Comparing Townhomes In Chicago

Posted on: August 24th, 2010 | 15 Comments

This is Day 217 of the Slow Home Project and we need you to join us in our quest to evaluate the design quality of houses in nine North American cities in nine months.

It’s Tuesday, August 24th, 2010 and today we are doing a “Which House Should I Buy?” segment. We need you to study the floor plans and website of these two town house projects and let us know which you think would be the better real estate choice for our clients Raoul and Marte.

Raoul and Marte are a young couple who are moving to Chicago from Cleveland and specifically need a home that can accommodate an office space for Marte who is writer and works from home. They also would like a guest bedroom for when Raoul’s parents who come to visit them and stay approximately one week out of the year.

They like the “Parkside of Old Town” development in the community of Cabrini Green, which is a revitalized older neighborhood NW of downtown Chicago.

The first unit they are considering is the “Cedar”, which is 1,700 sq ft and has 2 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms and a den. The second unit is the “Maple” and is larger at 1,900 sq ft, has 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths but no den.

Which house should Raoul and Marte buy? Leave a comment with your choice and let’s have a discussion!

When you are ready, click on the player below to see which of the two options John and Matthew would recommend.

See you tomorrow for our Design Project where we will be renovating a poorly designed town house plan from Chicago and turning it into a Slow Home!

  • Terri

    So, I’m the early bird here today.
    I choose the Maple unit for Raoul and Marte, but I would strongly suggest that they opt for the end unit of this plan (I saw that it’s available by checking out the PDF on the website). Then they’d have the dining windows as well as the wrap-around windows in the living room. I’d also suggest that they have a pantry built into the corner of the kitchen which is wasted right now (next to the utility closet). The master bedroom walk-in closet door would be better switched to the end closest to the bathroom, but it’s probably too late to do anything about that. This unit has everything they need (the third bedroom is a good den) plus flexibility should living arrangements change in future.

    The Cedar has a couple of major flaws, IMO. The washer/dryer closet next to the kitchen/family area is terrible. The stove jammed into the corner is also awful (I live with one that’s almost as bad and I curse it often), and the WIC off the living room is just weird. I also don’t like the entry, as it’s not as nicely defined at the Maple’s.

  • Mid America Mom

    **HI- the pop up was not showing the entire plan. ** Here is CEDAR plan – http://www.parksideofoldtown.com/townhome.html?u=1
    and the MAPLE plan
    - http://www.parksideofoldtown.com/townhome.html?u=4

    _____________
    I assume they are not native – the word Cabrini Green is not a positive one. This used to be home to public housing, before they were torn down, complete with crime. Wonder how the neighborhood is doing today. I would encourage them to visit the area at different times of the day and check out the local crime stats.

  • Terri

    [img]5_kitchen.jpg[/img][img]diningroom4.jpg[/img]

    John & Matthew,
    I just watched your comments, and I see that you didn’t look at the PDFs for these units, as you didn’t realize that the Cedar’s laundry is not on the ground floor, but off the family room (that open box is where it’s at).

    You also didn’t address the stove’s location in the Cedar’s kitchen. I see the Maple’s kitchen triangle (fridge-sink-stove) as more workable. The website includes an image of this kitchen with stools at the eating bar, and it looks pretty good to me. I’ve also included the image of the dining room in an end unit (as I’d suggested this couple purchase).

  • Terri

    Further to John/Matthew’s discussion on renovating the Cedar. Maybe they could put the w/d downstairs as you’d thought, but it’s make the den that much smaller. I’d suggest they find a way to put them where that wasted vanity sink is. Of course, the entry to the bathroom from the master bedroom would have to shift. This is getting expensive…

  • Mid America Mom

    I would take the MAPLE. I like that there is a third bedroom/den which is private. It also has more full baths which is nice for privacy but not so enviro friendly. The dining is dark and the kitchen is not that well designed- feels wasteful. The living space is better in this one (no closet). The entry is defined.

    The Cedar had issues with a closet in the living and dining. The Den is not that private. The family room could do without the laundry. Oh I see that space being used as a large kitchen with a place for a sideboard. That would be nice… Lots of light for casual eating. TERRI I agree The kitchen stove is odd and they should move it at least a foot over. That is a supersized shared bath.

    *If they really like the CEDAR style/feel of floorplan I would encourage them to look at the MAGNOLIA plan. It resolves some of the issues the Cedar had.*

    Mid America Mom

  • Steve

    Afternoon M.A.M.

    Here’s a link to a video Travis found on YoChicago’s YouTube Channel. It’s a driving tour of Parkside of Old Town and Cabrini Green (or what’s left of it).

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75fz6iU8r6k

    Gives some context to the development.

  • Steve in Van

    Since the Maple is also available as an end unit with windows along the living/dining area, it should get the point for the dining room. I also find the laundry and kitchen arrangements (with pantry or desk in nook) quite workable. 17 points.

