looking for builders in munster (Crown Point, St. John: cul-de-sac, new home, neighborhood)

[ringo906]

hi all.

looking to build a new home in munster, IN. can anyone recommend builders that they have used or know of ? and perhaps builders that would be least desired? we have interviewed armani builders and 1st metro and they do great work. we have also met with katona homes. but we can't seem to find much information on dutko/kaplan? can anyone elaborate?

thanks,
prospective munsterite.

[Northwest Indiana]

Originally Posted by ringo906

hi all.

looking to build a new home in munster, IN. can anyone recommend builders that they have used or know of ? and perhaps builders that would be least desired? we have interviewed armani builders and 1st metro and they do great work. we have also met with katona homes. but we can't seem to find much information on dutko/kaplan? can anyone elaborate?

thanks,
prospective munsterite.

1st Metropolitan Builders developed Estates of White Oak as well as Park West (which is a gated community with lots mostly in the $250,000-$300,000 range. Armani Development also built homes in each as well. These builders build extremely upscale homes mostly ranging from $700,000 to $1.5M+. The quality of these homes are outstanding.

Katona builds any high quality homes as well. While they mostly build homes now in the $400k-700k range, they have and are capable of building high quality $1M+ homes.

Another builder in Park West is Hektoen Homes. I don't know much about them, but the homes look nice.

Pyramid Development (headed by Greg Kaplan) is making more of a presence now. They are going to be building a home in Hill & Vale Estates. Hill & Vale is basically what I would call an older and ungated mix of Park West and Briar Ridge. The home are very upscale and stately but there is a small newer cul-de-sac where this home would be built. It is about $850k.

Dutko builds mostly in south Lake county, but I have seen them building more homes in Munster in subdivisions like West Lakes of Munster and Cobblestones.

Just so you know, the presidents of many of the top builders (Precision Construction, Katona Builders, Armani Developers, and 1st Met Builders) reside in the subdivision White Oak Estates, mostly developed in the mid 1990s. There are a few lots left there. The subdivision is very nice and upscale and the homes have aged very well while the newer builds blend in well.

There are many other builders in NWI that build very nice homes (Cook Builders, Newcastle Homes, Homes by Dutch Mill), but they mostly focus their efforts on much more rapidly growing south county areas such as St. John and Crown Point and build at more broad price points in general. But they should definitely build in Munster!

[ringo906]

thanks NWI! great reply! looking forward to moving to Munster.

[ringo906]

another question for NWI;

are you aware of any lots available in white oak estates? my wife and i drove by once or twice but didn't see anything except one lot on st. james place (owned by katona).

as for estates of white oak…we are not that interested because of the proximity of the train.

thank you again for your input, it has been extremely helpful.

R

[Northwest Indiana]

Originally Posted by ringo906

another question for NWI;

are you aware of any lots available in white oak estates? my wife and i drove by once or twice but didn't see anything except one lot on st. james place (owned by katona).

as for estates of white oak…we are not that interested because of the proximity of the train.

thank you again for your input, it has been extremely helpful.

R

The lot on St. James place is actually in the subdivision called Somerset...it is a huge lot and for the price, it is not bad.

There are three open lots in White Oak Estates that I know of. One is on the corner of Burlwood & Somerset (adjacent to Burlwood Park), another is on the corner of Burlwood & Redwood (also adjacent to Burlwood Park). Those two lots are both owned by the same builder and have been owned by him for at least 10 years. Then there is a lot on Sequoia Ln that is opened by Katona. They are supposed to be building a spec home for about $710K and the home is large but the lot is kind of small and reverse pie shape. I just saw that the lot itself can be purchased for about $250k for 0.28 which sounds insane to me but being one of the last buildable lots in one of the most desirable subdivisions in NWI will be costly.

[falxori]

Hi all
Any thoughts on Pyramid development? Saw a few lots with their name on the sign but couldn't find much about them. Not even a website...

Also, any pro/cons of somerset vs estates of white oak?
Cheers

[Northwest Indiana]

Originally Posted by falxori

Hi all
Any thoughts on Pyramid development? Saw a few lots with their name on the sign but couldn't find much about them. Not even a website...

Also, any pro/cons of somerset vs estates of white oak?
Cheers

From what I have seen, they have built some very upscale homes in areas scattered around NWI. But I do not know much more beyond that. Homes have been along the likes of those from Cook Builders if you want a comparison.

As far as pro/cons of somerset and estates of white oak.

With Somerset, a big pro is that there is a park with a pool, basketball court, and tennis courts for residents only. Also, there is more than one entrance to the subdivision (Either on Somerset Dr off of White Oak Ave or on Driftwood Dr off of Poplar Ln). The main con is that there is only one lot left. This is a big lot and I believe it is the one that Pyramid owns. There probably is not much room for negotiation in price. The last price I saw for the lot when Katona Builders owned is what $175,000 which was not bad for the size of the lot.

With Estates of White Oak (not to be confused with White Oak Estates), a pro is that it has only one entrance/exit so there is not any heavy traffic driving through the neighborhood. It is also newer than Somerset and the homes overall are pretty upscale. Although it is getting more developed, there are still lots left and there is probably SOME room for negotiation on the lots that border the train tracks...which brings me to the con...the train. The good thing is that the crossing right by the subdivision is a quiet crossing, so trains cannot blow their horns UNLESS it is an emergency or they face very very very big fines.

[falxori]

Thank you.
How big of an issue are the trains there? any idea on frequency, times of day, freight Vs passenger?
I stopped there for a few minutes on the way but there were no trains at the time, so I'd appreciate some local's thought on how problematic it is.
then again, those lots, by the tracks have been sitting for quite awhile, so maybe that's a good indicator...

Other than that, I really liked the area (even got a $20 Panera gift card from a random guy when we stopped there for lunch...)

[Northwest Indiana]

Originally Posted by falxori

Thank you.
How big of an issue are the trains there? any idea on frequency, times of day, freight Vs passenger?
I stopped there for a few minutes on the way but there were no trains at the time, so I'd appreciate some local's thought on how problematic it is.
then again, those lots, by the tracks have been sitting for quite awhile, so maybe that's a good indicator...

Other than that, I really liked the area (even got a $20 Panera gift card from a random guy when we stopped there for lunch...)

Since the quiet crossings have been put in, the train noise itself doesn't seem to be much of an issue. There may be a little vibration when the engine passes but as long as the home is built well, it should not be an issue. The train traffic has significantly increased over the past few years and it is mostly in the mornings between 7-8 as well as early afternoon when the trains run. Not too many overnight trains on that line although there are some. If you do build a house there, probably best to pick a floor plan where the master bedroom is located in the front of the house whether on the first story or second story. And good insulation, of course! What is your budget for housing?

[falxori]

~500-550K, . so I'm trying to get a sense of what can be built for ~400K (assuming ~150 for the lot and other stuff).