Beechen and Dill Homes provides value beyond the bottom line

Providing value in the present and future remains a central philosophy for this veteran Southland builder

From flooring and cabinets to countertops and colors, there’s plenty to consider when buying a new home. Oftentimes, however, the six-figure number hovering over the deal draws a disproportionate amount of attention.

Yet, a fixation on that number frequently fails to tell the whole story. A home’s value comes not only from what one pays, but what one receives for their money in the present as well as the future. If that home requires consistent repairs, renovations, and upgrades, then what value did the homeowner reap from their investment?

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten,” Beechen and Dill co-founder Gerald Dill told one Chicago newspaper in 1985. His words, as true today as they were then, remain a central philosophy of the Burr Ridge-based builder he established in 1972.

As the real estate market tightens and builders across Chicagoland strip down their homes and features list and attempt to lure buyers with cash incentives, Beechen and Dill has taken the opposite approach: to expand its offerings and emerge a step above comparable homes, thereby providing buyers a home that will evolve with the times and deliver on its potential.

“We are still taking the same approach my father (Gerald Dill) and his partner took decades ago and that is to provide value for the homeowner today and in the years to come,” said second-generation homebuilder Matthew Dill, Beechen and Dill Homes President. “We want it to be a no-brainer when it comes to comparing us to the competition.”

At Beechen and Dill’s Creekside Estates community in Lockport, buyers purchasing one of the development’s 124-single family homes receive plenty of value beyond the attractive price. Sodded yards, first floor brick, and concrete driveways, all standard in each home, present noteworthy features beyond the norm. The builder also includes On-Q distribution panels in basements to “future proof” the home’s wiring system for technological advances as well as Pella aluminum-clad wood windows with energy-efficient LOE glass.

“We’re continually bettering our homes, not stripping them down and offering less and less,” said Bob Williams, sales director at Creekside Estates. “We’re looking to ‘green’ products and energy-efficient options because we understand the long-term value in those products. Our motivation is to give buyers the best possible return on their investment.”

At Misty Ridge in Romeoville, where 4-bedroom, 2.5-bath homes can be had for less than $300,000, homes include full basements with damp proofing and insulated foundation walls as well as energy efficient windows and air conditioning. A pair of new, but already accomplished schools across the street adds further value to the community’s homes.

“We want to give quality to the buyer up front and the reputation we’ve built over the last three decades provides proof to our sincerity with that goal,” said Amy Brooks, community consultant at Misty Ridge.

In the end, Beechen and Dill understands that value arrives—and survives—well beyond the final price point.

“We understand that people are entrusting us to build a quality home worthy of their tremendous investment and we do not take that trust lightly,” said Dill, noting the company’s 30-plus years as a custom builder.

“We want our buyers to see that every dollar they put in was a dollar well spent. That’s why we include the upgrades and standard features we do—to give the homeowner optimum value on their investment. That philosophy worked for us 30 years ago and continues to work for us today.”

For additional information on the Beechen and Dill communities mentioned above, Creekside Estates and Misty Ridge, please visit www.beechendill.com. Creekside Estates is located one block east of Farrell Road on 151st Street in Lockport. Misty Ridge can be found on Normantown Road in Romeoville, approximately 1.5 miles east of Weber Road.