The condo kitchen remodel checklist.

Start with the building's rules, not the layout

Most Chicago associations publish remodeling rules, sometimes as a short policy and sometimes as a full construction handbook. Ask the management office for the current version before the first design conversation. It usually tells you what the building will not allow, which is more useful at the start than at the end.

The checklist

1. Association approval

Most associations require a written application with drawings, a scope description, the contractor's details and a schedule before work can begin. Some boards meet monthly, so the approval clock can be the longest item in the whole project. Submit early, and ask whether a plumbing or electrical change needs a separate sign-off from the building's engineer.

2. Certificates of insurance

Buildings typically require a certificate of insurance from the contractor naming the association and often the management company as additional insured, with minimum general liability and workers' compensation limits stated in the rules. Confirm the required limits and the exact wording of the additional-insured line before the contractor requests the certificate, because a re-issued certificate can cost a week.

3. Approved work hours

Weekday hours, no weekend work and quiet periods are common. Shorter permitted days stretch the construction calendar compared with a house, so the schedule should be built on the building's hours from the start rather than a standard workday.

4. Elevator and loading-dock reservations

Cabinets, stone, appliances and demolition debris all move through a freight elevator and a dock during set hours, usually by reservation. Measure the elevator cab, the door and every corridor turn before ordering an island top or a tall pantry cabinet. A piece that does not fit the elevator is a piece that arrives in two parts or not at all.

5. Water shutoffs

Many older buildings have no isolation valve in the unit, so replacing supply lines means shutting down a riser that serves the units above and below. Shutoffs are scheduled with building engineering, often with notice to neighbors, and sometimes only on certain days. Plumbing rough-in has to be planned around those windows.

6. The plumbing stack

Drains and vents run in a stack shared with the units above and below. The sink and dishwasher can usually shift along the same wall; moving them to an island depends on the slope the drain needs, the ceiling of the unit below and what the association allows. Confirm this before the layout is drawn, not after the cabinets are ordered.

7. Debris removal

Demolition debris cannot sit in the corridor. Buildings specify how it leaves: bagged and carried during set hours, or through a reserved dock to a container that itself may need a permit or a parking arrangement. Protection of the corridor, elevator cab and lobby is usually required and inspected.

8. Delivery restrictions

Deliveries are tied to the same dock and elevator reservations, and some buildings limit the number per day. Cabinet and appliance deliveries are scheduled with the building as well as the supplier, and a missed window can push installation by days.

9. Neighbor communication

Demolition, tile cutting and stone installation are loud. Most buildings require, and all neighbors appreciate, notice before noisy phases. A short note with the expected dates and the contractor's contact prevents the complaints that lead a board to tighten hours mid-project.

10. Building-specific contractor requirements

Some buildings keep a list of approved trades for plumbing or electrical work, require the building engineer to be present for shutoffs, or require a deposit against damage to common areas. Others require contractor registration with the management office and badges for crew members. These belong in the contractor's scope before pricing.

City permits still apply

Association approval is not a building permit. Electrical, plumbing and structural work in a Chicago condominium still goes through the City's permit processes, and the City's own permit guidance includes a sample condominium association approval letter among its application documents, which shows how routinely the two travel together.

• Chicago kitchen remodel permitsWhich parts of the work usually involve city permits.
• Condo kitchen remodelingWhat usually can and cannot move in a condo kitchen.

How we run condo projects

Reviewing the building's remodeling rules, insurance requirements and hours is part of planning. At the in-home visit we locate the stack, the shutoffs and the delivery path, and we measure the elevator. The proposal prices the coordination the building requires, and the schedule is built on the building's calendar. Corridors and the elevator are protected before demolition, debris leaves on the building's schedule and neighbors are notified before noisy phases.

• How our process worksThe in-home visit and what follows.
• What shapes the costCondo logistics as a cost factor.