Don Jeanes

Jeanes Construction Company, Inc.
Putting the "WOW" Back into Home Building
By Deborah Rider Allen

When a buyer walks into a home built by Jeanes Construction Company, Inc., the typical response is "wow."

"I always make them come in through the front door first and when they open the door I try to create a "wow" factor," says Donald H. Jeanes, president of Jeanes Construction Company, Inc. of Palos Heights. "My signature is open space, open dining rooms with columns as accents and high ceilings. We use round cornered drywall because I love it and so do the buyers. I also use art niches throughout the house that people love and I put in extra lighting to wash the walls for artwork."

And this is just the small glimpse of the spectacular features and craftsmanship in the homes that Jeanes builds. The most ironic part of his story of success is that it all happened through an unsuccessful attempt to buy a house for himself. Jeanes was a carpenter who had been running a remodeling business since 1970, when he and his wife, Pam, put a bid on a house. The next day the house sold to someone else. Aggravated, Jeanes started looking around and spotted an empty lot in the area and contacted the builder who owned it. "We had a good talk and he said I could buy his lot and build my own house with his help, " says Jeanes. "So he put me in touch with subcontractors and I did the carpentry on the house and before I ever finished it, I had people who wanted to buy it, so I sold it. It was a learning experience and I really enjoyed building."

Having sold his house, he still needed one to live in, so he went into Palos Park and built another house, where he lived for the next three years. Then he sold that one and built another house down the street where he currently lives. But by that time he had caught building fever. In 1977, he bought 10 lots in Homer Township, built 10 homes and sold them all.

Today Jeanes Construction Company, Inc. has become a well-known builder and developer in the Chicago area. Besides residential building, the company also has a commercial division that builds schools, churches, shopping centers, and warehouses.

Jeanes Construction's latest residential building/developing project is Westgate Valley Estates on 131st and Ridgeland in Palos Heights. The 192-acre property, which used to be home to two golf courses, is being developed into both single-family homes and townhouses. Jeanes sold off the townhome development to another builder and is building the 76 acres of single-family homes on 1/4- to 3/4-acre lots, with four other builders.

Jeanes Construction homes range in size from 2,900 to 5,000 square feet, and cater to a wide variety of home buyers. "It is just incredible the response we have gotten," says Jeanes, who now has three models open, but is seeing as many as 400 people tour them each weekend. "People are already 'wowing' when they see the way the models are decorated."

One model, called the Waterford, features a two-story foyer and two-story family room with a fireplace. The first-floor powder room has a furnished vanity and the study has a wet bar. The handcrafted Wood-Mode cabinets in the kitchen have Jeanes' standard granite countertops and here is an automated Smart lighting control system installed in the home. The master suite is a whole wing on one side of the house and has a decorative tray ceiling. The master bathroom has a vanity on either side of the whirlpool tub, a dressing vanity and the face of the tub has the same handcrafted wood of the kitchen cabinets. The two-person, walk-in shower features two showerheads, two faucets and a seat. The outside of the home includes a brick-paver patio, sidewalk and driveway. Besides the Waterford, Jeanes offers designs for six other models.

"The word is out on the streets about this house, so people will come in and say, 'This is the house with the home theater seating in the basement,' or 'this is the house with the black granite bathtub,'" says Jeanes, who says that his saleswoman, Elizabeth, is glad to show people around the models and answer questions. As part of all their home packages, Jeanes also offers the services of his interior designer, Kathy Dickinson, for five hours for each homeowner.

The community itself is surrounded on three sides by a forest preserve. In the single-family home area, Jeanes has managed to save 75 percent of the trees, many of which are 70-year-old oak trees. The brick entranceway has a dual street island with ponds on both sides with fountains. The street lighting is black ornamental, old fashioned lights and the mailboxes for each house match the street signs and lights. Jeanes admits he has gone to special lengths to make this development a success, especially since it is right next door to the town where he was once the mayor.

"People are watching what I am doing and I put in a lot of money to make it one of the premier subdivisions in the south side of Chicago," he says. "I want people to remember that Don Jeanes built that development."

Besides focusing on the development and the houses, Don Jeanes takes the relationship between the builder and the homeowner very seriously. "I think it is so important that a relationship is built so they know whom they are dealing with and get that trust right away," he says. "We assure them that we will build the best house and that the whole experience will be enjoyable all the way through." Some of Jeanes' customers have been so pleased with the building process that they have written letters of appreciation and brought cakes and pies to the office.

Besides Don, his wife, Pam, and son, Michael, also work in the company. Pam handles payroll, oversees payouts and subs. Michael started working in the office on bids, and is now working in the field to get a real feel for the business.

Jeanes Construction Company builds about 15 homes a year so that the work can be "honest, fair, personal and hands-on," which is the way Jeanes likes it. "I remember that feeling when I did my first remodeling job and I stood back and admired what I had done. I still do that with every single house I build," says Jeanes, who still does every final walk-through himself even though the superintendent does it as part of his job. "I get up in the morning and enjoy going to work. As long as I still enjoy it I will continue to do it. I also feel very loyal to my employees that have been with me a long time. They are very dedicated and also friends. I want to keep the business going to keep them and my family working. As long as everyone is still enjoying it, we will continue to do it."