Family Returns Home to Build New at Prairie Trails in Manhattan

Stacey and Keith Robinson did not plan to build a new home; it just worked out that way. After selling their previous Georgia home in three days, the couple and their young son headed north to return to their roots after 21 years of living away. Natives of Tinley Park and Indiana, they initially focused their search on the south suburbs for a resale home with plenty of land.

The Robinsons were with a real estate agent looking at an old farm house on Cedar Road in Manhattan when they noticed and took a liking to the Butternut Ridge development across the street. “We saw a sign on the property for Prairie Trails in Manhattan and decided to visit,” Stacey said.

Both Butternut Ridge and Prairie Trails feature homes built by Distinctive Home Builders. Distinctive has built hundreds of homes in Manhattan and thousands in the Will and south Cook county area over the past 30 years.

They visited the sales office and met with Bryan Nooner, the owner of Distinctive. The couple selected the largest home site available at Prairie Trails which backs up to the Prairie Path, a 22-mile trail.

“We looked through the models available and chose the Prairie model. We liked the two-story Great Room and created a floor-to-ceiling stone wall by the fireplace with a custom hearth and mantle. The fireplace is framed with windows on either side,” said Stacey Robinson.

“We knew what we wanted and Distinctive didn’t say no to anything we asked for; such as an island in the kitchen instead of a breakfast bar. The Prairie model typically has a door in the kitchen leading to the basement. We asked for and Distinctive gladly opened up and finished the staircase leading upstairs and down into the basement. We also opted to move the laundry room to the basement and designed a mud room in its place,” said Stacey.

The Robinsons were the first buyers at Prairie Trails to build a Prairie model, a new home design from Distinctive Home Builders. Prairie Trails offers three- and four-bedroom homes ranging in size from 1,600 to over 3,000 square feet with ranch, split level and two-story designs. Special limited time Pre-Construction prices are still in effect and are priced from the low $200s. Many quality appointments and value-added amenities are included in the base price that are considered upgrades with most other builders.

Distinctive Home Builders is re-defining the building experience! Buyers can choose from 12 different home designs at Prairie Trails; each available in three to eight different elevations. Other premium standard features included at Prairie Trails that are not offered anywhere else in the marketplace are brick exteriors on all four sides of the first floor, free basements in most models, ceramic tile floors in the kitchen, baths and foyer; and custom maple cabinets. Distinctive kitchen cabinets feature solid maple wood construction (no particle board), have solid wood drawers with dove tail joints, which is very rare in the marketplace.

“Everybody says it’s a headache to build a home,” Stacey added. “We would build three more homes with Distinctive; the process was so smooth. Every-off site person we went to spoke positively about Distinctive Home Builders and Bryan Nooner. The day after we moved in, we discovered one outlet in the living room that wasn’t working and we placed a call to let Distinctive’s Project Manager Jeff Schultz know, thinking we would hear from him in a couple of days. However, within five minutes an electrician arrived – and that was on a Saturday,” Stacey said.

Keith is retired from the Air Force and currently works at O’Hare Airport as an aircraft mechanic and Stacey is a Teller Supervisor at a Credit Union in Tinley Park. They have a son who will be starting kindergarten soon so quality schools played a large factor in their purchase decision. Prairie Trails High school age children attend Lincoln-Way Central High School in District 210 in nearby New Lenox, which is ranked among the top 10 high schools in the Chicago area. Wilson Creek Elementary and Manhattan Junior High School are also nearby.

Prairie Trails is a beautiful place to live featuring a 20 acre lake on the site, as well as direct access to a 22-mile Prairie Path that borders the community. The Metra station is also nearby.

In addition to the Limited Time Discounts and Pre-Construction Specials visit the on-site information center for Unadvertised Specials and view the numerous styles of homes being offered and the available lots. Call (708) 479-7700 for more information or visit the website www.distinctivehomebuilders.com.

The Prairie Trails New Home Information Center is located three miles south of Laraway Rd. on Rt. 52. The address is 24850 Manhattan Rd. Manhattan, IL. 60422. Open Daily 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Closed Wednesday and Thursday and always available by appointment.

Image caption: The Robinsons were the first buyers at Prairie Trails in Manhattan to build a Prairie model, a new home design from Distinctive Home Builders. They liked the two-story Great Room and created a floor-to-ceiling stone wall by the fireplace with a custom hearth and mantle in their new home. Special limited time Pre-Construction prices are still in effect at Prairie Trails from the low $200s.