The two-story colonial home owned by Linda and Stanley Krol of North Barrington has two perks that any buyer would be interested in: an insurance plan to protect the buyer and a floor plan designed for a family by a family. The Krols invested in the first perk through ERA J.S. James & Co., which has the listing on the $315,000 home at 409 Brookmont Lane. For an insurance premium of about $390, the sellers are assuring potential buyers that repair bills will be limited to a maximum of $100 to $150 on appliances, wiring and plumbing for the first year after they purchase the home. The new owners can renew the policy after the first year, said Rita Kasmarek, the ERA sales associate who held the open house Sunday for listing agent Pat Kill.
The second major advantage of the seven-year-old home is that the Krols designed and built it after touring many others and deciding what they liked best about each. The result is a house with a small living room, a large family room and kitchen area and no basement, reflecting the high water levels of North Barrington.
The floor plan revolves around a central hall and stairway. A 12-by-12 foot dining room is on one side and a 15-by-15 peach-painted living room is on the other. A family room, eating area, laundry room and pool room run along the back of the house, which has been on and off the market for a year.
Hearthside
Separating the living room from the 18-by-14 family room is a lovely stone fireplace that opens into both areas. The family room itself has one big window and brown carpeting, which is just as spotless as the carpeting throughout the rest of the home.
Between the family area and the 10-by-12 kitchen is a 9-by-12 eating space, with an adjacent half-bath. After a meal, you can walk out into a true sun room with cedar walls, a huge window facing the back yard and sets of sliding doors on either side that lead to new decks, which were built last summer.
”When it gets zero outside, it`ll get 50 to 60 (degrees) in here,”
owner Stanley Krol said.
A walkway behind the 12-by-4 room connects the two decks, which are about 20-by-16 each.
Kitchen desk
The kitchen has light brown oak cabinets, off-white counter tops and ceramic tiling behind the stove and sink area. Opposite a five-shelf pantry is a built-in desk and phone area with a lot of space to spread out while paying bills or organizing recipes.
A laundry room, with a door opening into the three-car garage, leads to the pool room, which is designed to be dark and relaxing, Krol said. The pool room walls are paneled in dark brown. The one window is covered with blinds, so a single red and white hanging lamp is the sole light source.
Upstairs off of the hall are two linen closets, a full bathroom, a master bedroom with a full bath and two other bedrooms. One 14-by-12 bedroom is designated for a girl, judging by the pink walls and deep rose carpeting, while the other is more neutral, with brown carpeting and putty-colored walls. The 30-by-15 master bedroom has two skylights as well as two unusual features: it was designed so new owners could easily split it into two rooms by erecting one wall and installing a door; and one of the two walk-in closets has a door leading into rafter space storage above the garage. This storage area was built to make up for the missing basement, Krol said.
The home sits far back on an acre lot along a wooded street that ends in a cul-de-sac. All in all, this would be a perfect home for a pool-playing, growing family that likes a rural setting and a huge front yard.
