On the 900 block of Ashland in River Forest, a new phenomenon in local home building is rising. Building on the traditions of historic estate homes and falling squarely into the modern category in terms of amenities and details, 924 Ashland Ave. recently hit the market.
When a developer purchased and demolished the Mars Mansion in 2015, locals weren’t sure what to expect for the property in the heart of one of River Forest’s most established neighborhoods of mansions. The large lot size presented ample opportunity for two newly constructed houses, and 924 Ashland Ave. is the first to hit the market.
Utilizing a comprehensive building process, the project was the result of collaboration between an architect, contractor, master carpenter and a designer for both the interior and exterior of the property. Working in sync from the first day of the project, they sought to create a home that fit into the neighborhood and promises to become the estate home of the future.
Realtor Jim Blaha of United Realty, who is listing the home for $3,685,000 says the home offers the size, classic details and modern amenities that attracts home buyers in this price range.
Estate size
One notable hallmark of an estate home is undoubtedly size. With gross square footage of 9,725 and a finished square footage of 8,291, this house is certainly spacious. Along with overall size, a home of this nature also comes equipped with more space for day-to-day family life.
A four car, temperature-controlled garage houses family vehicles in comfort. A first floor mudroom includes storage for the entire family and guests, as well as laundry facilities to augment the full laundry room on the second floor of the home.
A full, finished basement level offers an entire floor of living space that is indistinguishable from the upper floors with walkout access to a patio, 10-foot ceilings, and separate rooms for media, exercise and entertaining. One of the home’s four fireplaces, and a limestone-topped, built-in bar and temperature controlled wine room make this a hangout room for the adults.
Another estate-sized bonus? The master bedroom closet. Blaha calls this room the “crying room” because everyone who sees it cries with envy. With built-in cabinetry and its own island, the room is roughly the size of another bedroom. The master suite is also up-sized with a sitting room that overlooks the yard and a master bathroom with steam shower with European body sprays, a stand-alone soaking tub and two vanities.
Blaha remarks that the home has classic design details that high-end homeowners continue to seek out. At the front of the house, flanking the entry foyer, is a formal dining room with built-in cabinetry for entertaining and a formal living room with a stone fireplace.
A private office creates an ideal work-at-home space that echoes the traditional wood-paneled executive offices of a century old mansion.
“The entire room was hand-crafted,” Blaha said. “A master carpenter worked in there for four to five months, crafting everything by hand.”
Quarter-sawn oak floors and Quartzite counters that resemble marble pay homage to traditional building materials. On the exterior, the English-style brick and stone exterior harmonizes with the historic homes in the neighborhood, and the slate roof and turret evoke an earlier era of home building.
“Tiny details and little touches like people had in their grand homes in the 1920s and 1930s, are things buyers still love in homes today,” Blaha said.
Modern amenities
While traditional details lend gravitas to a newly constructed home, one of the perks of buying new is the contemporary systems and amenities that either don’t exist or are very expensive to retrofit in an older house.
With five bedroom suites on the second floor, each with its own private bath and walk-in closet, 924 Ashland Ave. offers the space and plumbing that older homes lack.
The front of the house has a traditional floor plan, but the rear of the house offers an open floor plan with a large kitchen that opens to a family room and breakfast room overlooking the back yard.
The professional kitchen is kitted out with space and appliances that homeowners could not even dream of 100 years ago. A 60-inch Wolf range and 30-inch Sub Zero refrigerator and freezer columns are integrated into the custom cabinetry and create a room that easily accommodates family meals or large-scale entertaining.
The smart house is wired for security, sound and easy control via iPads. Modern amenities are translated to comfort with a whole-home generator, heated floors in the basement and master bathroom, zoned high-efficiency heating and cooling, five sump pumps and 400-amp electrical service.
In marketing a home of this size, with so many technical points, Blaha found it made sense to create a website for easy access, and photos of every room and complete technical specifications are available at www.924ashland.com.
According to Blaha, 924 Ashland Ave. is the on the cutting edge of a practice in River Forest that has long been popular in other suburbs.
“It might seem unusual to build a spec home in this price range, but we believe there is a demand for high-end, custom homes here because people are doing it themselves already,” Blaha said.
He points out that it can take a homeowner two or more years to build a custom, high-end home on their own and says this kind of project is hard to replicate from a replacement-cost standpoint for an individual home owner.
“You need to find a prime location, a large lot and then someone to do the magnificent construction with first quality materials all the way through,” Blaha said. “If you go to Hinsdale, Winnetka or Kenilworth, you can find several of these new construction homes if you are in the market. We believe River Forest supports that, too.”
Blaha is also preparing to market the home next door, 926 Ashland Ave., which will be completed in a few months. The same team developed that house, with a completely different floor plan and a cut limestone exterior, which will also be priced at just under $4 million.
For him, these homes offers a move-in ready, high-end house with none of the headaches of remodeling.
“I’ve been doing this 25 years, and there’s always something you want to change in a home,” Blaha said. “In these two houses, there is nothing I would change. It’s that well thought out. If you’re selling a house for just under $4 million, then everything people wish for has to be there.”