Geneva, IL – December 2, 2021
With today’s open concept floor plans providing an atmosphere of comfort and convenience, more new home buyers are opting for a fireplace as the focal point for a warm and cozy gathering spot.
“Ninety-percent of our buyers choose to add fireplaces to their homes, in part, because of the convenience of direct-vent fireplaces, which eliminate the maintenance, ashes and wood-hauling associated with wood-burning fireplaces,” said Anna Harmon, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for Shodeen Homes, a Geneva-based company celebrating 60 years in homebuilding. “With remote controls to turn the fire on and off, regulate the intensity of the flame and set the temperature, direct-vent fireplaces are easy to use. At Shodeen Homes, we offer the Heat & Glo-brand that has a large fire box for an impressive, realistic effect.”
Fireplaces, which are the centerpiece formal and informal gatherings, inspire creativity when designing the surround and mantle.
“In the past fireplaces consisted primarily of brick with wood mantles,” Harmon said. “Today’s fireplaces can be brick, stone, granite and more with built-in or floating mantles, raised or flush hearths and elaborate surrounds. The fireplace has evolved to be so much more than a place to gather for heat, it has become an artistic statement piece, particularly around the holidays when homeowners invest in lavish mantle décor.”
Shodeen Homes offers fireplace options in each of its ranch and two-story home designs at the following communities in Illinois and Wisconsin:
Norton Lake in Campton Hills
Centered around a 10-acre lake and within walking distance of Bell-Graham Elementary School, part of St. Charles School District #303, homes at Norton Lake for quick delivery range from 2,868 to 3003 square feet in size with four or five bedrooms, two to 3 ½ baths, full lookout basement and premium pond views per plan, gourmet island kitchens, wide-plank engineered wood flooring and three or four-car garage. Minutes from shopping, restaurants and transportation arteries as well as Metra train service in downtown Geneva, homes are priced from the low $500s.
Blackberry Creek and Elburn Station in Elburn
Now in its final phase, Blackberry Creek offers homes ranging from 2,051 to 2,595 with prices starting in the low-$400s. The established community features an on-site grammar school, as well as ponds, parks and miles of walking and biking trails.
Elburn Station, Shodeen’s newest 505-acre master-planned community, is centered around the Elburn Metra station and includes three distinct series of homes. Low-maintenance, Village Home, priced from the low $300s, range from 1,043 to 2,071 square feet with two or three bedrooms, basements and two-car garages. Homes in the Settlements Series, priced from the $330s, range homes from 1,556 to 2,230 square feet in size with two to four bedrooms, two or 2 ½ baths, basements and two-car garages. The Crossings Series, priced from the $380s, offers homes ranging from 2,051 to 2,674 with three or four bedrooms, two or 2 ½ baths, basements and two or three-car garages.
Both Elburn communities are served by Kaneland District #302 schools and are within minutes of shopping, restaurants and other services along Randall Road and in charming downtown Elburn.
Reston Ponds, situated in the I-88 corridor, features ponds, parks and walking trails with ranch and two-story homes priced from the low $300s. Homes range from 1,613 to 2,595 square feet with three or four bedrooms, two or 2 ½ baths, basements and two or three-car garages. Residents can walk to shops and restaurants in downtown Sycamore and children attend Sycamore School District 427 schools, with Southeast Elementary School located within Reston Ponds.
Stone Ridge in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Stone Ridge, less than one mile to downtown Lake Geneva and Geneva Lake, offers homes priced from the mid-$400s and ranging from 1,860 to 2,674 with three to five bedrooms, 2 ½ to 3 ½ baths, 9’ first-floor ceilings, full, lookout and walkout basements and 2 1/2 or three-car garages. The community is within walking distance of Geneva Lake and its 21-mile Shore Path and offers endless water sports, boat tours and beaches.
Fireplaces are more than just a warm place to gather they’ve evolved to be an artistic focal point for today’s homebuyers. To learn more about Shodeen Homes, please visit www.shodeeenhomes.com or call 630.232.8181.
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