Front Page News

Well, in span of 6 days we have gone from never hearing from a newspaper reporter to being the main subjects in the cover story in the Sunday paper.


The photoshoot on Saturday was pretty basic - however, Connor was busy helping me rake some leaves (well, he thought he was helping) and the photographer loved that scene - probably took 15 pictures of him busy in the yard - while the family shot in front of the house got about 2 shots - needless to say, Mommy and Carter did not make the final cut - and Daddy did, but barely...it was all Connor.


The copy and paste of the article does not do it justice - simply not as cool as seeing it on the newstand. I told Connor it took Daddy until he was in high school to get his picture in the paper - he did it in 2o months. He saw the paper, pointed at himself , said, "Daaa-Deeeeeee" and then proceeded to go back to eating cookie monster cookies. He's big timing us now :)

Out with the old, in with the new
Buyers tearing down smaller houses to make way for their dreams, but at a cost
April 6, 2008

By Paige Winfield pwinfield@scn1.com

Since the Cooks left Naperville in 2003, they've wanted to move back.
Drawn by the allure of good schools and living within walking distance of downtown, they recently purchased property at 1126 Webster St.

As soon as owner Patrick Cook, 31, can sell his Bartlett townhouse, they plan to tear down the 1950s-era 700-square-foot home and replace it with their dream home, a 3,100-square-foot two-story that Cook designed with his young family in mind.

Sights like this are becoming more common in Naperville as people tear down older homes and replace them with new, larger houses. (Kate Szrom/Staff photographer)

Connor Cook, 20 months, holds a rake after helping his father, Patrick Cook, right, clean up some leaves at the family's Webster Street property. The Cooks plan to tear down the house and build a new one. (Kate Szrom/Staff photographer)

"It had always been our dream to do a teardown within walking distance of downtown Naperville," said Cook, who works in planning and research at a financial firm in downtown Chicago.

The home is one in a row of similar houses that have lined Webster Street for nearly a half-century. But as residences age and land values increase, more sellers are realizing their property is worth more than their house. It's these types of homes that attract agents from teardowns.com. Based in Clarendon Hills, the real estate brokerage company markets properties destined for re-development to individuals, developers, investors and real estate agents.

Cook acquired 1126 Webster through the company, which began marketing Naperville homes three years ago when President Brian Hickey saw redevelopment picking up pace. The number of demolition and single-family home building permits issued by the city had increased, he said. "We know there is a demand to redevelop older housing stock in Naperville, and it is a pretty good market for us," Hickey said.

Cook paid $250,000 for his property - which falls in the lower range of typical teardown prices, said Mike Farovich, who manages the Naperville properties for teardowns.com. He said most teardown homes were built in the 1950s or 1960s and sell within a $250,000 to $600,000 range. Add to Cook's bill the $350,000 he estimates the new house will cost to build, and his total cost will be about $600,000. But he anticipates a final appraisal as high as $800,000 due to the property's prime location.

Cook said he and his wife, Bridget, had been looking for an older home in Naperville for several years. But when they considered the average cost of refurbishing a house, they decided starting from scratch would be more cost-effective - and they could build exactly what they wanted.

The couple purchased the Webster Street property in August and will begin the six-month building process as soon as they can sell their $324,000 townhouse. Although Cook says the house has received a lot of activity since it went on the market in January, he doesn't feel comfortable starting construction on the new house with the sluggish housing market.

"For the five to six months it takes to build a house, you're putting your family's security on the table," said Cook, who has two sons, Connor, 1, and 6-month-old Carter. "What if you lose a job."

Learning the ropes

He began working with an architect in November on a blueprint to present to the city of Naperville. That was only the first step for Cook, who has had to obtain multiple permits that allow him to demolish the existing house, build a new one, cut down a tree and build a fence. He is also required to notify neighbors of the project, put up a chain-link fence and a portable toilet on the property during construction and pass some 20 inspections. "It's a very complicated process, it's very complex," Cook said. "Naperville is about as strict as they come. It's not a quick and easy process."

The city charges $5,000 for a single-family home building permit, $995 for a demolition permit, and architect fees to examine blueprints can cost $120 to $240, according to the development department. In total, Cook estimates he is spending about $10,000 on fees and permits.

He learned how to navigate through the process at a required site redevelopment meeting that is offered by the city twice a month on Wednesday mornings. Along with a plan examiner like herself, city employee Claudia Rosen said a code enforcement officer and representatives from the engineering, water and electric departments explain the process to attendees.

"We explain to them what occurs at a demolition and check their zoning to make sure they have a lot on record and not just a piece of another lot," Rosen said.

Teardown possibilities

Jumping through all the hoops is worth it for Cook, who says he and Bridget are looking forward to enjoying an open kitchen and great room area - features that would be extremely expensive, if not impossible, to add to the existing house at 1126 Webster.

The ranch house's slab foundation and small size make it a prime candidate for a teardown, and similar to many homes Farovich examines. He said he looks for frame houses with either no basement or a small basement with low ceilings and foundation cracks when tagging teardown homes.

"If it's a brick structure with a basement, it might have some miles left on it," he said.
Many home sellers are relieved to market their home as a teardown, because it means they don't have to spend money on updates and improvements, Hickey said. He said many are senior citizens who haven't modernized their homes.

"In most cases the homeowners themselves are pretty savvy on what the condition of the interior is," he said. "A lot are thrilled they have a teardown. Rehabbing is very expensive ... it gets to a point where the economics are more in line with tearing down than rehabbing it."

Typical clients of teardowns.com are Naperville natives who want to stay in the city. The Cooks had lived in Naperville for three years before a job change led them to move to Bartlett in 2003. But now they want to move back for the quality of life and the schools. When completed, their home will be the seventh redeveloped property on the north end of Webster Street. Towering above the boxy ranches, the new homes give the street an air of progress mixed with the lifestyles of another era.

Neighbors not always happy

Some of the longtime neighbors resent the new homes, saying the construction activity is annoying and the look of the street is changing.

Pat Wyllie and her husband, John Wyllie, purchased 1040 Webster more than 40 years ago for $15,500. A new, two-story house was built in the lot to the right a few years ago, blocking much sunlight from their property. Pat, who says the new development makes her "ticked off," knows the new houses are contributing to a rise in her property's value, but says the couple has no interest in selling their home.

"You can't say we're going to get a bunch of money just because we've got a mansion right next to us," Wyllie said. "I think it's really too bad, because it's changing the feeling of the neighborhood," said Sue Fosmoen, who lives to the left of the Wyllies.

Twelve more new homes lie across Ogden Avenue on the south end of Webster. The street is in what Farovich says is the busiest redevelopment area of Naperville - the neighborhoods between Ogden Avenue and the train tracks, on both sides of Washington Street.

And the desires of today's home buyer means more and more older homes are destined for destruction, Hickey said. "What individuals are demanding out of homes has changed," he said. "People demand 10 foot ceilings in basements now. ... They want as many floors and as much space as they can have. The way (older homes) are constructed won't let them be transformed into what people would consider tasteful and useful in today's market."


Requirements to rebuild

The city of Naperville requires multiple permits and inspections to demolish and rebuild a home. Here are some of the requirements and costs:

Demolition permit: $995
Single family home building permit: $5,000
Architect review fees: $120 to $240
Property owners must:
• Attend a site redevelopment meeting held by the city.
• Notify neighbors of the demolition and building project.
• Put up a chain-link fence around the property during construction.
For more information on redevelopment, contact Naperville Development Services at 630-420-6070.