Finnerty House undergoes major remodel

It's really a gift to the neighborhood.

The Finnerty house at the corner of Park Street and Evergreen Avenue that saw such tragedy a year ago is being remodeled beyond recognition.

The Arlington Heights home was badly damaged when a depressed Kevin Finnerty started a fire that killed himself, his wife, Patricia, and their 11-year-old son, Garrett, nearly one year ago.

No one, including the neighbors, wanted the house to look like it used to because it would stir up sad memories and make it more challenging to sell. The insurance company would only pay to restore it to its previous condition, but the family decided it was in everyone's best interest to do more than that.

"Everyone has done so much for us, We owe it to give them something nice back," said Jennifer Murphy-Cazares, Patricia's sister. She and her husband, Jerry Cazares, are now the guardians of the Finnertys' two surviving children.

The exterior should be finished in a month, David Buenzow of KDH Builders, said this week, but the completely rebuilt interior will take a few months longer. He and Jean Reibel, the Mount Prospect architect working on the project, would like it to be sold in time for the buyers to select interior colors and finishes.

The house will still be a two-story colonial style so treasured in the suburbs. But to remove reminders of the past, the brick that Kevin Finnerty painted white will be sandblasted to its natural pink-brown color, said Reibel. The iconic white picket fence also will go.

Dormers have been added to the second floor, and the new front porch with columns will wrap around to the side and provide easy access to a flagstone patio.

"We want lots of curb appeal. The exterior is more important to me than the interior," Murphy-Cazares said.

The home, built soon after World War II, is about 1,500 square feet, with 380 square feet being added in the reconstruction. The three-bedroom, 21/2-bath house has a basement that will feature a new family room. The large two-car garage will remain.

The first floor will be an open style with a counter separating the kitchen from the enlarged living room and the dining area, which includes a new section on the west side of the house. An enlarged master suite has been added above that part of the house.

"We changed the layout so no one feels spooky about what happened," Reibel said. "We gutted the whole house, and as far as I'm concerned it's a new house."

Materials and labor worth as much as $150,000 have been donated or given at a greatly discounted price, said Buenzow, who doesn't mind working with skilled volunteers.

"A lot of these people are people I know who wanted to help out," he said. "Others contacted Jennifer."

A sign thanking donors will be posted soon.

The house will go on the market, with any proceeds above the mortgage and remodeling expenses benefiting the Finnerty children.

Neither Murphy-Cazares, Buenzow or Reibel could guess what the asking price would be in this fluctuating market.

"It's a very desirable location," said Reibel. "It's close to downtown, to schools and near a main intersection but far enough so it's not noisy."

"The neighbors really wanted something to happen here. Everyone wants a new start for this house and property; new life and a new family - a phoenix can rise out of the ashes. We want to make something positive to come out of something that was really tragic."