A street of luxury homes for moveup buyers will be unveiled Saturday when the Northern Illinois Home Builders Association (NIHBA) opens its 1992 Cavalcade of Homes in west suburban Geneva.
Seventeen new custom and semi-custom homes valued at $7.7 million will be featured by 16 west suburban builders in the show that continues through July 5.
The annual event, the Chicago-area`s largest home show at a single site, is at Eagle Brook Country Club, a 563-acre luxury residential development at Randall Road and Fabyan Parkway.
Professional designers have decorated the homes to display the latest trends in furnishings and accessories. The fully landscaped homesites curve around St. Andrews Circle, which is off Fargo Boulevard in the upscale Eagle Brook development.
Priced from $340,000 to nearly $600,000, including site, the homes reflect a range of architecture from post-modern to Georgian, Federalist and other traditional styles.
Interiors are highlighted by soaring entry foyers with grand staircases, expansive family rooms, elegant master bedroom suites with lavish baths, and such upscale extras as studies, dens, libraries, sun rooms and even a home theater.
”This show is designed to pique the imagination of viewers and help them to create their dream house,” explained Robert Price, NIHBA executive vice president, who said attendance this year is expected to reach 100,000 visitors, up 40 percent from 1991.
Price said the homes reflect new trends and state-of-the-art advances in design, decorating, furnishings and building techniques.
”If you are in the market for a new home, you`re going to feel like a kid in a candy store,” he said. ”These builders created what they sense today`s moveup buyer is looking for based on their market research and consumer surveys. For example, there is a strong shift to more open floor plans and greater volume.”
For one participant, the Cavalcade homes will demonstrate more than new products and design ideas.
”The Cavalcade also showcases the advantages of Geneva as a great place to live,” said Karen Wanek, project manager for Havlicek Builders. The Geneva-based firm has been building in the area for 10 years and is participating in the NIHBA show for the first time.
Aurora-based Signature, a division of Wil-Freds Development Inc., is participating in its seventh Cavalcade of Homes, and company president Michael P. Colucci thinks this year`s show is the best yet.
”The public will be excited by the number of homes as well as the diversity of home builders and product,” Colucci said, adding that visitors should allow four to five hours to tour all 17 models.
”Builders have created designs that are practical for home buyers as well as innovative. These homes are not just for show.”
The Cavalcade ticket booth is open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. with the show closing at 9 p.m. Admission is $6; $4 for senior citizens. Children 12 and under are admitted free.
Other features include exhibit and concession tents, a petting zoo, clowns, mimes, an arts and crafts fair and scheduled appearances by the Jesse White Tumblers, WGN radio personalities and three Chicago Bears: defensive end Trace Armstrong, wide receiver Wendell Davis and first-round draft choice Alonzo Spellman.
The homes on display in the Cavalcade are:
– The Enchantment by Pickerill Development Inc., Villa Park.
This $450,000 home has 4,200 square feet with nine-foot ceilings in the formal living and dining rooms, a two-story family room with an ascending stone fireplace, four bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths and a three-car garage. Unusual features include a catwalk connecting dual staircases and four turrets providing a panoramic view in eight of the home`s 11 rooms.
– The Geneva by Stembridge Builders Inc., Naperville.
The 3,400-square-foot home, priced at $376,500, has four bedrooms, three baths, a family room with fireplace and built-in bookcases, a den and a curved staircase in the two-story foyer that separates the formal living and dining rooms.
– The Sonoma by Steve Carr Builders Inc., Naperville.
This California-style home has 3,800 square feet with an open floor plan that highlights the formal living/dining room with a combined kitchen, family room and dinette/sun space. The first-floor master suite has 11-foot ceilings, fireplace and sitting area. The second floor has three secondary bedrooms and a loft. The home is priced at $450,000.
– Jenna V by Robert William Custom Homes Inc., Naperville.
This 4,396-square-foot home features an open floor plan with four bedrooms and three full baths, as well as a sunken family room and sun room, a second sun room, formal living and dining rooms, a study and loft area. There is a three-car garage and a custom wooden deck surrounds the rear of the home. It is priced at $497,900.
– The Colleen by Ten Talents Inc., Glen Ellyn.
This $340,000 home with 3,000 square feet is already sold. A library off the two-story front entry has a side entrance for private access. In addition to the grand staircase in the foyer, a second stairway leads up to a second-floor game room over the garage and down to the finished basement. The family room has a cathedral ceiling and skylights. The four bedrooms include an octagonal master bedroom.
