Over the last 30 years, the intersection of Barrington and Palatine Roads has gone from a rural intersection on the way to large and gracious horse farms to a multi-lane speedway in the midst of subdivisions sprouting showcase single-family houses.
Today’s suburban gentry clearly prefer more house and a lot less land than in the past. Among those catering to this new crowd is Toll Brothers, a Pennsylvania-based company which bills itself as “America’s luxury home builder.”
More Top Picks Projectors Outdoors
A relative newcomer to the Chicago area, the company has focused on projects in the north suburbs including the Estates at Inverness Ridge in Inverness.
The builder has sold more than 30 of the 119 semi-custom houses planned for the gated subdivision. Those who have bought show a consistant–and relatively narrow — profile: 50-something buyers who no longer want yardwork, but who want a house from 2,650 to 4,300 square feet and can afford base prices from $624,975 to $777,975.
“The people are buying because it is gated and because it is low maintenance,” says Cathy Wiesneth, senior sales manager.
Although by urban standards the quarter-acre lots are comfortable, they are hardly sprawling suburban spreads.
Fences, playsets and in-ground pools are not allowed. The subdivision operates as a “condominium” so the lawn maintenance and snow removal is taken care of by the homeowners associaton, which also is responsible for maintaining the public area, the gate house, entry monument, perimeter berming and streets.
If the yards are smaller that those which they had before (most of those who have bought are local, not transferees, says Wiesneth), preserved open lands along Poplar Creek which runs through the development adds to the feeling of space.
Though little more than what used to be called a slough, the green belt provi- proides a view of prairie grass and wildflowers at the rear of some houses. The Crabtree Nature Center is across the street from the development.
The low-maintenance message is reiterated in durable and expensive exterior materials –brick, stone and real (not synthetic) stucco –which should stave off intensive upkeep, at least for the first several years.
Low-maintenance alone, however, is not enough to sell houses at these prices. This is a subdivision with a one-two punch. The two model homes pack plenty of drama and lots of upgrades from a builder that boasts it offers buyers more than 300 options in the eight available floorplans.
The curved staircase just inside the front door of the 4,200-square-foot Middleton model is worthy of Tara in “Gone With The Wind.” It is a jaw-dropper even with the unappealing wrought iron balusters (an upgrade) instead of the standard wood.
The kitchen has a slate and wood floor that relates well to the intricate wood ceiling of the adjacent two-story family room.
The sunny walkout basement is decorated with a comfortable big-screen TV area and a wood-paneled bar outfitted almost like a second kitchen.
Such alluring upgrades add to the price. This elevation of the Middleton starts at $724,975, but the model as shown costs about $1.2 million.
No matter how few or how many the upgrades, however, the Middleton is an appealing, though traditional, floorplan.
Visitors enter a two-story front foyer with library, living room and dining room to the left. To the right is a hallway around the central curving stairway that draws visitors to the kitchen and family room at the back of the house.
The master bedroom suite and three secondary bedrooms are on the second floor.
There are some nice nuances. The powder room is located near the kitchen, away from the front door traffic, and the first floor laundry room between the family room and the side-load three-car garage has plenty of elbow room.
The neighboring, smaller Mayfield model, with four bedrooms in 3,650 square feet, has a great room rather than a living room and a sizable kitchen. Base-priced at $687,975, the house, with an optional solarium and other upgrades, is less than $1 million as shown
The traffic flow in this model is not for everyone.The front door to the house opens onto what the floorplan generously calls the foyer. But the foyer flows into the dining room to the right.
Late-comers to a cold-weather dinner party will not only chill the meal and guests when making an entrance, they will have an audience as they remove their coats and boots.
The powder room is to the left of the front door so everyone can watch the arriving guests as they enter and exit the powder room to wash up for dinner.
This model has a first-floor master bedroom suite which is an appealing concept but not when the bathroom is at the front of the house with a big window over the whirlpool so you can bathe and keep an eye on traffic into the neighborhood. Does that mean the neighbors can keep an eye on you?
There are three bedrooms and a loft on the second story. Two bedrooms and the hall bath are on one side of the house. To reach the third bedroom and the open loft, it is necessary to walk across an open bridge overlooking the dining room on one side and the great room on the other.
But deciding who gets to make that long walk to the bathroom in the middle of the night could produce as much drama as having the bridge as an architectural element.
– – –
More Top Picks Best Reciprocating Saws For Home
The Estates at Inverness Ridge
Address: 1007 Ridgeview Dr., Inverness
Developer: Toll Brothers Inc.
Phone: (847) 277-1800 or www.tollbrothers.com
Description: A development of 119 semi-custom single-family houses
Prices: Base-priced from $624,975 to $777,975 for single-family homes with four or five bedrooms, from 2,650 to 4,300 square feet, and with brick, stucco and fiber cement siding exteriors.
Amenities: Adjacent to 80 acres of open space along Poplar Creek. Yard maintenance and snow removal provided; gated entrance. Kitchens have 42-inch cabinets and choice of Corian or granite countertops. Whirlpool tubs and separate shower in bathrooms; fireplace with mantel in living or family room; nine-foot basement ceilings. Full basements are standard.
Neighborhood: Minutes from Barrington and Schaumburg and less than 60 minutes from downtown Chicago.
———-
ONLINE
Past House Hunter columns: CHICAGOTRIBUNE.COM/HOMES