Lake Geneva, WI –January 20, 2026– Peter and Tricia McIlwee raised their children in Darien, Illinois before retiring and heading to Arizona. However, oppressively hot Arizona summers and the impending birth of their first grandchild lured the couple back to the Midwest.
“The July heat in Arizona had us looking to move back to the Midwest and be closer to our children who live in Chicago and, we hoped, would make us grandparents someday,” said Tricia. “We knew we didn’t want to move back to Illinois but wanted to be close. As a child, Peter spent summers in the Lake Geneva area, so we decided to look there. After we started building our home, we found out we were having our first grandson.”
Peter and Tricia visited homes on Geneva Lake and the surrounding area but found the homes to be old, out-of-date and very expensive. “I owned a millwork company in Chicago before I retired and had heard of Shodeen Homes and knew they had a good reputation,” Peter said. “When we came upon Shodeen at Edgewood Vistas I felt confident they’d build us a quality home.”
Edgewood Vistas is Shodeen Homes’ community that offers 59 ranch and two-story single-family homes ranging from 1,328 to 2,249 square feet with prices starting from the $450s. Homes offer three or four bedrooms, two or 2 ½ baths and two or optional three-car garages. All homes include full, unfinished basements as well as fully sodded and landscaped homesites.
“We chose the Berquist because we liked the open floor plan,” said Peter. “Unlike other builders, Shodeen worked with us to customize our house. We extended the back of our home, added windows, increased the size of a kitchen window, changed the configuration of the mudroom, added a second-floor laundry room and a third-car garage.”
Offering 2,019 square feet of living space, the standard two-story Berquist includes three bedrooms, 2.5 baths, study, island kitchen with dining area open to the great room with two-story ceiling, loft, master bedroom suite with walk-in closet and private bath, full basement and attached two-car garage.
Features that are included in every Edgewood Vistas home include wide plank engineered hardwood flooring in kitchens, foyers and powder rooms, granite countertops, stainless-steel appliances, painted trim, baseboards and six-panel doors, ceramic tile flooring in bathrooms and a 1- 5- and 10-year warranty program.
“Joyce (Michel- Sales Manager) was wonderful to work with,” Tricia said. “She was helpful, responsive and walked us through the entire process.” Peter said his confidence in Shodeen was further solidified when he met with their lender.
“When we met with our lender, they told us they do a lot of mortgages for Shodeen and that they’re a great, stand-up company with a good reputation in the marketplace,” Peter said. “We’ve been in our home since July and are very pleased with the quality and value we received. They’ve lived up to our expectations.”
Edgewood Vistas, set among rolling hills and bordered by acres of mature trees and a walking path, is less than one mile from downtown Lake Geneva. Children attend Lake Geneva School District J1, including Badger High School.
“It’ a beautiful time of year with the leaves changing and the fall colors,” Tricia said. “We can walk to downtown Lake Geneva in less than 30 minutes which is nice.”
The Lake Geneva area is known for its 5,400-acre lake and 21-mile shore path that offer endless year-round recreational opportunities. Lake Geneva residents can take advantage of a myriad of 5-star dining options, seven area championship golf courses, boat rentals through numerous marinas, Lake Geneva Cruise line’s ice cream social and dinner cruises, four beaches, Timber Ridge Water Park, zip lining adventures, scooter tours and more.
To learn more about Edgewood Vistas please visit shodeenhomes.com or call (262) 496-0044. The model and sales center are located at 1605 Vista Court and are open Thursday through Monday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Tuesday and Wednesday by appointment.
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