After years of listening to builders and a goodly number of buyers extol the joys of low-maintenance living and the absence of yard work, I had begun to wonder if the old ideal of a suburban house with a big yard no longer exists except for the very wealthy.
I know there must be some buyers who yearn — may even consider it a priority — to have space enough for the kids to play kickball without breaking a window and enough property to justify buying a riding mower.
Happily, I can say that such developments exist. Unhappily, I have to say — depending upon where you currently live and work — you may have to drive some distance to find one.
Gurnee-based Buschman Homes, for example, is offering home sites of at least one acre in its StoneCreek Crossing development in far north suburban Spring Grove, a village between Fox Lake and the Wisconsin border.
The development, which opened in December 2003, is planned for 82 houses; about 30 have been sold. Base prices for the nine one- and two-story floor plans are $258,000 to $308,000 and, thus far, the average sales price, with options, has been around $350,000 to $375,000.
So far the buyers are mostly first and second move-up buyers and include several from north suburbs such as Palatine and Gurnee who are willing to go further out because they want more space and are looking for a large lot, says Gary Buschman, vice president of sales and marketing.
There are two models — the Dover and the Tremont — which not surprisingly are among the most popular floor plans.
Those who have been shopping for a home for a while or are familiar with suburban developments in recent years may find the floor plans familiar. Some version of the basic 2,322 square-foot Tremont model, for example, has been in the Buschman repertoire for nearly a decade — and, I dare say, in the line-ups of a number of other builders as well.
Visitors entering the Tremont front door find themselves in a two-story foyer facing a stairway and a view of the railing with wrought iron balusters edging the second floor hallway.
To the right of the foyer is the living room. The dining room, roughly 13 by 13 feet, is behind the living room. To the left of the entry foyer is a short angled hall to the family room with high ceilings at the back of the house.
More Top Picks Watche
The family room flows into the family dining area which in turn opens to the kitchen which is 10 1/2 by 14 feet. A door at the east end of the kitchen goes into the dining room. The model is shown with a 13-by-13 1/2-foot optional bonus room over the garage which could be a fourth bedroom or a second family room.
The entrance foyer in the 2,627-square-foot Dover model is two stories high. There is a study or home office to the left and a dining room to the right. The foyer leads into the living room with a high ceiling.
The stairway to the second floor with three bedrooms (there is a fourth bedroom option) is in the living room. To the right of the living room is the door to the kitchen and extended “hearth room,” an upgrade that adds a nine-foot extension onto the house. This addition makes space for a casual dining area and a cozy family room shown with a fireplace.
But it is just such upgrades that first-time browsers might want to clarify as they walk through. These are semi-custom houses and, if the basic floor plans are familiar, the number of options and upgrades in the models are numerous.
There are ideas aplenty to choose from here, but browsers might want to ask a lot of questions and keep the calculator handy to tally up a rough estimate of what it will take to buy what they are seeing.
For example, Buschman says about 80 percent of buyers opt for at least the “B” elevation, which is an upgrade. Immediately that means most buyers begin at a higher cost than the lowest advertised price.
The Tremont model, for example is a “B” elevation with a front porch and a stone front facade that dresses up the vinyl siding which is standard.
For help with what is traditionally the most expensive room in the house, the builder has a kitchen designer on staff who will work with buyers. The options for kitchen design are limited “only by the (buyer’s) imagination” says Buschman and, I presume, the buyer’s budget.
For some buyers, that budget may stretch further here, although transportation costs like the amount of gasoline and number of cars a family needs should be considered. The houses are $125 or less a square foot using base prices for calculations.
For those who can afford it, I would suggest the extension of the hearth room in the Dover for a sense of roominess. Touches such as the custom vent over the kitchen range and the custom wall tile make the room memorable. The built-in cabinetry and wainscoting in the Dover study are an upgrade but add a lot of style as well as usefulness.
The builder should be applauded, for the most part, for the allocation of space. The master bedroom of the Tremont, for example, is 13 by 16 1/2 feet, quite comfortable for sleeping and watching television. Instead of a single, long bowling alley-style walk-in master closet so often shown, I much prefer the option of two smaller separate walk-in closets–one for him, one for her–outside the comfortable, but not huge, master bath.
The one-acre lot sizes can mean more garage options as well including room for side-load and– is it too much to hope?–garages behind houses away from the street.
This is a subdivision with a well and septic system. The builder says this means no monthly water bills, though surely the cost of periodic maintenance should be considered.
This is a rural area in transition; just how much of a transition it is hard to say on an initial visit. The road to the front gate of the development takes one past what appear to be several working farms. But those who hope for an isolated piece of land in the country could be disappointed when they drive to the back of StoneCreek Crossing to find an older, established subdivision.
On the other hand, those looking for a big home site close to trendy retail shopping and restaurants most likely will find this location a bit too pastoral.
And don’t forget to ask about the landscaping package. The models have sod and several large trees and bushes, but that amount of vegetation was not evident in the other homes now up in the development. Though for most buyers that may be no problem because they came here for the space and, presumably, the yard work.
– – –
StoneCreek Crossing
Address: 1506 Wilmot Farms Dr., Spring Grove
Developer: Buschman Homes
Phone: 815-675-6650
Web: www.buschmanhomes.com
Description: 82 houses with three to four bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms. Ranch and two-story designs with attached two- or three-car garages with 2,022 square feet to 3,124 square feet, base-priced from $257,990 to $307,990. Annual homeowners’ assessment, $165. Prices as of July 23.
Amenities: One-acre minimum home sites, basements, landscaping package. Main floor laundry, Whirlpool appliances. Ceramic tile surround in tub area, dry-walled garage interior.
More Top Picks Tennis Racket
Neighborhood: Rural area close to recreation at Chain O’ Lakes State Park and Lake Geneva, Wis. Near U.S Highway 12 and easy access to Fox Lake Metra train station.