Providence is among the first of the major developments planned for Elgin’s Far West side.
Opened in May 2004, the development is planned for 1,061 homes on nearly 500 acres. It will be the size of a small village when completed in about four years.
The project will have houses and townhouses in a variety of price ranges built by Lombard-based Town & Country Homes, its affiliate True North and Elgin-based Remington Homes.
Using a New England coastal theme as a design motif–which happily is not pushed to the extreme on the prairie setting–there are plans for about 110 acres of parks, ponds and open space plus a walking and biking trail.
Lake Providence is at the center of the property and will have, in keeping with the nautical theme, a pier and a 1,300-square-foot boathouse-style community center.
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Construction is going full bore because about one-third of the homes have been sold.
Three-level townhouses, a first for Town & Country, are being shown here aimed at first-time buyers and downsizers who no longer want the responsibility of a house and yard.
Four to a building, each of the units has a front and back balcony off the living/family room and off the kitchen/dining area for a feeling of access to the outdoors.
Another nice touch is the effort to differentiate the individual units through a variety of details on the front facades.
The most eye-catching of the models is the Barberry, an end unit with three balconies.
At 2,548 square feet, this is a house-size plan with three bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and attached two-car garage.
Visitors step into a ground level foyer at the front door and face about six or so steps up to the main living level (the first floor) and about the same number of steps down to the garage and storage level that is partially above ground.
At the top of the stairs on the main level is a half-wall opening into the “family” room or main living space. To the right and at the front is the breakfast or dining area and the kitchen.
The dining area, about 12 by 14 feet, is divided from the kitchen by a dining bar. About 11 1/2 by 13 1/2 feet, the kitchen is shown with upgraded cabinets and has work surfaces and storage space though not much room to store cleaning equipment like a mop, broom and bucket.
Sliding doors open from the kitchen onto a balcony at the front of the unit.
The family room at the back is the main living area. It is nearly 19 by 13 feet and has light from the sliding doors to a back balcony. It is shown with a fireplace and built-in media niche, both upgrades.
Next to the family room and behind the kitchen is a coat closet and powder room and the den. Though not overly large–it is 12 by 11 feet–it could be a home office or guest room.
The upper level in all the townhouses contains the bedrooms and a laundry closet for a full-size washer and dryer at the top of the stairs.
I like the master suite at the top of the stairs in the Barberry. The bedroom, roughly 12 1/2 by 14 1/2 feet, is not overly large but it has a separate small sitting/dressing area, big enough for a comfy reading chair and looking out sliding doors to the model’s third balcony.
Two closets, one twice as large as the other, are on either side of the sitting area, in front of the master bath.
The other two bedrooms–one sizable, the other smallish–and the hall bathroom are at the back of the second floor.
The lower level in all the units is the garage and a sizable storage room, about 23 by nearly 11 feet. With several windows, which provide enough light to dispel lower level gloom, the space easily could be used as an exercise room or small child’s playroom if residents really don’t need the storage.
I like the flow of this plan and the sight lines opening up defined spaces. The discreet, yet accessible placement of the powder room on the first floor is a definite plus as is the layout of the master suite on the second floor.
I like the many balconies for the easy access to the outside, but the placement of the kitchen at the front of this unit means outdoor grilling most likely will be on the balcony facing the street.
That is unfortunate because the cooking will be not only close to the front door but on view for the whole neighborhood.
In contrast, the other three townhouse plans have kitchens at the back so grilling can be away from the street traffic and in the view of a limited number of neighbors.
The two interior units–the Lonsdale and the Deming–are essentially the same plan. The living room extends across the front of the townhouse on the main living level.
At the back of the floor is the family room open to a dining nook and the kitchen. The family room could be a formal dining room if so desired.
Upstairs, there is a sizable master suite, a small secondary bedroom and a loft which might make a small home office or den.
The fourth plan is an end unit dubbed the Winchester with 2,275 square feet with a master bedroom on the main living level and a two-story “great room.”
This is the most awkward of the floor plans because so much is crammed onto the main living floor.
To the right of the stairs, across the front of the unit is the “great room,” part of which has a standard 9-foot ceiling opening to a two-story ceiling.
There is a powder room at the top of the stairway from the front door. Behind the powder room is the kitchen and a dining nook with a door to the master bedroom suite with a smallish bedroom, roughly 13 by 13 feet, a private bath and walk-in closet.
The second floor has two bedrooms, bath and a loft overlooking the great room below.
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Kudos to the builder for making energy efficiency and construction a prominent part of the sales center, the information offered to buyers and the presentation by the sales staff. One room in the sales center is devoted to showing what is behind the walls and the layers of materials used in building a home. While other builders may follow the same construction techniques, I can count on one hand those who have even mentioned the topic in my months of House Hunting.
Other builders may be fearful that buyers’ eyes will glaze over when the actual process of construction is explained or fearful that knowledgeable buyers will find their construction lacking.
Buyers always should be skeptical of sales pitches–including claims for energy efficiency or “green” building practices–but this builder should be credited for opening up the subject to buyers for questions and discussion.
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Providence
Address: 3040 Longcommon Pkwy., Elgin
Developer: Town & Country Homes
Phone: 847-695-9301
Web: www.townandcountryhomes.com
Description: 211 townhouses, part of development planned for 1,061 homes. Three-story townhouses with two to three bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths in 2,107 to 2,548 square feet, all with balconies; attached two-car garages. Prices from $229,995 to $266,995. Monthly assessments $112 to $136. Prices as of May 6.
Amenities: Nine-foot first floor ceilings, laminated kitchen countertops. Vinyl flooring in foyer, kitchen, bath, powder and laundry room. Cultured marble vanity tops in baths, concrete block wall between units, low-E windows.
Neighborhood: Master-planned development with 110 acres of open space, parks, lake and community center. Near expressway, shopping and restaurants. Accessible to downtown Elgin, Fox River Bike trail and commuter train stations.
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