Town houses built for luxury

The developer is going the "full nine yards" at Camden Passage,a luxury Near North Side town-house project, said house inspectorStephen A. James.

James was describing the construction quality of the 19-unitdevelopment at 2024 N. Racine, in the Sheffield neighborhood, duringa recent On-Site inspection of a Unit A model for the ChicagoSun-Times.

The model is one of the floor plans at Camden Passage, wherethree-story town houses are built in nine- or 10-unit buildings.Base prices range from $326,500 to $368,500. A model is scheduled toopen later this month.

One of the highlights is the central courtyard. The townhouses fronting Racine back up to the courtyard, while rear townhouses (that back up to an alley) face it.

In the courtyard, developer Stephen Ballis, president of DaytonResources Ltd., has revived the stoop-lifestyle concept of theLincoln Park community.

Before wide-spread use of air-conditioning, residents in thearea's apartment buildings would sit on their front steps in thesummer.

For the landscaped courtyard, Ballis has commissioned Italianartist Virginio Ferrari to create a polished bronze and limestonesculpture, which will be unveiled in the fall.

The three-bedroom, three-bath Unit A has about 1,900 squarefeet of living area. Highlights include a fireplace, lower-levellaundry area, study, roof deck, an optional wet bar in the basementand a dry-wall-finished attached garage with automatic door opener.

James said Dayton Resources has cut neither corners nor expensesin the construction plans, citing details such as the "over-designed"floor trusses that easily can support heavy loads such as water bedsor pianos.

"The town house's insulation is virtually seamless and willprovide a weather-tight seal. The exterior wall, with a 1 1/2-inchplastic foam insulation, has a combined thermal rating of R-13,"James said.

"Metal-clad window frames will provide good maintenance-freeusage, while perimeter insulation is provided in the basement level,"James said.

He also cited Unit A's large volume ceilings (9 feet in height)that "make for open, spacious views."

Here are some of the other features of the Unit A model cited byJames: The exterior wall is composed of 4 inches of face brick with a4-inch concrete-block course for a solid masonry exterior 8-inchwall. The common firewall consists of 8-inch concrete-block masonryfor minimizing sound transmission and heat losses as well. A concrete patio and a face-brick-and-wrought-iron fence, along thefront elevation, are included. The foyer floor and the fireplace hearth and surround are marbletile. Bathroom floors have ceramic tiling, as does the tub alcove. Hardwood flooring of light oak is in the living and dining rooms. All interior doors are solid-core, not the usual hollow-core. Marble flooring and base trim are found in the master bathroom. Electrical service is 100 ampheres (120/240 volts of alternatingcurrent with 16 automatic circuit breakers in the main panel). Allthe wiring is copper. All rooms have adequate electrical wall receptacles, includingsufficient grounded outlets in the kitchen and bathrooms. Soffit lighting is provided, over the kitchen sink. The kitchen features European-style cabinetry, General Electricappliances and a butler pantry. The master bath has two dressing areas, whirlpool tub and marbleshower. The exterior door is an energy-efficient 1 3/4-inch foam-insulatedmetal type with weatherstripping. The roof insulation is batt type (fiberglass) with a thermalresistance of R-30. Eight-inch poured concrete foundation walls have 4-inch perimeterdrain tile. Metal joist hangers are installed at stairwell openings. Underlayment of the flooring is 3/4-inch plywood tongue and groove,which is nailed and glued. A 12-inch deep structural steel beam inthe garage is used to support the dead loads of offset masonry wallsabove. The forced-air heating system has a furnace with 100,000 Btucapacity. A British thermal unit is the amount of heat required toincrease the temperature of a pound of water one degree Fahrenheit.A humidifier is included in the purchase price, as is a centralair-conditioning system with a rooftop condenser.

Camden Passage's town houses have 1,900 to 2,200 square feet ofspace.

Some of the features included in the purchase price are: twolarge skylights, a woodburning fireplace, front-door intercom system,wolmanized roof deck, wall-to-wall carpeting in all bedrooms andlarge linen and bedroom closets with vinyl shelving.

Optional features include: powder room, $3,250; wet bar inbasement, $1,600; floor stain, $250 per room and upgraded carpet,$250 per room.

Information contained in this article does not constitute aChicago Sun-Times endorsement of the home's construction, nor ofother units built by the developer.