Buyers of custom homes shift their priorities

The definition of "luxury custom homes" has changed appreciably over the last decade. During the 1980s, '90s and early 2000s, bigger was considered to be better. Homebuyers wanted lots of square footage, volume ceilings in their foyers, family rooms and elsewhere - and they wanted luxurious appointments throughout.

Post-recession buyers want something different, according to builders.

"Today's buyers don't want to skimp on the size of their home, but they also don't want to waste space on soaring, opulent ceilings," said Richard Bridges, sales manager for David Weekley Homes' Chicago division. "They are more interested in understated elegance, so we are putting 10-foot ceilings throughout on our first floors."

"They also want lots of modern technology and efficiency like pre-wiring and whole-house thermostat controls," he continued. "Hard surface flooring throughout the first floor is also important. Buyers are using more exotic hardwoods. In addition, marble is coming back.

"Many of the custom buyers are moving out to the suburbs from the city, so they are looking for homes with a blend of contemporary and urban design elements - lots of clean lines. Others want the more traditional craftsmanship with wainscoting, panel moldings, wide base trim (7.25 inches), taller first-floor doors with large headers and even niches for the display of artwork," Bridges said.

K. Hovnanian Homes is experiencing strong demand for its luxury homes, said Andy Konovodoff, president of the builder's Chicago division.

"For us, those luxury homes are created when a buyer takes a plan from our portfolio and makes major structural changes. But they are smaller than in the past - somewhere in the 3,000 to 3,600 square foot range instead of over 4,000 square feet.

"Custom buyers in high-end communities with boutique addresses also ask for a much higher level of specifications when it comes to cabinets, trim and so forth," he said.

At least some of the flooring on the first floor in a K. Hovnanian custom home is generally made of granite or marble and there are cabinets everywhere, Konovodoff said. They also feature higher level plumbing and light fixtures and ceilings that are 9 or 10 feet tall with proportionately appropriate baseboards and crown molding.

"We even include transom windows above the interior doors and all of the windows are literally wrapped in trim," he continued.

"These buyers don't spare any expenses. They want big, well-appointed kitchens with stainless steel appliances and all-granite backsplashes. They also want the kitchen area to be large enough for it to function as a meeting space," Konovodoff said.

"In addition, they want flexible spaces that can serve a variety of needs, particularly when entertaining. Lately I have even met a number of customers who have stressed they still want and need a separate dining room and prefer to also have a formal living room, which surprised me," he said.

Shodeen Homes is also increasingly moving toward offering substantial customization of its portfolio plans instead of building totally custom homes with entirely new architectural plans, said Anna Harmon, director of marketing and public relations for Shodeen. "We only have four lots in Mill Creek in Geneva that are available for totally custom homes, as well as one in downtown Geneva."

Whether they are customizing a Shodeen plan or building a totally custom home, Harmon said she has noticed these high-end buyers are heavily focused on kitchens and baths and that more and more middle-age and older buyers are asking for custom ranch homes.

"All of our high-end buyers seem to want to design the kitchen to make it the focal point of the home and they want it to be a very smart, functional space," she said. "Custom cabinets in unusual finishes like light or dark gray and even sage green are becoming popular and there is a big push for high-end lighting. Many buyers are now bringing in ideas they have seen on Pinterest or Houzz and asking our designers to replicate those ideas, too."

Wide-planked floors, particularly with a gray wash, are also gaining favor, as are vent-less, horizontal fireplaces featuring glass beads instead of wood. And when it comes to trim, Harmon said she is not seeing as much call for heavy crown molding, but buyers are still asking for wainscoting (particularly on staircases) and substantial baseboards.

Harmon has also taken note of buyers' inclination toward luxury homes in the 3,000- to 3,500-square-foot range instead of in the 4,500- to 6,000-square-foot range as was seen before.

"But they want very open floor plans and there is also not as much call for two-story foyers because buyers want to be more green and save energy," she added.

David Weekley Homes is primarily building custom, luxury homes on scattered sites "in blue chip communities where there is lots of demand," said Bridges. "They must have great schools and that correlates to districts that rate rankings of 9 or 10 and they must be situated along corridors of transportation."

So David Weekley Homes is now building custom homes all around the North Shore as well as in Arlington Heights, Palatine, Elmhurst, Glen Ellyn, LaGrange, Wheaton, Hinsdale and Barrington. It has finished homes available in Palatine for $849,900, Northbrook for $1.25 million and two in La Grange for between $930,000 and $1 million.

Additional custom homes will be available soon in Hinsdale, Deerfield, Downers Grove, Barrington and Arlington Heights.

K. Hovnanian Homes, on the other hand, is building luxury homes in four communities: Sauganash (within Chicago's far Northwest Side), Wheaton's Northridge Estates, Arlington Heights' Christina Court and Naperville's Heatherfield. All start in the $600,000s and $700,000s, but options can be added for an extra cost.

Finally, Shodeen Homes is building entirely custom homes with base prices ranging from $480,000 to $850,000 on one lot in downtown Geneva or in Geneva's Mill Creek community.

Heavily customized portfolio homes are available at Blackberry Creek in Elburn, Norton Lake in Campton Hills and at Heritage Hill Estates in Maple Park. Their base prices (before customization) range from $350,000 to $500,000.