PROPERTY: Whether you have a piece of property, need assistance in finding a lot, or choose a property from our inventory, Vintage Estates is there to help you achieve your dream.

SITE PLANNING: After a location has been selected, a site plan is developed and the maximum “build” limits of your lot can be determined. There are many considerations that must be streamlined to fit into the ever changing zoning ordinances, including Floor Area Ratio, building coverage, front, rear, and side yard setbacks, top of foundation height restrictions, just to name a few. These zoning ordinances and restrictions vary from village to village so a working knowledge of each town’s building codes is a must. The real trick and artistry to site planning is satisfying the objective requirements of the village without compromising the aesthetic integrity and practical requirements of the homeowner.

The builder will meet with you to go over your “wish list”, and discuss what you envision your dream home to be. We will then help you decide the layout of your home on the property. Some factors to consider are proximity of neighboring homes, contour of the property, existing trees and vegetation, any privacy issues, and garage placement. We will discuss each one of these with you and decide the ideal orientation of your home dependent on which aspects are important to you.

DESIGN: After the site location and orientation have been established, design on your dream home begins. Vintage custom designs each home, so no two are alike. Each design starts with a blank piece of paper. The layers are carefully planned, and the one-of-a-kind creation evolves. After our client's final approval, we take care of everything including the tear down of an existing home if needed, to watering the new landscaping. Whether we are building on a vacant lot, or handling a tear down project, you will find our sites to be unique and desirable.

This process works great when the lot purchased for construction is large enough to accommodate the home design without significant restriction. Most of the lots in the Western Suburbs, however, are of a size that will probably dictate at least some of the major design elements of your home. In either case, we will listen to your ideas and goals and work together to develop the ideal plan for your dream home and gracefully harmonize it with the land you choose to build on. Since every home is as unique as the people who live in it, we work with a highly skilled and seasoned architect who is very familiar with the building codes and zoning restrictions of the Western Suburbs. After your final approval the new plans may be submitted to the village for the building permits.

CONSTRUCTION: After you have committed the vision of your dream home to blueprint and the village has issued the building permits, the task at hand is building it to the exacting detail that separates your dream home from everyone else's. Once the foundation is poured, you can expect the construction period to last about seven to ten months, depending on the size of the home, finish selections, weather conditions and the availability of subcontractors and materials. Since we have a working relationship with many area contractors that we feel provide the high quality expected, you can rely on our experience in this step.

The value of building positive relationships is not only evident through the relationships we enjoy with our clients, but also with the many sub-contractors and suppliers who have developed a partnership with us. For us, the key is communication. By meeting, talking, or e-mailing our clients on a daily basis (some of our clients live as far away as Luxembourg, California, and Florida!), keeping the lines of communication continually open, they are assured that each important detail will turn out just as they envisioned. We're organized to a fault, and continually handle projects where our clients move into their custom dream home after only viewing it via e-mail.