Floor plans for the single-family models at Windy Hill Farm in south suburban Frankfort are like manna from heaven: Garages load from the side of the homes rather than dominating the facades; toilets are enclosed, enhancing privacy and making sense of those two-sink vanities in master bathrooms; stairways are placed off to the side of the foyer or room unlike those front-and-center styles that hog the spotlight when the door opens; large laundry rooms have space for a tub and often a closet.
There are even some other pluses in the single-family homes ranging from $269,900 to $349,900 and from 2,240 to 3,403 square feet that warrant the manna metaphor.
But there’s also a problem: The manna is slathered with real butter, sugar-rich preserves and marmalades, not to mention peanut butter. You can’t savor the manna beneath the overbearing toppings.
In other words, the models have such lavish and expensive upgrades and options, punctuated by overwhelming and distracting decor, that the design and the basics of the houses are hidden.
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For example, the 2,602 square foot, three-bedroom Baytree is base-priced at $279,900, or about $108 per square foot. The model has $40,000 in options. That’s not excessive, considering that buyers of single family homes at Windy Hill average upgrades of about $45,000.
But the four-bedroom, 3,044 square-foot Fairbank, a good buy base-priced at $309,900, or just $102 per square foot, has been upgraded to the tune of $75,000.
And, the four-bedroom, 3,403 square foot Saddleridge, with its two-story family room adjacent to its combined breakfast room and kitchen, has a rather mind-boggling $110,000 in upgrades.
What this development, on the site of a former horse farm, needs is a model that uses only standard amenities, the most honest way to show what buyers are getting at the base price.
Although the models have very formal decor (damask fabrics, elaborate chandeliers, ornate furniture) and formal upgrades (arches, pillars, molding, carved mantels), the top three upgrades in single-family homes, according to Windy Hill’s sales manager David Shallow, are 42-inch upper kitchen cabinets, three-car garages and full basements–all practical and geared toward additional storage.
The Fairbank is the most popular single-family floor plan, for pragmatic reasons. The angled stairway off the foyer, for example, has a landing at the midway point with one set of stairs leading to the second floor and another aimed for the kitchen at the back of the house.
Sales associates say parents love those stairs: The kids don’t have to detour; they can go directly from bedrooms to breakfast.
Also, off the foyer, there’s the powder room and a guest closet.
The Fairbank’s floor plan keeps the more formal living and dining rooms on one side of the house extending from front to back; there’s a study off the foyer which can easily be the “anything” room.
The kitchen, breakfast and family rooms nicely line up across the rear of the home.
Upstairs, all four bedrooms and the large bathroom open off the angled hall. Three of the bedrooms are kids/den-sized and they share a bathroom; not optimum in my mind.
While the single-family houses are family-oriented, the townhouses are filling with singles and twosomes of varied ages.
The townhouses also have their pluses. Fourteen buildings will hold either three or six units. The three-unit plan (which has the models) looks more like a very large house rather than the usual static row of townhouses. Some of the townhouses will even go up on sites that permit walk-out basements.
All the models have steps. The Timothy is a two-story house with a master suite on the ground level and an upstairs bedroom that could rival the downstairs master in size and splendor.
The single-level Chestnut has steps leading to a basement.
The Colton also has the disadvantage (for some) of having a flight of steps to climb–but what a reward upon arrival in a great room with space galore.
This two-bedroom, two-bath-plus-den with 2,037 square feet is base-priced at $194,900 and has $35,000 in upgrades, which is $5,000 more than buyers average putting into a Windy Hill town house. Not to quibble. One of those upgrades is the volume ceiling in the huge living/dining area, certainly a wise choice in creating the model’s spacious feel.
The entry is worth mentioning. There’s a stairway, of course, but there’s also space enough for the builder to designate it as a “vestibule,” large enough to accommodate a bench, a corner table, a floor plant. A huge, unexpected bonus is a large, walk-in storage haven.
The Colton is the most contemporary of all the models and even the decor is tamed down, although getting rid of chandeliers and fussy valences might attract some hip prospects.
Windy Hill Farm
Address: 21366 Breton Rd., Frankfort
Developer: Legacy Development Group, Chicago
Phones: For single-family homes: (815) 464-9800; for town homes: (815) 464-2400
Description: A community of 93 single-family and 72 town homes.
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Prices: Base-priced at $194,900 to $259,900 for first-floor and upper-level ranch and two-story town homes with two or three bedrooms, 2 or 2 1/2 bathrooms, 2-car attached garage, from 1,460 to 2,388 square feet. Estimated monthly assessments $75-$125. Prices as of May 13.
Amenities: For all homes: Sodded front, seeded side and rear yards; choice of ceramic tile or hardwood flooring in foyer and kitchen; kitchens with gas range, microwave, dishwasher.
Neighborhood: West of Harlem Avenuem former horse farm Windy Hill is near Sauk Trail and Van Horne Woods forest preserves and historic 20-mile Old Plank Road Trail for hiking, biking.
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More House Hunters: Past column by Genevieve Buck are available at CHICAGOTRIBUNE.COM/HOMES