If You Build It, They Will Buy It- Even If It’s On Western Avenue: 4042 N. Western In North Center
There’s been plenty of new construction of multi-unit buildings on some of the main arteries in the GZ recently, most notably on Diversey, Belmont, Irving Park and also on Ashland.
But now there are several new buildings going up on Western at 4042 N. Western and 4046 N. Western in North Center.
I’ll highlight 4042 N. Western since all of them appear to have the same pictures, finishes and prices.
Here are the prices for each of the floors:
- Unit #1: 3/2.5 bath duplex down listed at $339,900
- Unit #2: 2/2 listed at $269,900
- Unit #3: 2/2 listed at $279,900
All units include garage parking.
There is a communal garage rooftop deck.
The units have stainless steel appliances including Bosch.
The kitchen has white cabinets (white is “in” now) along with granite/marble counter tops.
The bathrooms are porcelain and ceramic.
The units also have wainscotting and hardwood floors.
Last year we chattered several times about a 4-bedroom renovated house just a block up the street from these new buildings. Most of you thought it would be nuts to live on Western Avenue.
See our prior chatter on 4117 N. Western Avenue here.
All the listed units appear to be pending already, which is about half of all the units in these buildings.
Will these sell buildings sell-out quickly despite being on Western Avenue?
Is price everything? Where else in the GZ can you get a “new” 3/2 duplex for $339,900?
Melissa Govedarcia at Sergio & Banks has the listing. See the pictures here.
Unit #2N: 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, no square footage listed
- New construction
- Currently listed at $269,900
- Assessments of $160 a month
- Taxes are “new”
- Central Air
- Washer/Dryer in the unit
- Garage parking included
- January 2013 occupancy
- Bedroom #1: 14×16
- Bedroom #2: 13×11
I’ve watched these get built from the 1st brick… Man do they look cheap.
“Where else in the GZ can you get a “new” 3/2 duplex for $339,900?”
West of Western, so gz-questionable.
Agree with Matt re general observation.
Cheap enough to warrant a look if the location isn’t a killer for a given person. What actually happens with BRT on Western (it appears to be under genuine consideration to reduce the auto traffic on Western to one lane in each direction) will influence the long term situation of the location.
seems like this location would be even worse that 4117 because you’re on the west (southbound) side of the street close to Irving, so there will be traffic backed up in front of it quite a bit of the day.
If you like chewy, gray chunks of chicken, then Sticky Rice is the place for you. And that’s right next door to this place. So its got that going for it…..
For locations like this, I’m surprised more developers don’t go with more of an insular/courtyard approach. There’s a couple of such developments on Clark between Dickens and Webster, where the homes are oriented into the interior of their secure courtyards. I suppose there’s not much of a view for those folks, but it’s fairly quiet.
I don’t think the lot(s) are deep enough for a courtyard type layout. The pics inside don’t look that bad, imho.
People LOVE new construction though. These will sell while they are still new. However, at resale I predict these will sell for no where near the original price.
Right now espresso colored floors, hip chandeliers, and limp phallic single handed faucets are all the rage. But what about the predecessor units on Ashland from 10 years ago? Back then it was maple cabinets, regular oak floors, and colored granite. Now that looks dated. Mccrapboxes have a 4-5 life span before they looked dated.
Got any examples of faucets that don’t look like dicks?
[Matt from Chicago] “I’ve watched these get built from the 1st brick… Man do they look cheap.”
New construction 2/2 in a good neighborhood with contemporary finishes, Bosch appliances and a parking for sub $270K… they look cheap because they are cheap. You’ve got to skimp somewhere, just make sure to do it where owners wont find out about it for ten years.
What’s the ballpark to remove my current kitchen and install that kitchen (or something comparable)? How long should it (reasonably) take? Does one need a permit for such a thing?
“What’s the ballpark to remove my current kitchen and install that kitchen (or something comparable)? ”
I’m doing a sizable renovation to my house and putting in a new kitchen similar to this. Cabinets are ranging from 6,500 (home depot) to $11,500 (semi custom from Studio41). painted white cabinets are more expensive that stained. haven’t priced out stone counters yet but they’re anywhere from $40-$80/sf
and an entry level bosch appliance package (similar to what’s shown) will probably run around $7,000, maybe less depending on the deal.
McCrapboxes are the 4+1’s of the 2000’s and beyond.
