Community First 1st Place Award
Original home built in 1905 this Queen Anne with Free Classic detailing sat on a 75’ wide lot in the Historic District of Naperville.  The land was formerly part of the Morris Sleight farm.  Taking advantage of this wider than average lot the addition extended to the side as well as to the rear.  The new wrap-around porch helped highlight the use of this extra space.   This home like others of this era had only a 2nd floor hall bathroom and was without one on the 1st floor.   The renovation included a 2-story addition on the side and back with a full basement under the back section.  The 1st floor part of the renovation includes a new kitchen, family room, dining area, office, mudroom, bathroom, and closets.  A back stairway was added as well as a family room masonry fireplace.  The 2nd floor work included a new master suite with sleeping porch, and walk-in closet.  A 2nd floor laundry room was also added.  The wrap-around porch and rear cedar deck now extend their seasonal living space. 

The Douglas fir beaded ceiling is a typical feature on older homes.

Rear elevation before - The 1-story part was removed including the foundation.

Rear elevation after -
The skirted base of the rear deck provides a finished look and hopefully keeps critters out.  Sections can be removed for access [by humans].

Period details include beaded wainscoting, old fashioned medicine cabinet with cupboard latch and ball-top hinges, railed glass shelf, old-fashioned door locks, sub-way style tiling, and Kohler Memoirs fixtures.

Built-ins and lots of wood help create the warmth of the historic homes.   The new rear stairway can be seen in the background.

“We continue to be very, very pleased with the results of our addition/renovation and our experience with Acorn Custom Builders and Mr. Packey A’Hearn.

During the few years that have passed since the completion of Acorn’s work our home has won a local award for the best renovation of an older home, and has been used twice as the location of a photo shoot for a national retailer’s Halloween and Christmas print advertisements.”

David and April Horner

Before

After – addition & renovation in 2001-2002

The “sleeping porch” off of the master suite sits above the family room.

Cedar siding and trim details to match the old style -

Painted kitchen cabinets with butcher-block tops, and hardwood flooring throughout -

“One of our major goals was to maintain the character of the original home throughout the addition.  Packey reproduced architectural details faithfully on both the exterior and interior of the home, and today visitors to our home often comment about how well the
new portion of the home blends with the old; most cannot figure out where the early 20th century house ends and the early 21st century addition begins.”

Mosaic tiles with custom pattern -

Windows made to fit the homeowners’ leaded glass panes sit above custom bookshelves and flank the traditional-style fireplace.  New custom bookcases at the family room entrance were inspired by originals from the homeowners’ previous nearby 1915 home. 

“We met with several builders before selecting Packey for our project. He got the job for several reasons. His bid was competitive and in line with most of the other builders. Equally important was the fact that we felt we were most likely to get high-quality work by doing business with Packey rather than with one of the other builders.”