Gold & Silver Key Awards

Patrick A Finn has won 2 Gold Key Awards and 1 Silver Key Award for homes in Arlington Heights and a Silver Key Award for a kitchen in Mount Prospect. 

Patrick A. Finn wins Gold Key Award for Arlington Heights Home

Chicagoland Real Estate Forum congratulates Patrick A. Finn, LTD., for winning a Gold Key Award in the category of “Excellence in Remodeling: Whole House $200,001 – 500,000 per unit” for a residence at 1016 N. Highland Ave. in Arlington Heights.

Starting with an original Tudor-style home from the 1920s, it was of great importance to the owner that the character and charm of the original home be maintained throughout the remodel and new addition. Consistency in the details between the old and new parts of the home was crucial and carried out through the trim profiles, doors, custom arches and floor finishes.

The new rooms that were added included the kitchen, butler’s pantry, powder room and master suite, which all incorporated detailing consistent with the period of the original portions of the home.

The biggest design challenge faced was incorporating the exterior of the new addition into the existing Tudor style of the existing home so that it did not look like an out-of-place addition when the job was completed. Just as the consistency of detailing was important on the inside, it was equally if not more important that the exterior details were consistent throughout the house and new addition. This was accomplished by matching the stucco to the color and texture of the original, recycling as much of the salvaged brick as possible and blending it in with new brick as needed.

Using similar stone accents, matching the original window details with similar grill patterns and designing a new back entry that complimented the arched front entry helped to carry the smaller details into the addition. W4e added a new front stoop, the design of which came from a photo the owners have of the house taken in the 1920s. The new stoop matches the photo exactly, much to the owner’s delight.

Prior to construction, the owner and his neighbor had purchased the lot shared between their two properties in order to subdivide it and incorporate it into their individual lots creating large side yards and garage areas. This initial process took well over two years to complete, but in the end allowed for a much more appealing setting for the house.

Overall, this project aimed to create new custom spaces for the owner to enjoy while maintaining the original character and style of the 1920′s home.

The Home Builders Association of Greater Chicago Key Awards were created in 1972 to recognize excellence in housing design, architecture, interior merchandising, remodeling and landscaping. It has since evolved into one of the premier housing programs in the country.

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Silver Key Award (Kitchen)
Golden Key Award
Silver Key Award

Patrick A. Finn wins Silver Key Award for Mount Prospect Kitchen

Chicagoland Real Estate Forum congratulates Patrick A. Finn, LTD., for winning a Silver Key Award in the category of “Excellence in Remodeling: Kitchens Under $75,000 per unit” for a kitchen remodel at 208 N. Stratton in Mount Prospect.

The original kitchen was confined to a small space, which resulted in a poor design, lack of storage and under-utilized space. To overcome this problem, the kitchen was opened up to both the dining room and living room, creating a much larger combined space. By removing the soffits, the custom cabinets could extend to the ceiling, creating additional storage space without adding square footage to the kitchen.

A breakfast bar was created between the kitchen and living room to visually connect the two spaces while still defining the kitchen. The dining room and kitchen were integrated by continuing the cabinetry into the dining room with a custom-designed pantry and hutch, which features a glass tile backsplash that matches the kitchen and glass-fronted door and glass shelves for displaying ornamental china and glassware.

The owners are a couple in their early 60s with a teenage son, and they have said that the new design and layout “has changed the way that they live their lives, for the better.” Overall, by opening up the kitchen and creating additional storage, this kitchen became a more functional and integrated part of the home.

The Home Builders Association of Greater Chicago Key Awards were created in 1972 to recognize excellence in housing design, architecture, interior merchandising, remodeling and landscaping. It has since evolved into one of the premier housing programs in the country.

Patrick A. Finn Wins Gold Key Award for Arlington Heights Home

Chicagoland Real Estate Forum congratulates Patrick A. Finn, LTD., for winning a Gold Key Award in the category of “Excellence in New Construction: Custom Home Under 3,500 sq. ft.” for a home at 925 N. Illinois in Arlington Heights.

We were first approached by the client eight years ago to build a new home. The timing was not right for them, so the project was postponed. They contacted us again two-and-a-half years ago to look into remodeling their existing home or building a new home on the same lot. It was quickly decided that their design needs could not be realized by remodeling their existing home. So began the design process for creating a new home to sit on that site that met all their needs.

The client is a professional couple in the mid 40s with no children. The design of the house took into consideration for the future and being able to age in place in the home, with wider hallways, wider doorways and safety grab in the bathrooms. Provisions were made for a future elevator so minimal remodeling work would need to be done in the future to be able to add this feature that would run from the basement up to the second floor, allowing mobility throughout the house. This was a main aspect of the custom home, as it fits the client’s exact desires.

As part of the custom design and build process, we also incorporated an ample amount of purpose designed built-ins to give the new home the look and feel of an older home with characteristics of the craftsman tradition. A lot of the original ideas were brought to us by the owners themselves. They had collected magazine articles and photographs over the year and put together a binder of ideas. From these photos and the client’s input, our in-house interior designer created drawings for the owners to visualize their ideas for their home, prior to construction.

The interior trim was much more complex than a typical home of this time, and for the exterior, real cedar was used to keep it as authentic to the older style of the home. The custom detailing does not stop with the design. The house has a dual heating system, with full in-floor radiant heating throughout the entire house, as well as a forced air back-up. This allows a more efficient use of energy resources when heating and cooling the home. The owners love their new home and tell everyone they meet that they cannot wait to show it off to the whole neighborhood.

The Home Builders Association of Greater Chicago Key Awards were created in 1972 to recognize excellence in housing design, architecture, interior merchandising, remodeling and landscaping. It has since evolved into one of the premier housing programs in the country.

Patrick A. Finn wins Silver Key Award for Arlington Heights Home

Chicagoland Real Estate Forum congratulates Patrick A. Finn, LTD., for winning a Silver Key Award in the category of “Excellence in New Construction: Custom Home Under 3,500 sq. ft.” for a home at 117 S. Evergreen Ave. in Arlington Heights.

The clients approached us two-and-a-half years ago to assist them in finding the right property on which to build a new home. After looking at several properties, the lot was chosen in downtown Arlington Heights. Because we do most of our work in Arlington Heights, we were able to assist the client in acquiring the lot at a reduced cost, which they were then able to put back into the home they were going to build.

The clients are empty nesters in their late 70s, who spend most of their winters in Arizona, so this home is meant to be their retirement home in this area and was designed for them to age in place. The home is just over 2,000 square feet and by far the smallest home on the block, being surrounded by multifamily homes; however, by maintaining a traditional style, it fits well into the eclectic residential architecture of downtown Arlington Heights.

Despite its smaller size, it fulfills the needs of the client perfectly. The majority of the house functions on the first floor, with only two guest rooms and a guest bathroom on the second floor. Collecting all the necessary functions on the first floor, allows the clients desire to age in place to be met without incorporating an elevator in the design.

The first floor has a nice-sized family room, with a solarium that takes advantage of the morning and afternoon sun and a master suite. While the rooms are not as large as some new homes today, they are a perfect size for this couple and with the careful placement of some taller windows in both the bedroom and bathroom, they have a light, airy feel about them.

A lot of the inspiration for this home came from Sarah Susanka’s book, “The Not So Big House.” The design intent was to create a smaller home that has the look and feel on the inside that is much larger. This, the owner believes, was achieved and they are very happy with the end result and absolutely love their new home.

The Home Builders Association of Greater Chicago Key Awards were created in 1972 to recognize excellence in housing design, architecture, interior merchandising, remodeling and landscaping. It has since evolved into one of the premier housing programs in the country.