    As J&M noted, the Cedar has problems. The entry /study area and laundry / family room both need reworking. The kitchen is small but workable. The shared bathroom upstairs is efficient — the extra master sink is a bonus. 14 points.

    So, while it’d be fun to join J&M on a Cedar redesign, I’m with Terri and MAM — the Maple is the slower of the two as drawn.

  • Tara

    I would also choose the Maple for the clients this week.
    I think the third bedroom is a much better option for the office area then the den in the Cedar plan. The “den” is open to the main entrance, making the study a public rather than private area. I also think that it may be beneficial for the second bedroom to be used as the study, and the third bedroom as the guest bedroom for the parents. Because Marte works from home on a daily basis, this would ensure that the room with the most light access would be used much more regularly than the bedroom in the basement, which would only be used on occasion.
    I also like the way the main floor works in the Maple. I’m not a fan of the divided indoor living areas in the Cedar’s plan as I think the size and shapes of the living spaces limits their functionality. In the maple, the living/dining area is a basic shape and very open, allowing for a variety of comfortable furniture arrangments.

  • Grace Coulter

    I am a bit torn on this week’s decision. I agree with John and Matthew that the kitchen/nook area in the Maple is less functional than the layout of Cedar. I think ideally you would create a hybrid plan (tomorrow exercise perhaps?) with the top floor and bottom of maple and the middle one being cedar with a few tweaks. I guess since my combination is two parts maple, 1 part cedar I will be joining the rebellious slow homers against a united John and Matthew this week. Since the client really wanted work space and an inlaw suite, maple provides this in the most efficient manner. I have mentioned this before but i think its great that we do these applications of the slowhome with “real clients” because the discussions and scenarios tend to create examples where you go against slowhome principles but with reason. What’s interesting about the slowhome test is that after you learn the basics and essentials of good residential design by following the steps precisely, you can begin to make informed decisions in case by case scenarios. I think when I do these exercises now and contradict principles I am doing so after weighing the options, and after rationally considering what I am giving up in my decision.
    Thats my written musings of the day ;)
    cheers everyone.

  • Manolo

    Regarding Matthew’s idea of a renovation, that seems to make sense economically since the difference in square footage and number of bedrooms between the two units really pushes the Maple into the next price category. So a needed renovation to the Cedar would likely even out the price difference. That said, I just don’t think that the dark dining room and the small leftover space – that would likely fit a desk and a computer station – are problematic enough to NOT choose the Maple. Even with a renovation to the Cedar’s main floor, is the study going going to have enough width to hold the needs of a writer (this is the main space she’s going to be working). In terms of my own experience, if I’m going to be spending long hours in a space, it had better be a wonderful space to be in – especially if I am supposed to have brilliant ideas in that space!

    So I vote for the Maple.

  • nicole

    I recommend the maple with the main floor of the cedar.
    Bed placement on the third floor is a problem in the cedar. Also, the laundry should be dealt with in another way in the maple plan. No one good solution.

    Seems that I usually suggest a renovation with Tuesday’s exercises… this is no exception

  • Terri

    Steve in Van,
    Thanks for the youtube link. Very interesting drive through Cabrini Green. I wonder how this housing “mix” will work out over the next decade.

  • Matthew North

    Hi Terri – Thanks for your comments today – I have looked at those PDF’s and do see that the Maple is available with the side windows, making the dining space a lot more pleasant. My next question would be how much more would that cost and is the view worth the extra money? I did say that the laundry was on the main floor but can now see on PDF’s that the main floor is a furnace and a hot water tank – still not great in the study space, but certainly will not need the ongoing access like laundry would. I also agree with your point about the stove – it is too tight to the corner! Your detailed review is appreciated and your recommendation as to which house to buy is well considered.

  • Tiffany

    I vote for the Maple. I think that the 3rd bedroom as a den is much more usable then the Cedar Den space. I also like the main floor better, as I would rather have one living space that was larger, then 2 small ones that are more limiting. I also don’t like the closet of the living room, it seems out of place. Of course the plan would need some minor changes, but what plan doesn’t.

  • Andrew

    This was a close decision but ultimately I think I would have to choose The Maple. I prefer the second floor of The Cedar, as the The Maple’s second floor is a little too ill-defined, but I think The Maple is overall a nicer home because of its better front entry, more private den (aka 1st floor bedroom) and the much better bathroom design on the top floor. The bathrooms on the Cedar’s 3rd floor are a bit clumsy and I think it would be better for Marte to have a more private workspace. Also, the laundry space in the Cedar is in an awful location (even though its location in the Maple is not perfect) and I really don’t think a walk-in-closet in the same location on the floorplan on every level is necessary – does there really need to be a w.i.c. off of the living/dining space??

    PS: thanks for the direct links, MAM!