houses with clay and moss walls remain in the Natchitoches area. Examples of later architectural styles also survive, including buildings constructed of bricks between heavy cypress posts, covered with plaster; houses in the raised cottage style, supported by brick piers and usually including a wide gallery and colonettes; the Creole dwellings of the Vieux Carre in New Orleans, built of brick and characterized by balconies and French windows; and urban and plantation houses from the Greek Revival period of antebellum Louisiana.
In 2002, Louisiana had 1,880,122 housing units, of which 1,664,877 were occupied. About 70.8% were owner-occupied. An estimated 63.8% of all units were single-family, detached homes. Nearly 41% of all housing units were built between 1970 and 1989. Most units relied on utility gas or electricity for heating. It was estimated that 76,124 units lacked telephone service, 5,134 lacked complete plumbing facilities, and 4,691 lacked complete kitchen facilities. The average household size was 2.61 people.
In 2002, 18,425 privately owned units were authorized for construction. The median home value was $94,786. The median monthly most for mortgage owners was $879. Renters paid a median of $495 per month. During fiscal year 2002, Louisiana received over $125.9 million in community planning and development aid from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.