DOWNTOWN AND DIRTY
Urban families seek a harder-to-find feature to minimize messes: a mudroom
In the ever-popular open floor plan, gone are the walls that separate dining room and kitchen, living room and den. But not every homebuyer wants a big, empty space — one that looks messy with an out-of-place briefcase or a kids’ stray toy. According to real estate website Zillow, for the 59 percent of homeowners planning a spring 2014 remodel, adding mudroom features such as cabinets, lockers or a storage bench is a top renovation project. To corral the clutter in a more permanent fashion, smart builders and rehabbers are offering built-in mudrooms to throw keys, backpacks, strollers and garden equipment — and they’re watching these homes fly off the market.
“Even though families live less formally than they used to, at the end of the day buyers appreciate certain formal areas, including a great sense of entry and a mudroom in the back of the house,” says PLD Custom Home Builders principal Sabina Szura. Armed with that knowledge, PLD developed a coveted single-family model with a mudroom and closet plus a grade-level back entrance (easily traversable for wee ones or after big grocery trips). Find these features in the 4,200-square-foot, fivebedroom 1503 W. Wellington, listed for $1.599 million. (Call Szura at 312-7199991.) Located in the Burley School district, it also boasts a first-floor family room and radiant-heated basement rec space accessible near the mudroom — turning the back of the house into a kid-friendly haven.
Another nearby option is the luxe, oversized sixbedroom at 3628 N. Lakewood, recently marketed for $3.1 million. (Call Coldwell Banker broker Jennifer Ames at 312-440-7525.) Entryways include ample storage: The front features tile floors, a chandelier and stepped ceilings for a graceful entrance, while the back opens up into a charming — yet kid-proof — mudroom. “When kids come home from school, it ’s a place to put backpacks and snow boots,” says Ames, who frequently markets homes with mudrooms. “It’s something families really care about.”