Homebuyers' preferences have evolved in recent decades

Home construction has evolved over the years, according to Patrick Curran, president of West Point Builders and Developers in Hinsdale.

The homes he builds today bear little resemblance to the homes his father built in the late 1950s and '60s in places like Park Ridge, Skokie and Tinley Park.

While it is true that construction materials and techniques have changed somewhat over the years, the biggest changes have been in people's personal tastes, according to Curran.

West Point does follow-up interviews with its customers to find out what it did well and what the builder could improve upon, and then the company incorporates those comments and suggestions in subsequent projects.

For instance, after a very successful townhouse project in Plainfield with detached garages, West Point interviewed homeowners before building a similar product in Tinley Park.

The builder discovered that people would have liked more outdoor private space where they could barbecue and relax. So West Point added a few more feet to the area between the townhouses and their garages and developed a private garden concept that has been very popular at several projects.

Through these types of interviews, West Point also discovered that its customers wanted to live in places with more traditional neighborhood designs instead of subdivision-style setups. So West Point developed a zero-lot-line product with garages behind the homes and added lavish front porches to the homes to facilitate interaction between neighbors.

Both the private garden and the front porch ideas are currently offered at the firm's West Point Gardens community in Elgin.

Describe your dream home:

"I would stay in the Chicago area to be near family and I would build a single-family home like our Saybrook or Templeton models with the private garden and the big front porch."

What is your favorite home amenity:

An outdoor fire pit. "I like looking out at a fire outside the door."

Describe your philosophy:

"We build homes for people, so we look at every house and every neighborhood we build with an eye toward whether or not this is what we would want if it were our family that was moving in.

"People appreciate the fact that we listen to them. We sit down with them and ask them what they are looking for and once we have a sense of what they want, we make adjustments accordingly. We have gotten a lot of good ideas from our customers."

Builder background:

Curran, 45, started working for West Point Builders when he was a child, sweeping out new homes and cleaning crawl spaces.

After graduating from Loyola University in Chicago with a degree in business and accounting, he went to work for Waste Management's Indiana component, Republic Waste, because his father did not believe in children going into the family business without working for someone else first. The Oak Lawn resident finally joined the family firm in the mid-1990s.

Builder profile:

In an average year, West Point Builders builds between 70 and 120 homes, but in 2008 it has built about 30 homes. The firm has 11 full-time staff members and, as president, Curran oversees both construction and sales and marketing.

West Point Builders currently has the 173-acre West Point Gardens community in Elgin under construction, as well as two custom homes in LaGrange and Glen Ellyn. West Point Gardens, which occupies the former Meier farm, features 128 townhouses, 110 classic single-family homes and 232 zero-lot-line single-family homes with detached garages.

The townhouses range in price from the low $200,000s to the upper $200,000s. The three different single-family products range from the upper $200,000s to $500,000. And West Point's custom homes usually range from $1 to $3 million.

Buyer profile:

Since West Point's product line is so diverse, so are its buyers. The single-family homes, according to Curran, generally appeal to young families and empty-nesters who are downsizing from large homes with lots of yard work. The townhouses, on the other hand, appeal to single professionals and newlyweds.

What is the best part of being a builder:

"I love dealing with my customers. I am on site a lot of days so I am very hands-on. I love interacting with people, hearing from them and getting their feedback once they are living in their new home.

"And when they are happy, I am happy because I know that I did something good."

What are the biggest changes you've seen in the business:

Home styles and preferences have gradually evolved over the years but "the process really hasn't changed."

"The same attention to detail is needed to ensure that we are delivering a quality product. So I am still walking the job on almost a daily basis. And many of our trade partners (subcontractors) have been with us for years. Our emphasis continues to be getting the job done properly at the best price."

"I guess the only big change is our competition. There are so many national builders in the Chicago market now. As a local, family-owned business, we continue to rely heavily on word-of-mouth for our advertising and new customers."

What are your future plans:

"We will continue with our game plan in the future. "We will build only one or two communities at a time, each featuring a variety of different products.

"We never want to build square boxes on a lot. We always aim to offer different features than other builders - features that add value to people's lives."