Twenty-five years of loyalty

There is such a thing as sticking with someone you know.

Over the past 25 years Cindy and Bill Sanders had purchased three homes from Cambridge Homes, living in the last one in Cambridge Country in Mundelein for seven years.

So when they felt it was time to downsize to a smaller home, they naturally felt comfortable buying from Cambridge one more time.

And last fall they moved into their new home at Symphony Meadows in Volo, a community with acres of parks and open space.

Symphony Meadows features 746 total homes, across four different series, with floor plans and designs to accommodate every type of buyer. There are 24 different home styles, including 16 traditional single-family homes in the Horizon and Prairie Series, which start in the $230,000s. Attached single-family homes are featured in the Spring Valley Series, priced from the $180,000s and townhouses are offered in the Seaboard Series, starting in the $170,000s.

"We wanted to remain in the Northern suburbs and find something with a spacious yard that would have enough room for our two dogs to play in. When we were out driving one weekend, we spotted a sign for Symphony Meadows in Volo. When we discovered it was a Cambridge community, our minds were pretty much made up," Cindy recalled.

"We've pretty much come full circle with Cambridge, as our lifestyle has changed over the years," Cindy explained. "They have always had a home that fit our needs. We started in Mundelein 25 years ago with an attached single-family design, then owned two single-family homes and now we're back to an attached layout. We've always felt the quality of a Cambridge home is very good, as is the value, and we just feel comfortable with them," said Cindy.

"The only time we haven't been in a Cambridge home during the last 25 years is when we lived in Colorado for a year, and that's because Cambridge didn't build there," she added.

Since the Sanders were looking to downsize, they focused on the Spring Valley Series at Symphony Meadows, a selection of attached single-family homes built in a duplex arrangement. There are four two-story plans and one ranch design, ranging in size from 1,250 to nearly 1,800 square feet. The homes include two or three bedrooms, one to 2½ baths, spacious master suites with walk-in closets and private baths, large kitchens and two-car attached garages.

"I really liked the kitchen layout in the Marigold plan, which is the model we ended up purchasing," Cindy explained. "We opted for the country kitchen upgrade, which includes a center island, a planning desk, pantry and plenty of cabinet space. This home also had three bedrooms, which is a feature we were looking for."

The Marigold is the largest of the Spring Valley attached homes, measuring 1,798 square feet, in a flexible two-story layout. This home has a side entry, with large formal living and dining rooms flanking the entry foyer and separated by the classic stairway leading to the second floor. The eat-in kitchen is open to the family room and also is close to the laundry room, which has access to the garage.

Upstairs, there are three bedrooms, with a nook in the hallway that is perfect for a desk or sitting area. The master suite has a walk-in closet and a private full bath.

"After we looked at the attached homes at Symphony Meadows, we made our purchase decision right away. Cambridge does a nice job with everything, from the quality and layout of the homes, to the parks and planning of the neighborhood. Since we purchased so many homes from Cambridge in the past, we felt very comfortable choosing them again for our new home in Volo,"Cindy said.

The couple and their two dogs, Ozzie and Pebbles, along with their cat, Magic, moved in last fall. Their son, Jim, also lives with them and enjoys the convenience of a large bedroom that is close to the hall bath. Their third bedroom is reserved for guests. The couple is using their living room as a den area and they both enjoy the large windows that fill this space with plenty of natural light.

Bill and Cindy have also built a fence in their back yard, so their dogs can play.

Symphony Meadows is located in Volo. To visit, take I-94 to Belvidere Road (Route 120) exit, west approximately 12 miles to Gilmer Road, then left to the community entrance or take Route 12 to Route 120 east to Gilmer Road, then right to the community. There are four different sales centers with decorated models, which are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily and noon to 6 p.m. on Friday.

For more information on the Spring Valley attached homes, call (847) 984-4938; for the Seaboard town homes, call (847) 984-4936. Call (847) 984-4935 for information on the Horizon single-family homes and for Prairie single-family homes, call (847) 984-4934 or visit www.mycambridgehome.com.

Cambridge Homes is owned by D.R. Horton, Inc., a NYSE-traded company. Based in Libertyville, Cambridge is currently building 30 communities in the Chicago area including three active adult communities.