How to judge a home's quality
Buying a home is like buying a car -- consumers should look for a reputable brad, style and design, quality components and workmanship, and good customer service.
For those trying to judge the quality of a new home, Al Bloom, president of Bloom and Fiorino, Inc., architects in Oak Brook, offers a few tips.
A home's exterior design should reflect the floor plan, meaning the exterior shell should be designed to accommodate the floor plan and not the other way around. In addition, the interior and exterior need to be proportional to each other.
"Articulation" is also important -- the design elements, such as the entry, that cut in and extend out.
A well-articulated exterior has interesting features that provide an appealing mix of light and shadow; prominence and recession.
Examples of design articulations are bay windows; chimneys; cupolas; turrets; cantilevers that project out over the first and second floor; and roof dormers. These quality design ingredients provide focal points, but also add to the price of a home.
Porches add the look of quality, as do homes with raised foundations and stately front steps.
The shape of the roof -- whether gabled, dormer, flat, or hip should be in proportion to the size of the structure that is underneath. Roofing materials also add to the quality of a home. Heavy asphalt or Fiberglas shingles are thicker and break the roof up into smaller patterns.
As for the interior, Bloom says, "There should be sense of comfort when you walk into the entry of a home."
One appealing approach is a high ceiling, two-stories and an appealing staircase.
The floor plan should be both functional and flexible. The entry should provide immediate access to public areas, such as living rooms and dining rooms.
Semipublic areas such as kitchens, breakfast rooms, dens, and family areas are deeper into the home.
Unless designed especially for wheelchair access, private first floor spaces, such as bedrooms, are generally set back into secluded areas.
According to Dan O'Malley, a partner with the architectural firm, BSB Design, Inc., headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, a well designed home has a good line of sight from the front door into the home, without too many separate compartments.
Buyers should look for a mix of formal and informal spaces, such as a family center that includes a kitchen, breakfast area, and family room. These rooms usually connect and are open to each other. The family center should have access to outdoor space, whether it's a backyard, patio, or deck.
On the other hand, living rooms, dining rooms, and dens are considered formal. Although they usually connect with each other, they usually don't connect to the informal areas.
O'Malley added that a quality interior home design should include aesthetic details, such as arches, furniture niches, alcoves, and entryway counters.
Instead of long straight-run stairs, look for staircases with extra-deep landings that have features such as an appealing window pattern and/or a window seat.
Both architectural design firms help make Wiseman-Hughes Enterprises communities successful.
The developer is a family-owned business that has been building homes in the Chicago suburbs for 50 years.
Current communities include: The Plaza on New York in Aurora; Randall Highlands in North Aurora; The Ponds of Sycamore; Devonaire Farms in DeKalb; Windett Ridge in Yorkville; and Ashcroft Place and Ashcroft Walk in Oswego. For more information, visit www.WisemanHughes.com.