The same product type located about 1/4 block south could not get sold during the bubble so I don’t see these flying off the shelf anytime soon. Nor has the new construction building just east of Western sold out yet.
“The same product type located about 1/4 block south could not get sold during the bubble ”
1. Those were (generally) *much* larger units (1860 sf, 3/2 on one floor, all with private outdoor space).
2. They were DOUBLE the price of these; one sold for $607k in Mar-09, which was less than ask.
3. Developer wound up with a ~4 year delay before they started construction bc the original plan required a variance/zoning change, which they didn’t get, and ended up building the as-of-right crap they did.
4. See #2 again. They were asking $600k+ for the top floor units (which did include private roof rights). The 2d floor units (with private GatorDecks) were mid-500s.
5. Delivery was post-bubble, so they lost out.
oh, realized might be thinking of different project. But still, these are *much* cheaper than anythign similar in the immeidate area completed more than 12 months ago.
My kitchen rehab to the studs was about $30,000 – $35,000, including new wood flooring, cabinets (veneer over MDF), moving and installing new plumbing, granite counter fabrication and installation, appliances (drawer microwave, slide in range, counter depth fridge, dishwasher), drywall, insulation, new electrical, reroute hvac, It was all done as part of a larger renovation so it’s hard to parcel out the exact costs (i..e electrical was redone in house, not just kitchen). it’s a 12×17 kitchen but is part of a larger open floor plan into living room and dining room.
I found the cabinets to be the most annoying part. Standard cabinets these days are mostly a veneer (if you’re lucky!) over medium density fiberboard. If you want plywood instead of *particle board* it’s an upgrade, and so are dovetailed drawers, etc. Real wood cabinets throughout start to get really pricey and I think that only the highest end cabinets are real wood. When you read that a mccrapbox has 42″ cherrywood cabinets, it’s really just either 1) a 1/32nd inch veneer of cherry wood over particle board; or two, or 2) a cheaper beech or other veneer 1/32nd inch veener of cherry stained over MDF.
Real wood cabinets throughout start to get really pricey and I think that only the highest end cabinets are real wood. When you read that a mccrapbox has 42? cherrywood cabinets, it’s really just either 1) a 1/32nd inch veneer of cherry wood over particle board; or two, or 2) a cheaper beech or other veneer 1/32nd inch veener of cherry stained over MDF.
Yup. Every flip too. Cherry Cabinets are always almost always veneer
and an entry level bosch appliance package (similar to what’s shown) will probably run around $7,000, maybe less depending on the deal.
Divide that by 2. More like $3,250 for the entry-level Bosch appliance package…
http://www.abt.com/packages/51627/Bosch-Stainless-Steel-Appliance-Package-with-Gas-Range.html
My abt appliance package was $5 or $6, iirc. The $700 microwave was excessive but nice and the counter depth fridge/slide in stove increased the price about $1,000 over comparable fridges and stoves. A viking, subzero or wolf package would have been excessive for my reno but it was considered.
It sounds like we’ll not be doing a kitchen reno that would justify real wood cabinets. One level or so above typical McCrapbox quality is more like it. We’d like to spend no more than $20k (including appliances), but I could see it going over by a few grand if we end up modifying the ceiling and one wall/closet at all (which seems likely if we go the full reno route). I’d also like to get the whole project done in the span of a week, but I imagine that’s being optimistic, and I also imagine that tearing into the ceiling/walls at all is going to increase the job time considerably (and perhaps cause the rest of our place to be nearly uninhabitable from dust, paint fumes, etc.).
Who knows, maybe we’ll just chip away at it, slowy making it marketable. Maybe add granite/backsplash and new cabinet fronts (assuming it’s possible) now, then a new floor and appliances right before we list (in 6 or 18 months, likely the latter). As much as I’d love to have a fancy kitchen, it’s nice not having to stress when kids spill paint on and drag furniture across a floor.
Anonny, if you can find a way to work with your existing cabinets you will save a lot. We painted our (real wood, extraordinarily dated) cabinets to keep costs down. Eventually we’ll do a full blown reno and switch out the cabinets, but since we weren’t changing the kitchen footprint we were able to work with what we had.
