Some homeowners prefer their homes to be quiet retreats.
Not Al and Linda Schreiber. They like to be in the mainstream all the time, and having a back yard that abuts Rand Road in Des Plaines offers them a vantage point from which to listen and watch.
”The first thing that people say when they walk in is, `You live on Rand Road.` So what?” Linda Schreiber observed during last weekend`s open house. Her brick ranch, at 457 Stratford Rd., is listed with Coldwell Banker for $268,500.
From their table in the 14-by-9-foot kitchen, the Schreibers look out sliding glass patio doors and past the tall wood fence in the back yard to watch the ebb and flow of life-from people going to work to firefighters rushing to a blaze.
In the summer, the Schreibers sit just outside the kitchen area on the concrete patio in their small back yard, surrounded by Japanese corkscrew willows, raspberry bushes and a 25-year-old silver maple.
Dramatic moment
The view is sometimes very dramatic, Linda said. She remembers once looking out the window above the orange sink in the 14-by-10 kitchen-with its white ceramic-tile floor and brown wood cabinets-and witnessing a car accident at the corner of Rand and Wolf Roads.
Shortly thereafter, the intersection was widened and otherwise improved.
”I have not seen an accident since they fixed it,” Al said.
Besides loving their location, the Schreibers` gusto for life is no more apparent than in their 29-by-26 recreation room, which they finished off 16 years ago after buying the new house. Descend the stairs off the main entryway and you`ll find a room that rivals the size and comfort level of a local watering hole.
Across the expanse of light-gray carpeting-just past a 13-by-11 parquet dance floor-is a 12-foot bar with a black padded armrest and shiny red ceramic-tile counter.
Just past it is a small hall leading to a basic full bathroom with cream- colored walls and a storage room that also houses the furnace, two sump pumps and the hot water heater.
The recreation room has four doors that blend into the dark-brown paneling. The door beneath the stairs opens into a storage area, while two doors along one wall lead to bedrooms, both of which are 16-by-12 and very light, considering that they have only one ground-level window each. One bedroom is painted peach and has peach carpeting, while the other is decorated in pink and mauve.
The upstairs of the home is much like the downstairs-a large common living area adjoined by plenty of private rooms.
Off of the home`s main entryway, which is decorated with metallic gold, black and white wallpaper, is a door leading to the heated two-car garage and the stairs down to the recreation room. Or you can walk straight ahead on an oak floor, past the white-carpeted 18-by-16 living room, to the adjacent 18-by-16 dining room and the kitchen.
A hallway beyond leads to the 16-by-14 master bedroom and full bathroom, which features a white ceramic-tile floor and two sinks. Three of the bedroom`s walls are painted tan and the fourth is a muted orange.
Farther down the hall is a doorway into the 19-by-18 off-white-carpeted family room. The room`s main attraction is the dark-brown brick fireplace.
At the intersection of the family room and hallway is a short hall leading to a full bathroom, which has two bright-green sinks and a matching toilet; the walls are decorated with a light cream, pink and blue pastel wallpaper.
On the right side of the bathroom is a 14-by-13 bedroom, painted yellow and carpeted in gray, while on the left is a 14-by-14 bedroom decorated in tans and browns.
Diana Carpenter of Des Plaines summed up the thoughts of many at the open house: ”You certainly wouldn`t know from the outside how much space the home has.”
