Change is slow in home design and construction, but there are some fashion swings. Ranch homes, once the rage, were followed by a preference for two-story styles. Townhouses, which have played a major role in current turn-of-the-century home sales, were less common in the post-World War II building boom.
When I started writing this column two years ago, duplexes, which Webster’s Dictionary defines as “a house consisting of two separate family units,” were seldom mentioned in the new housing scene.
But in the last year, three builders have introduced duplexes, each different in look and pricing; so one wonders if another housing type is about to make a comeback.
Warrenville-based Neumann Homes began offering duplexes in spring 2004 and opened a decorated model in late summer at the company’s NeuFairfield development in southwest suburban Joliet.
NeuFairfield is on Joliet’s east side between U.S. Highway 30 and U.S. Highway 6. The subdivision is planned for 559 homes–297 houses, 116 townhouses and 146 duplexes–with each housing type getting its own neighborhood.
The duplexes, a first for Neumann, are aimed at providing a mid-step in price and lifestyle between the company’s townhouses and its detached houses.
“A duplex home is the perfect intermediate home type for buyers looking for more of the outdoor space of a single-family home, but the greater affordability of a town home,” said Larry Wisdom, Neumann Midwest regional president.
Duplexes in this development come with a yard for which the owners are responsible. Those who want to garden may do so. The monthly homeowners’ fees are $14, not the $89.50 paid by residents in the low-maintenance townhouses.
At the center of the development, about 45 duplexes have been sold.
There are four floor plans and two models to visit, one of which is furnished.
The duplexes are raised-ranch floor plans with the two-car garage doors at the front facing the street.
Garage-door front facades don’t lend these homes or the streetscape of the neighborhood much charm. The entrances to the homes are on opposite sides of the building, like ears on the side of a head.
Visitors climb about seven or eight steps to the entry door, which opens to an inside landing. From there, visitors ascend another seven or eight steps to the main living level or descend the same number of steps to the garage and lower ground-level floor.
The unfurnished Dorchester model, base-priced at $194,400, is a two-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath plan with a finished ground-level family room, bath and laundry room behind the two-car garage.
At the top of the stairs on the upper level is an open living-dining-kitchen arrangement. To the left, is a short hallway leading to a bath and the doors to the two bedrooms.
The model is shown with a cathedral ceiling, an option, and a kitchen island, an upgrade that provides a small, but nice demarcation between the 11-by-14-foot corner kitchen and the open living-dining space, about 15 by 18 feet.
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The public living space is at the back of the unit. Windows in the living-dining room and the sliding doors to the standard 10-by-10-foot deck off the kitchen give the interior space light and the rooms a feeling of added space.
At the front of the home is the master bedroom, about 15 1/2 by 14 feet. The bedroom is over the garage so there are windows facing the street and plenty of natural light.
The small master bath is on an interior wall away from the windows so it lacks natural light. In an ideal world, the master bath and the walk-in closet for the master suite could be switched. Unlike the dark bathroom, the closet, to the left of the bedroom, is at the front of the building and has a window. That’s not ideal for storage in my book.
The lower level has a small laundry room, a bath and a ground-level family room, roughly 26 by 14 feet.
The second model is the furnished and much upgraded Churchill, a 1,758-square-foot home with two bedrooms and two baths. The base price for the model is $201,400, but shoppers should be aware that the upgrades–well worth the price if you can afford them–add about $45,000 to the price as shown.
Though there is only about 140 square feet difference between the two models, the Churchill feels larger because the builder has opened up the design, not enclosed the space in tiny rooms. In this case, the old maxim “less is more” means fewer rooms and a greater feeling of spaciousness.
The main entrance opens to the entry landing. A visitor looks up to open railing with balusters on both sides of the living level at the top of the stairway. On the left is the L-shaped living and dining area which opens to the kitchen; on the right is a loft-like area shown as a sitting room or home office.
Regular readers know that I am, in general, not a fan of lofts. But in this case. the openness adds immensely to the floor plan yet is separate enough to be a useful, defined small work area.
The loft is roughly 14 by 12 feet without a closet. It could be enclosed into a small bedroom with a closet, but the addition of walls would diminish the open feeling of the adjacent living/dining area as well.
The living room is about 14 by 15 feet, and the adjacent dining area is about 9 1/2 by 10 feet, not large but comfortable for family eating. The kitchen is divided from the living room by a half-wall which again opens up the sightlines between the spaces and lets the cook talk with guests without exposing the dirty dishes.
The doors to the master bedroom and the second bedroom are at the end of the loft. The secondary bedroom is 10 by 10 feet with a small closet, suitable for a baby. The standard master bedroom is a 13 by almost 18-foot space, but is shown with the luxury bath option. That trims the bedroom to a smaller 13 by 13 feet for a large bathroom and a walk-through closet.
The luxury bath option makes a lot of sense. Instead of two cramped bathrooms–one for the hall and one for the master bedroom–the builder combines the space into a bigger space with room for two sinks, tub, shower and a linen closet.
There is space to allow Mom and Dad to get ready for work at the same time and still have some elbow room. There are two entrances–one from the loft and one from the master bedroom by way of the smallish walk-through master closet which could be locked when guests are in the house. This is nifty space planning because there is a second full bath on the level below.
The real selling point for these plans may be the walk-out ground level. There is a bath, laundry room and storage space under the stairway as well as an appealing 23-by-15-foot finished family room with plenty of natural light and easy access to the small yard.
A corner fireplace and sectional sofa in the model make it simple to imagine family gatherings and how easy it will be to let out the dog through the sliding glass doors to the 10-by-10-foot patio.
Ugly as these homes are on the outside, it is hard to fault them for practicality. Though shy on places for storage, the interior space configuration makes sense for a family with a young child or a single parent with a teen, where the lower level can be used for play or a sense of privacy. It makes less sense for empty-nesters because of the stairs.
Factoring out the garage, the Churchill model is about $170 per square foot of living space. The plan is really comfortable, however, if a buyer can afford some upgrades to give it some character.
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Monarch duplexes at NeuFairfield, Joliet
Base price range: $185,400 to $206,400
FACTS AND FIGURES
Raised ranch duplex homes
– 2 to 3-bedrooms, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 baths
– Finished lower level walk-out
– Two-car garage
Square feet: 1,494 to 1,883
Monthly assessment: $14
Developer: Neumann Homes
Web: www.neumannhomes.com
AMENITIES
Main floor: Kitchen, with built-in dishwasher, range, ventless range hood, double-bowl stainless steel sink and laminate countertops, opens to large deck. Optional cathedral ceiling in living/dining area and the master bedroom
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Lower level: Family room, bath, laundry room, concrete patio and yard
Community: Part of 559-home NeuFairfield development with neighborhoods for townhouses, houses and duplexes, landscaped ponds stocked with fish for catch-and-release fishing, gazebo and proposed park.
GETTING THERE
Address: 2518 Saddle Ridge Court, Joliet
Phone: 815-722-4640
Take I-80 to U.S. 30 and exit west. Turn right on Gougar Road. Left on U.S. 6
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