– Ashton Custom by Airhart Construction Corp., West Chicago.
The post-modern design of this $354,800 home offers a contemporary open look highlighted by a two-story family room with an overlook from the upper hall. The home has three bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, a second-floor loft, a sunken living room, a library, a custom kitchen and a lookout basement.
– La Chambray by John Hall Homes, St. Charles.
A two-story foyer separates the formal living and dining rooms in this 5,200-square-foot home, which is priced at $550,000. There are five fireplaces, including one in the first-floor library. The family room opens to a rear wooden deck. The home has four bedrooms, 4 1/2 baths and a master suite that includes a see-through fireplace, which separates the master bath and sitting room. A mirrored exercise room, craft room and an entertainment room are in the finished lower level.
– L`Aerie by Acorn Properties Corp., Batavia.
This 3,800-square-foot home has four bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and a master suite open to a screened porch. The two-story family room has a beamed ceiling and a three-sided fireplace positioned between it and the dinette. The first floor includes a secluded sunroom-like library. It is priced at $516,000.
– The Brookstone by Windham Homes, Inc., Wheaton.
A great room with a volume ceiling and open trusswork highlights this 4,750-square-foot home priced at $585,000. The fireplace is faced with stacked fieldstone from floor to ceiling with large windows following its contours. A natural cherry entertainment center is built into the wall. A rear staircase joins a hearth room off the kitchen downstairs and a den upstairs.
– The Chancellor by Andreacchi Construction, St. Charles.
Priced at $440,000, this four-bedroom, 3,500-square-foot home has a two-story foyer, a two-story family room, den, formal living and dining rooms, and a master suite with oversized master bath and a sitting room with sloped ceiling. The family room is open to the dinette and kitchen with work island. – Fairway Fantasy by Joe Keim Builders Inc., Wheaton.
A two-story foyer has a flared custom-built stairway leading up to four bedrooms. The first floor includes formal living and dining rooms, kitchen, dinette, study, laundry room and family room with vaulted ceiling and a floor- to-ceiling custom masonry fireplace. The master suite with recessed lights is next to a master bath with a picture window overlooking the golf course. This 3,627-square-foot home is priced at $489,900.
– The Federalist by Signature, a division of Wil-Freds Developments Inc., Aurora.
With four bedrooms and four full baths, this 3,490-square-foot home is priced at $460,000 and has nine-foot ceilings throughout. There are fireplaces in the formal living room and family room, which also has a built-in wet bar. A sun room extends from the dinette at the rear. The master bedroom has a tray ceiling and the master bath has a cathedral ceiling.
– The ParkShore by Ashley Custom Homes Inc., St. Charles.
A grand entry introduces this four-bedroom, four-bath home, priced at $549,000. Ten-foot ceilings, detailed moldings and a three-story circular staircase are among the special features that also include an octagonal dinette, oak library and theater room. The octagonal master bath is surrounded by windows and has a circular tub deck, domed ceiling with four columns and a refreshment center with built-in refrigerator, wet bar and television.
– The St. Gregory by Havlicek Builders Inc., Geneva.
This 3,925-square-foot home has four bedrooms, three baths and such traditional features as heavy crown molding, hardwood floors, columns, two staircases and a two-story entry foyer. There is a marble fireplace in the formal living room and a brick fireplace in the two-story family room. It is priced at $489,000.
– The Courtney by Jeff Keim Builders Inc., Wheaton.
Skylights and a vaulted ceiling highlight the family room with fireplace and wet bar in this four-bedroom, three-bath home. The oak kitchen has a work island/eating bar, planning desk and pantry. A laundry, study, formal living room and dining room with tray ceiling complete the first floor. The master suite has a sitting room with built-in bookshelves and a cathedral ceiling. The price is $427,000.
– Brentwood Manor by Keim Corp., Wheaton.
The first floor of this 3,040-square-foot home has a family room with cathedral ceiling, fireplace and oversized bay windows as well as a study with glass French doors, oak wainscoting, wood floors and crown molding. The second floor has a gallery sitting area with custom window treatments and cathedral ceiling that separates the master suite and three secondary bedrooms. It is priced at approximately $360,000.
– Country Club Classic by Joe Keim Builders Inc., Wheaton.
A two-story foyer with a custom-built front staircase introduces this four-bedroom home, which also has a rear staircase leading from the family room to the second floor. The master bedroom suite has recessed lights, walk- in closet and master bath with sloped ceiling and skylight. Sliding glass doors in the family room lead to a large custom deck. It is priced at approximately $360,000.
