`We looked at ranches for over a year, all over the Chicago area,” says Carla Priban of Woodridge. “Finally, we found a ranch that didn’t look like a ranch. It’s not compact like the ’70s ranches; it’s got an open feeling and lots of windows.”
The home of Priban’s dreams, now under construction, is in North Aurora’s new Waterford Oaks, developed by Waterford Homes in LaFox. Priban and her husband liked the Dogwood model so much, they chose several of the featured upgrades–a fireplace with ceramic-tile surround, nine-foot ceilings, a kitchen bay with French doors leading to the backyard and an extra four feet of storage area at the front of the garage.
Although Waterford Oaks’ buyers are from all over the Chicago area, the common thread is their attraction to the Fox Valley, says Waterford Oaks’ sales associate Steve Radsek. “Here, they can be close to the office, but far enough into the country to enjoy the Fox Valley recreational amenities including boating, fishing and bicycling,” he says.
While the location and aesthetics attract buyers including the Pribans, it is the construction that clinches the deal, says Radsek. Bucking the pre-fab trend, the Waterford Oaks homes are framed on-site, sans factory-built panels. The housewrap insulation, often a premium charge for homes in this $156,990 to $184,490 price range, is standard at Waterford Oaks.
“Building the homes on-site instead of using pre-fabricated walls allows us to custom-build according to the customers’ specifications,” says Bob Nelson, of Geneva, who co-owns Waterford Homes with Dave Nebel of Batavia. “The model floor plans serve as general guidelines; the buyers can modify them to personalize the designs.”
Nelson says many buyers prefer Waterford Homes because the company and its subcontractors are local. Fox Valley residents recognize him as the builder of three recent developments in Batavia–Tanglewood Estates single-family homes, Deerpath Crossing townhouses and Waterford at the Fox townhouses.
Situated on curvy lanes that link four cul-de-sacs, the 108 single-family home sites at Waterford Oaks are bordered by the development’s town homes (nearly sold out) to the west, the soon-to-be Gary D. Jewel Middle School and a small park to the north, and other subdivisions to the east and south.
The home sites range from a quarter to slightly less than one-half acre. Although the interiors of the models are contemporary, the exteriors are traditional, with vinyl siding, aluminum soffits and fascia, and optional partial-brick fronts.
In addition to the Dogwood ranch model, Waterford Oaks features two two-story models–the best-selling Birch and the slightly larger Cypress. Three more traditional floor plans, with three to four bedrooms each, are not shown as models but are available at the sales office.
All models include attached two-car garages; basements; first-floor laundry rooms; asphalt roofs; coated-wire closet shelving; and Thermopane windows with deep windowsills. A few sites could accommodate walkout or lookout basements. Prices include sodded front yards and seeded side and back yards.
The standard interior trim is stained, composite wood. Pine or oak trim, painted or stained, costs extra. Ditto for pine, six-panel interior doors, which are upgrades from the standard, flush, composite-wood doors. Standard flooring is vinyl (kitchens and bathrooms) and carpeting, although Radsek says half of the buyers add wood or ceramic floors. Stairways include half-walls; oak rails are upgrades.
Popular upgrades for all models include air conditioning, skylights and woodburning fireplaces.
At the heart of each model is an open kitchen with a gas range and stainless-steel sink. Standard kitchen cabinets are oak, flush-door. Countertops are laminate.
Standard bathrooms feature one-piece, fiberglass tub surrounds and tub/shower combinations. Upgrades include oversized tubs and ceramic-tile tub surrounds.
The two- to three-bedroom, two-bathroom Dogwood ranch is selling to empty-nesters and parents of toddlers who do not want upstairs bedrooms. The model’s 1,629 square feet is deceiving; varied roof angles, volume ceilings and an open floor plan make the home appear larger.
Work-at-home buyers like the Dogwood’s optional den/office, which opens to the foyer through French doors. (The standard design calls for a third bedroom here.) The large, central living room opens to an adjacent dining room. The open, finished staircase from the family room to the basement is included. At the rear of the house is the kitchen, where many buyers choose the optional, 12-foot cabinetry that serves as a built-in sideboard.
Without the office option, the Dogwood has three bedrooms, including a generous master bedroom/bathroom with a walk-in closet.
The three-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath Birch model is popular among young families, many of whom are first-time home buyers. “Buyers call it the party house because it’s great for casual entertaining,” says Radsek. The kitchen at the back of the 1,685-square-foot house opens to a living room (standard) or to an optional hearth room, which can be added to the back of the optional three-car garage. The cathedral ceiling in the family room is standard.
The 1,730-square-foot, three-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath Cypress is popular among growing families who need more space than the Birch offers. A U-shaped staircase at the center of the house creates a bridge overlooking the living room in the front and family room at the back. Many buyers are using the dining room, located off the family room, as a playroom until their children are older.
The Cypress’ triangular upstairs hall is large enough to accommodate a computer station. Cypress buyers can pay extra to add a fourth bedroom over the dining room, which eliminates the dining room’s cathedral ceiling.
The Cypress’ multi-angled ceilings and plant ledges add character to this home, where many buyers prefer the less-expensive stairway half-wall to rails because of the contemporary look.
Waterford Oaks is near the Fox Valley Center, dozens of restaurants, the Fox River Trail and several forest preserves. It is within the Fox Valley Park District, which includes public golf courses in Aurora and Oswego, a nature center in North Aurora and a public swimming pool at the Phillips Park Aquatic Center in Aurora.
Commuters are a mile away from Interstate Highway 88 and midway between the Geneva and Aurora commuter train stations.
Waterford Oaks is within the West Aurora School District 129. Children are bused to the Goodwin Elementary School, Washington Middle School and West Aurora High School. The new middle school is scheduled to open in the fall. The subdivision is within the Waubonsee Community College District and the Messenger Public Library of North Aurora district.
Real estate taxes for a $170,000 home in this subdivision run about $3,900 a year.
The Waterford Oaks models are located on Oak Street, a mile west of Randall Road in North Aurora. They are open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. For more information, call 630-907-0393.
