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Family returns to father’s former farmland at Thousand Oaks in Spring Grove

Tuesday, June 16, 2009 / KLM Builders Inc.

Little did Maxine Guli and her husband Joe realize that when they chose Thousand Oaks in Spring Grove as the site of their next home, they would be walking in her father’s footsteps—quite literally.

Joe, a local Realtor, and Maxine, an interior designer, had outgrown their older, 1,800-square-foot Victorian home in Richmond that they had purchased and rehabbed seven years ago. Although three of their five children—ranging in age from 14 to 31—had moved out, mom and dad found themselves lacking ample space to host and entertain whenever their brood would return home with spouses and significant others. Adding to Joe and Maxine’s spatial dilemma was the recent arrival of their first grandchild.

“We wanted to have a new custom home built, and we started looking around at different locations a year-and-a-half ago,” said Joe, 53, owner of Libertyville-based Keller Williams Premier Realty. “With our immediate family coming back and forth, we had up to 20 people in the house at any given time, which our home just wasn’t equipped to handle. And considering that my wife and I will be empty nesters somewhat soon, we wanted new construction with fewer stairs, which meant building a ranch.”

With his extensive knowledge of builders and communities in the northern suburbs, Joe knew he didn’t have to hunt long or far. He turned to KLM Builders Inc., “a company with a phenomenal reputation for impeccable craftsmanship, fantastic customer service and outstanding locations,” said Joe. “It was really a very simple choice. KLM Builders and owner Kim Meier stood out far and above the crowd.”

Joe and Maxine first visited KLM Builders’ newest community, Thousand Oaks, in late 2007. Aside from being impressed by the heavily wooded homesites and scenic topography, Maxine felt that the serene setting was somewhat familiar. Sure enough, after phoning her father and describing the locale, she learned that her family had run the Walter E. Winn farm adjacent to the Thousand Oaks property, which was used for pasture dating back to 1946.

“They used to bring the cattle across this terrain many, many years ago,” said Maxine, 43, whose father now lives in Spring Grove. “We thought how amazing it would be to purchase at Thousand Oaks and live on the very land where my family had worked the fields. Talk about coming full circle.”

While the Gulis were enamored with KLM Builders’ diverse array of floorplans, they opted to have a completely custom residence built on a picturesque lot, amenable to a walkout basement, that offered extra privacy and tranquility. The finished ranch would boast three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 3,400 square feet—nearly twice the space of their previous abode.

Being the owner of an interior design boutique in Richmond, Maxine was bursting with ideas that she wanted to incorporate into her future home’s layout, which she collaborated on with KLM’s architect. Together, they carefully planned the home’s interior, ensuring that openness would be maintained between key rooms like the kitchen and adjacent great room and extra privacy would be preserved by keeping the master suite and the secondary bedrooms far apart. The Gulis also chose to have the home specially wired by Digital Innovations, so that lighting and music could be conveniently controlled and home theater and computer hookups would be easy.

“Maxine also had a vision for a gourmet kitchen with black Wood-Mode cabinetry and dark-toned Palisandre oak floors,” said Joe. “At first, we all wondered if this was going to turn out to be a regrettable mistake. But her finished kitchen is the eye-catching focal point of the house.”

The family dubbed their dream home floorplan “The Cooper” (named after the Guli’s youngest son, which also happens to be Maxine’s maiden name). The builder admired the moniker and the design so much that it incorporated The Cooper into its portfolio. Now, any buyer can choose to have a Cooper ranch built at Thousand Oaks.

The Gulis moved into their Cooper in late April and can’t say enough about the finished product.

“This home has virtually everything we needed and wanted,” said Maxine. “Our great room has volume ceilings and a custom gas fireplace with a big screen television above it. The kitchen is loaded with an eight-burner chef stove, Silestone countertops, two dishwashers, an island, and stainless steel appliances. We have a formal dining room, which comes in handy for holidays and parties. And our master bath has heated floors, a very nice amenity in the colder months.”

Additionally, the Guli’s ranch features a den/office, mud room, handsome hardwood floors, a screened back porch and a walkout basement.

“We’re already planning an extensive basement finishing that will add two more bedrooms and a full bath to the home,” said Joe. “Plus, we’re going to create a knockout home theater room downstairs, put in a wet bar for entertaining and have a home fitness room, too.”

Joe credits the builder with helping his family fulfill its dreams for a dream home.

“The entire KLM Builders staff made it an unbelievable experience from beginning to end,” said Joe. “We’re really going to enjoy this home, which will probably be the last one we ever buy. Now, with all the extra room we have, we can let our family roll in without having to worry about space. So bring on the grandkids!”

Thousand Oaks is located on Winn Road with easy access to Rt. 12 (Rand Road). Shoppers can pick from more than 20 different designs, which include 2-story, ranch and first-floor master bedroom designs. All of the home sites feature plentiful, mature trees, with most sites heavily wooded, while some back up to scenic wetlands.

Every residence offers three to five bedrooms, two-and-a-half to four baths, three- to four-car garage (per plan), full basement, fireplace, vaulted and nine-foot ceilings, rear deck, oak trim and stair rails and a 10-year structural warranty. Other highlights include hardwood floors in the kitchen and breakfast areas, granite kitchen countertops, Whirlpool stainless steel appliances, Kolbe and Kolbe wood windows, Kohler plumbing fixtures, high-efficiency Trane heating and cooling systems, central vacuum, intercom music system, ceramic tile foyer and bath floors and luxury baths. A standard one-acre homesite is also included in the price of the home.

Currently, prices run from the $470,000s to the low $700,000s (all prices subject to change without notice) and sizes span from 2,300 to 3,775 square feet.

Screened porches, solariums, finished basement space and covered or uncovered outdoor living areas equipped with a fireplace are among the popular options buyers can select.

In addition, every standard design can be customized to suit a buyer’s tastes and preferences, and KLM Builders can build a completely custom home from your outside architect’s plan.

Buyers can also take advantage of Thousand Oaks’ Buy Now Build Later program now in effect. KLM Builders will take $50,000 off the base price of any to-be-built home at Thousand Oaks, provided you purchase by no later than August 31, 2009 and start construction before the end of this year for a home delivery in 2010. For more details, consult a Thousand Oaks sales professional.

Homeowners will love Thousand Oaks’ picturesque locale, conveniently located near Horse Fair Park, plentiful walking and biking paths, and the Chain O’ Lakes State Park—which offers fishing, boating, bicycling, horseback riding and numerous other outdoor activities. A new Jewel food store and Walgreen’s recently opened within two miles of the community. Children can attend highly acclaimed schools in the area such as Richmond Elementary, Nippersink Middle School and Richmond Burton Community High School.

To reach the Thousand Oaks’ sales office and tour the new Brentwood model, take Rt. 12 to Winn Road and turn north approximately two miles to the Thousand Oaks entry on the east side. Or, take I-94 north to Route 173; head west to Spring Grove and continue to Winn Road; turn left (south) one mile to the Thousand Oaks entryway on the left. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays (closed Monday and Tuesday) and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends (or by appointment). For more information, call (815) 675-0011 or visit www.klmbuildersinc.com.

Published by : Erik Martin
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