Whats the deal with all the ciding houses? (Chicago, Wheaton: home builders, neighborhood)

[jman07]

I came form indiana and have noticed that in "nice" burbs in chicago even the big houses have ciding and not brick. I find ciding cheap looking and cant believe all the homes with it. It makes them look ugly. IN the rich burbs of indianapolis all the homes are brick and it makes them look a lot nicer.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by jman07

I came form indiana and have noticed that in "nice" burbs in chicago even the big houses have ciding and not brick. I find ciding cheap looking and cant believe all the homes with it. It makes them look ugly. IN the rich burbs of indianapolis all the homes are brick and it makes them look a lot nicer.

First off its "siding".

There are plenty of brick homes in the area. What youre seeing are the cookie cutter homes in the rapidly expanding suburbs. I know that the words "rapidly expanding" might be alien in Indiana, but thats how contractors throw up tons of homes relatively quickly. Not only that but siding is alot less expensive.

[jman07]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

First off its "siding".

There are plenty of brick homes in the area. What youre seeing are the cookie cutter homes in the rapidly expanding suburbs. I know that the words "rapidly expanding" might be alien in Indiana, but thats how contractors throw up tons of homes relatively quickly. Not only that but siding is alot less expensive.

Indianapolis has one of the fastest growing metro area in the country. Faster than Chicagoland. FYI.

BTW. It was the far west burbs so you might be right. Which areas have mostly brick homes.

[oakparkdude]

What I've seen in the nicer parts of the far western suburbs are huge mcmansions with brick fronts and siding on the side and rear of the house. That way, from the street, you see mostly brick, and don't notice the siding. Maybe less than one house in ten has brick all the way around, which is probably an upgrade option. I guess most buyers don't feel the need to spend the extra on the exterior and would rather spend it on interior upgrades.

[ahava]

Originally Posted by jman07

Which areas have mostly brick homes.

Long Grove, definitely.

[Chinolala]

Siding is cheaper so home builders like using it for homes in the $200-$350 range. It also depends on the areas. Some older more tony suburbs such as Long Grove, River Forest, Oak Park, etc. have mainly brick homes. You'll pay more for brick, but it beats siding hands down. Many homes in Chicago, particulay the bungalow belt areas have a huge inventory of brick homes.

[HOWELL_STREET]

Dear Friend:

Soon after world war two, a company known as "Lustron" started building homes with huge square plates of enameled steel. Those were for the housing benefit of our WW-2 'Dough Boys' returning home. So this was probably around circa 1947. Although, I don't remember prices - - let's say as a guess that a typical price for a Lustron was maybe $7K per house? So there is a very fascinating 'following' of people interested in those Lustron homes. In Wheaton, we had two Lustron homes that I saw around the late 1970s. But the land became too valuable and so they were torn down. A mistake - - I think.
Another very popular home during the years slightly before WW-2 were the brick bungalow homes. Those homes were very small but brick was used with all of those homes. In Wheaton, there is a small neighborhood area of those brick bungalows. I believe (as a guess?) that similar homes are also known as 'Brown Stone' homes in parts of Chicago (City). Also as a guess, I believe that one would find those brick bungalows in most nearby suburbs (old communities) near Chicago.

Carter Glass

[NYrules]

I agree about the SIDING style homes looking cheap. Not only to mention that they look cheap, they are not as strong and do not hold up as well as brick homes during high winds from things like Micro bursts and small tornados so, a little insight for potential home buyers out there to consider when looking for homes in an area that can get hit with tornados from time to time. With Chicago's harsh climate, brick is undoubtabley the way to go.

Orland Park and Tinley Park both will NOT even allow houses to be built that are all sided, so you may want to check out those two towns. The only siding you will see on a house in Orland Park is on the second floor of homes. Now with old historic homes this isn't the case as that rule in both towns went into effect some 30 years ago so those homes are grandfathered in, but none the less, there are thousands of homes around Orland Park that are all brick. Be prepared though because brick is gonna cost you.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by jman07

Indianapolis has one of the fastest growing metro area in the country. Faster than Chicagoland. FYI.

7 of 100 fastest growing areas are in IL, Indiana only had 2. FYI....

America's Fastest-Growing Suburbs - Forbes.com (http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/2007/07/16/suburbs-growth-housing-forbeslife-cx_mw_0716realestate_2.html - broken link)

[jman07]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

7 of 100 fastest growing areas are in IL, Indiana only had 2. FYI....

America's Fastest-Growing Suburbs - Forbes.com (http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/2007/07/16/suburbs-growth-housing-forbeslife-cx_mw_0716realestate_2.html - broken link)

i never said suburbs. I'm talking indy and the counties surrounding it which include the suburbs.