Living through a kitchen reno means cooking off a hot plate and washing dishes in the sink for weeks or months, and possibly longer if your contractor works on multiple projects at a time … a day here, a day there, a day over there…
School is Coonley (I didn’t realize it went to the river, thought it stopped at Western), so that’s a plus. If one is tied to the city for whatever reason and needs a good school for a bargain price, this could be an option. Otherwise? Ugh. Location sucks. It’s even worse than 4117 because it’s closer to Irving and on the west (southbound) side, so you’re going to have traffic backed up from the Irving intersection out your front windows way too many hours of the day.
“One level or so above typical McCrapbox quality is more like it. We’d like to spend no more than $20k (including appliances), but I could see it going over by a few grand if we end up modifying the ceiling and one wall/closet at all (which seems likely if we go the full reno route). I’d also like to get the whole project done in the span of a week, but I imagine that’s being optimistic, and I also imagine that tearing into the ceiling/walls at all is going to increase the job time considerably (and perhaps cause the rest of our place to be nearly uninhabitable from dust, paint fumes, etc.).”
You know- I’ve heard from actual kitchen designers that the IKEA cabinets are some of the best in the business (construction wise etc.) And they’re way cheaper. They’re a hidden secret that many use and they show up in House Beautiful etc. Then you get the better counter tops and backsplash and no one can tell the difference.
If you’re just doing it to sell it- you should consider it. Look around on all the design blogs. You will save THOUSANDS on the cabinets and still get the modern and “new” look you want to sell it.
Take a look at this one. A LOT of the blogs have before and after pictures like this.
http://www.thekitchn.com/kitchen-before-after-heejoos-glossy-ikea-renovation-kitchn-reader-remodel-173195
“Living through a kitchen reno means cooking off a hot plate and washing dishes in the sink for weeks or months, and possibly longer if your contractor works on multiple projects at a time … a day here, a day there, a day over there…”
Not the ones I’ve with. They come by and they do it all at once. But I’ve never seen it take just a week. I know someone who had one of those older narrow walk through kitchens redone in a 1-bedroom condo in River North. It was $15,000 but still took like 2 weeks.
“Divide that by 2. More like $3,250 for the entry-level Bosch appliance package…”
yes, you’re correct…i was mixing up the viking D3 line which is about 7k…and very sleek looking btw.
A flat-screen TV would look nice over that fireplace.
Ours just took a couple weeks. It was 6 years ago. Kitchen still looks nice, but I wonder if we’ll need to do it again in 10 more years.
Here are a contractor’s comments about IKEA cabinets from that Kitchn.com post Sabrina linked to. It’s in line with what I’ve heard from other builder types. I believe the cabinet and case facings can be swapped out.
[quoting…]
Our company, Semihandmade, made the custom IKEA doors in the photos. We don’t work for or with IKEA, but a few points about their product nonetheless:
1) Melamine over particleboard is standard in European cabinets. All the kitchen companies with hard-to-pronounce names use it.
2) Are plywood boxes better? Absolutely. But it’s sort of like saying a BMW is better than are Honda – both are quality products, but one uses more expensive materials and therefore costs significantly more. The fact is, 3/4″ thick cabinets properly installed – plumb, level and square – are not going anywhere.
3) IKEA offers a great warranty on their products.
4) IKEA uses the same Blum hardware that just about every custom cabinet shop in the US – including ours – uses.
5) Regardless of whether you go with IKEA, somebody else, or a fully-custom shop, the European/frameless/full-overlay style (as opposed to face-frame) offers the most flexibility down the road should your taste and/or financial situation change.
I can’t see installing Ikea when you can go to Studio 21 or Hobo and get veneered cherry for the same price or less already assembled.
Solid wood vs .Veneer – its a Hyndai vs BMW comparison. You get what you pay for in this world
“Take a look at this one. A LOT of the blogs have before and after pictures like this.”
http://www.thekitchn.com/kitchen-before-after-heejoos-glossy-ikea-renovation-kitchn-reader-remodel-173195
The horrors of that before kitchen! I sure hope the extending and pretending FB’s are budgeting for the renovations it will take to someday unload at a lower price.
“The horrors of that before kitchen!”
haha, I agree but people are crazy when it comes to kitchens for some reason. it’s one demand I have never fully understood. along with giant bathrooms and giant master suites. though i suspect mtv cribs made those last two popular.
“aww yeah, this is where the magic happens”
“Got any examples of faucets that don’t look like dicks?”
Waterfall faucets.