Tom Bart Featured Builder

Showhouses Aren't Just for Show-offs
featured in Better Homes and Gardens Home Plan Ideas

(Visit Better Homes and Gardens Magazine at http://www.bhg.com)

The Fine Line Between What's Safely Sellable and
what's uncomfortably novel is narrower than a
2x4. This house, however, successfully mixes
the fresh with the familiar.

"Imagine a job with 31,000 bosses. That's 31,000 widely varying personalities, each with the ability to hire your home building skills or turn up their noses at your best effort. The surprise isn't that builders' showhouses are often conservative; it's that they rise from the ground at all.

Cottage Rose was created in the Chicago suburb of Naperville, Illinois, for the local home-builder's "Cavalcade of Homes", a 17 day event that attracted some 31,000 visitors. With styling cues from shingle-sided homes of New England, Cottage Rose was crafted by builder Tom Bart as a testament to his 20 years of experience and as an assessment of his customers' tastes.

"By building and marketing his showhouses to appeal to a variety of people, he's consistently rewarded by selling his showhouses within the year they were built. Cottage Rose sold just three weeks after it's showing. Cottage Rose drew the feedback Bart wants. He appreciates attendee comments such as, "This really makes sense, I can really see myself living here," and "When you come here, you feel like you're at home".

"The front porch of the Cottage Rose (above) is an expression of interior designer Carol Bart's childhood memories and today's housing market. "People fall in love with the front porch", says builder Tom Bart, her husband. "Then they walk inside and fall in love with the rest of the house."

"A pair of large windows give the living room (left) a view of the wraparound porch. The stairway's open railing adds a sense of spaciousness to this downsized formal area."

"This is where a builder says to 31,000 people:
'This is my best effort at what I do." -Tom Bart

Ample windows (right) seem to extend the family room's dimensions. Using a cathedral ceiling instead of a two-story vaulted ceiling makes the space seem cozier and more efficient.

"This home is designed to work with a variety of finishing materials suited to widely varying budgets. For example, vinyl floors can be substituted for ceramic tile and the kitchen cabinets quality can be adjusted to bring the home within the reach of buyers who want to live in Naperville's noteworthy school district."

More For Less
"Cottage Rose is loaded with distinctive, personal touches that don't bump the price out of reach. Many cost-saving elements result from simple, practical design. On the upper level, for example, the landing connects to three secondary bedrooms and the master suite, eliminating the need for a long connecting hallway."

"Butler's pantries between the kitchen and dining room make forgotten spaces unforgettable. All that's required is a base and a wall cabinet with a short piece of countertop. 'People really go bananas over that," Bart says. "In our market, it's really nice."

The walk-in pantry adjoining the informal eating area is a memorable feature that's inexpensive to create. "On this particular plan, we put full french doors on it, they're an attention grabber."

The kitchen (right) includes a breakfast counter and access to the rear deck. Careful planning and a mix of cabinetry give stock components a custom look. The window above the sink has a ledge for plants or collectibles.