308 Sheldon Avenue

Description

Solid brick home with extra deep, private yard backing onto Hummer Park. Stunning, mature landscaping. Ranch home with hardwood floors under carpeting. Attached garage with extra tall door & extra high ceiling for storage. Large sun porch off Kitchen with reflective film on windows. Doublewide, concrete driveway. Addition possibilities. Full, partially finished basement with good ceiling height. Basement finished areas: laundry room, full bath, bedroom/office/den/game room. Yard has paver-brick patio, walkways & several paver-brick flower gardens. Laundry room is a separate, large room with double laundry tub, shelving (including built-in), storage facility (for iron, ironing board, mop, bucket, and carpet shampooer), and plenty of room for a folding table. Half the basement is a large, dedicated workroom with two work tables, plenty of shelving - including a wall of built-ins. There's also a separate storage room with more built-in shelving. There is generous storage & workspace in finished areas of the basement, both in the laundry room & in the extra room (latter has a wall of built-ins consisting of a desk & two dressers). This lot is unusual, in that it boasts a wide assortment of wildlife, including some not typically found in a suburban setting. The backyard bird watcher will be thrilled, of course. There are the usual Mourning Doves & extensive variety of finches, but also songbirds along with Black-capped Chickadees, White-Breasted Nuthatches, Cardinals, Blue Jays, etc. But there's also other wildlife -- rabbits, chipmunks, grey squirrels, red squirrels, and black squirrels along with an occasional Mallard, possum, and fox/coyote. Yes, Mallards have been known to waddle into the yard to feed on corn tossed at the base of a bird feeder. Earlier this year, two of them casually waddled in for a snack. They didn't fly in, like other birds. Instead, they walked in, as if it were no big deal to simply stroll on over to say hi and grab a bite to eat. First it was just a mated pair, then the two of them with their babies. The wide assortment of wildlife in this otherwise suburban setting arises from the unique situation of a being next to extensive green space (Hummer Park) with a creek running through it (Saint Joseph's Creek). The creek is a key wildlife habitat, because it's a water resource, but the creek also is bordered with large trees & dense vegetation providing food, protection, and shelter. Hummer is a large park & one of Downers Grove's premier parks. In addition to offering habitat attractive to wildlife, it offers many things for families & kids. It has a big, fully improved indoor/outdoor pavilion, BBQ grills, picnic tables, and large playground area. In the summer, it hosts special events for kids which are sponsored by the Park District. As this lot backs up to the park, kids can get to the park quickly and safely, right out their backdoor. But the lot is also separated from the park's active areas by the creek. This separation affords the lot a measure of quiet and privacy even during the park's most active periods. However, the kids still have safe and direct access to those active areas via the public entryway. This entryway can be reached either via the public sidewalk which runs in front of the house or via a grassed area which lies between the creek and the lot. This lot was the late homeowner's dream lot. Lots like this one are exceedingly rare. When the lot finally did hit the market, he snapped it up and then lived here happily for many years. He was an avid gardener, and the lot shows it. There's something blooming here all season long, with a lovely succession of flowering plants & trees, one after another. If you love privacy, this is your lot. If you love parks, this is your lot. If you love birds, this is your lot. If you love all that blooms, this is your lot.