Explore an 'Entertainer's Dream House' this weekend in Naperville
For home improvement aficionados, it might be hard to pick a favorite from the wealth of features of a new dwelling in Naperville.
Among the attributes are a floor-to-ceiling, backlit fireplace in the great room, a 1,500-gallon aquarium, and an east-facing prayer room for quiet reflection.
People have been able to pick their favorite quality of the "Entertainer's Dream House" during a series of open houses. The final viewings are scheduled for 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the 8S025 Brenwood Drive home.
The 10,600-square-foot residence was designed and built over three years by Wilmette-based Orren Pickell Building Group in collaboration with Michelle's Interiors.
The house is not for sale.
But Dan O'Connell, a spokesman for Orren Pickell, says the open houses are an opportunity to tour a luxury contemporary home.
"I think a lot of people are curious about what a custom-built house would look like, how it's tailored to a person's particular needs," O'Connell said.
He said the property is a prime example of a home built to meet the owners' needs.
"It was designed with this family's interest in entertaining family and friends in mind," O'Connell said. "A person couldn't get this house if it were built for a speculative sale."
Designed for a 40-something couple and their two elementary school-age children, the house includes a lower-level living room and a game area. There also is a full-length shuffleboard table, home theater, golf simulator, four-panel television monitor, kitchenette and bar, and a wine room with humidor.
Through sliding glass doors, the lower level opens onto a multilevel patio with a 16-by-34-foot outdoor pool and pool bath, its own bathroom and shower, three pergolas, an elevated deck, and an outdoor kitchen.
In addition, there is a view of a pond toward the rear of the 2.3-acre property.
"It's one of the more unique projects I've worked on," said Tom Hackett, who works in new home construction sales for Orren Pickell.
The white stucco and limestone home has Italian porcelain flooring, whole-house lighting, and stereo and security systems.
"This is on the larger size in space and in regard to cost, as well. I would put it in the top 10% for both," said Lisa Pickell, president of Orren Pickell, which does custom projects for residential clients in Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan.
The owners of the Naperville home, who preferred to remain anonymous, said they value entertaining relatives on both sides of their family and their children's friends.
"It's just everything I've wanted in a house," the woman of the house said. "We finally have our dream home."