Glen Garden Estates is a sliver of a development in fast-growing north suburban Mundelein. A mere 37 lots along two sides of a street and a cul-de-sac, the development is aimed at the 55-plus crowd who have no need of clubhouses, planned activities or fancy sports facilities.
A good example of what is called an “in-fill” project, the subdivision is adjacent to an established all-ages development. It fills the need for new construction, single-level houses for empty-nesters and the soon-to-be-retired who want to stay close–but not live with–children and grandchildren.
The subdivision also illustrates that not all new housing is located in mammoth master-planned developments that will take years to complete. Glen Garden is about a year old and is racing toward completion with about 14 homes yet to be sold.
The builder is U.S. Shelter, an Elgin-based operation, which has constructed about 5,000 homes in the Chicago metro area over the last 30 years.
More Top Picks Samsung Vs Sony Oled Tvs For Gaming
The plans are new to the company, said sales manager Marlene Cesaretti, but buyers who have been shopping for awhile will recognize they are similar to some offered by other builders.
The plans have a sensible, easy traffic flow and are aimed at those who want space and need some room for larger furnishings.
One of the plans–the 2,355-square-foot Longwood–has been adapted and is being offered at the company’s all-ages Oak Ridge development in Elgin.
According to Cesaretti, Glen Garden was one of the first age-restricted developments in the northern suburbs, a category that is now booming.
The major attraction for most early buyers has been the lure of low maintenance and the chance to leave behind responsibility for lawn care and snow removal.
“People are very involved. They prefer to spend free time with grandchildren and travel. Many have a second home,” she said of those who have bought.
These are essentially two-bedroom, two-bath homes, with an attached two-car garage. The partial basements, standard, add considerable storage.
Buyers opting for the full basement upgrade will almost double the size of the home.
The exteriors of the homes, while pleasant, are undistinguished. Garages face the street in all three models.
The garages look less obvious and are balanced by the front wall of the house in the Longwood and Corbett plans where the front door is recessed in the middle of the front facade.
The real appeal of the homes is in the interior. High ceilings–12 or 13 feet in the great room, 9 feet in other rooms–add a feeling of space and allow lots of natural light.
The 2,244-square-foot Corbett and the 2,355 Longwood, the two largest plans, are the most popular, Cesaretti said. Unlike the smaller Tivoli, about 2,000 square feet, the larger plans have a den, roughly 11 by 14 feet, which could be used as a home office or third bedroom.
The furnished model, which doubles as the sales office, is the Longwood. The base price of this house is $403,900, not an insignificant amount, but at about $172 a square foot not bad for the Chicago area.
The model as shown is filled with all sorts of appealing goodies, such as a finished basement, a fireplace with granite surround, media niche, and a kitchen filled with granite countertops and stainless steel-front appliances. These extras are sure to push the final price considerably higher.
Visitors to the model step from a covered front entrance into a wide foyer with a 9-foot ceiling. The foyer is open to a wide hall to the kitchen and the great room (the combined living and dining room), straight ahead.
Just inside the front door and to the right is the secondary bedroom with a guest bath, large walk-in closet and a large linen closet.
The bedroom, about 16 by 12 feet, is at the front of the house and has plenty of light. It also is conveniently located for guests to enter or leave at odd hours without disturbing those sleeping in the master bedroom at the back of the home.
The foyer has a big coat closet on one wall and French doors to the den, about 13 1/2 by 12 feet, next to the great room.
The 17-by-28-foot great room is at a back corner of the home and is separated by a three-fourths wall from a combined kitchen, 14 by 14 feet, and breakfast area, 14 by 10 feet.
The impressiveness of these rooms is aided considerably by the 13-foot ceiling. The numerous windows and the partial wall on one side of the kitchen provide an easy flow of people and light.
Target buyers, my age and older, may want to consider whether their furnishings will be well-displayed or dwarfed by the size of the space and the ceiling height.
They also may want to weigh how willing they are to climb ladders to clean the windows or if they have the budget to pay for such services.
Compared to many new-home kitchens, this one is large with plenty of counter space and cabinets. It is shown with a long center island, which adds storage and surface area.
For those who spend a lot of time in the kitchen, this room has lots of elbow room and counter space for the coffeepot or other small appliances. It also is a bit more of a walk in the work triangle because the sink and dishwasher are on one side of the work island while the stove and refrigerator are on the other.
The master bedroom is on the other side of the kitchen wall, though there is no direct access between the two rooms.
A small hall from the foyer leads past the laundry room to the master bedroom suite. The laundry is decent in size and doubles as the mudroom between the two-car garage and the rest of the house. It is conveniently located opposite the door to the master bedroom and is discreetly away from the foyer and the main traffic flow.
The master bedroom is 15 by 17 feet. It has a sizable master bath reached only from the master bedroom with dual sinks, oversize shower and a tub.
One nice feature of the bath is that it has natural light from a high window over the tub. One not so nice feature is the huge walk-in closet trapped at the center of the house which can be reached only through the bath.
Next door to the Longwood is the Tivoli plan, a smaller home, with a more pronounced separation between the kitchen and great room.
Entered at the left front of the house, the foyer, with a large coat closet, opens directly into the great room, about 18 by 29 feet, which extends to the back wall of the home.
The light is good and the ceilings are high in the great room, which has a deck at the rear. The kitchen is to the right of the foyer and at the front of the house. It’s comfortable at 16 by 10 feet and is open to a breakfast room, about 14 by 10 feet. The breakfast area is generous and offers a sunny dining space, but seems trapped away from the rest of the living area.
More Top Picks Best Cruiser Bikes For Seniors
The laundry room is to the right of the kitchen and provides access to the two-car garage. It seems smaller than in the Longwood, and it is more problematic because there are three doors, each on a different wall, opening into the room. It might resemble a scene from the Keystone Kops if people are coming through those doors.
Both the master and the secondary bedroom are at the back of the home behind the garage. There is a small hall to them with a door to the second bath, which is outside the door of the 16-by-14-foot secondary bedroom. The self-contained master suite is next door with a 16-by-14-foot bedroom.
In this plan, residents walk between two large closets to get to the sizable master bath, which shares a wall with the garage.
– – –
Glen Garden Estates, Mundelein
Base prices: $378,900 to $403,900
FACTS AND FIGURES
Ranch homes: Two bedrooms, 2 baths and two-car garage for residents 55 and older
Square feet: 2,013 to 2,355
Monthly assessment: $108
Developer: U.S. Shelter
AMENITIES
Main floor: 12- and 13-foot ceiling in great room; 9-foot ceiling in rest of house; basement; ceramic or wood flooring in foyer; 36-inch kitchen cabinets with crown molding, laminated kitchen countertops; cultured marble vanity in baths; deck.
Community: Part of small 37-home age-restricted subdivision adjacent to an established, all-age development.
GETTING THERE
Address: 1580 Garden Court
Phone: 847-566-1592
Take I-294 to Illinois Highway 176, exit west. Continue on Ill. 176 to Illinois Highway 83 and turn right. Continue to first stoplight. Remain on Highway 83 and go about one-half mile.
Web site: www.usshelter.com
———-