Service areas · West and near suburbs
Kitchen and bathroom remodeling in La Grange.
La Grange was founded in 1879, and its older section holds houses from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries inside a National Register historic district, with postwar neighborhoods around it. We plan every kitchen and bathroom here from measurements at your home, with the village’s permit and contractor registration rules built into the schedule.
Serving La Grange, Illinois, ZIP 60525. Part of our West and near suburbs service area.
Kitchens in La Grange
Kitchens in La Grange’s older houses.
The houses in La Grange’s historic district were built with the kitchen as a service room: at the back, separated from the dining room, with a pantry and a rear stair. A remodel there is usually about connecting the kitchen to the dining room, absorbing the pantry, and finding storage without losing the trim, doors and proportions that make the house what it is. Postwar houses outside the district raise the more familiar question of opening the kitchen to the family room.
The village’s permit list is specific: adding or remodeling a kitchen or bathroom needs a permit, as does any alteration to interior plumbing or electrical, while replacing fixtures on existing shutoffs or appliances in the same location does not. We draw two or three layouts with their costs at the start, and the permit follows the one you choose.
Local context
Planning a remodel in La Grange.
When a permit is required
La Grange requires a permit to add or remodel a bathroom, kitchen, basement, attic or any existing room, for any alteration to an interior electrical or plumbing system, and to install or replace central air, a furnace or ductwork. Replacing plumbing fixtures on existing shutoffs, replacing electrical fixtures without wiring changes and replacing appliances in the same location do not need one. Permits are applied for through the village’s online portal, and the Building Official performs the required inspections.
Village of La Grange, when a permit is requiredContractor registration
It is unlawful to work as a contractor in La Grange without registering with the village, no permit is issued until every contractor on the application is registered, and all work must be done by registered contractors. General contractors, carpenters, HVAC contractors and electricians provide a bond and a certificate of insurance naming the village as an additional insured; plumbers provide their state license. Registrations run the calendar year and are renewed annually. We are registered, and the schedule reflects it.
La Grange contractor registrationThe historic district
The Village of La Grange Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The village describes the listing as honorary: owners of private property listed in the National Register are free to maintain, manage or dispose of their property as they choose where there is no federal involvement, and no local landmark commission is involved in a kitchen or bathroom remodel. The district’s houses are the ones most likely to need plumbing and electrical updating once the walls open.
La Grange historic districtMunicipal requirements change and depend on the property. We confirm what applies to your address during planning rather than assuming from the neighborhood.
What we do here
The kind of La Grange projects we take on.
Every project uses the same design and build team. These pages explain the scope in more depth.
Recent work
Recent work near La Grange.
Recent projects completed by the contractors on our team, each labeled with its own location and its contractor.
- 2 photosHinsdale Waterfall Island Kitchenby TomSee the project
- 3 photosNaperville White Kitchen with Breakfast Bayby TomSee the project
Bathrooms in La Grange
Bathroom remodeling in La Grange.
Bathrooms in the historic district’s houses were added or rebuilt more than once over a century, so a remodel often finds two generations of plumbing behind the wall and a floor built up in layers. A complete remodel takes the room to the studs, replaces the exposed old pipe, levels the floor and fits a waterproofed tub or walk-in shower, a vanity with drawers, an exhaust fan ducted outside and lighting at the mirror. Postwar houses have the familiar hall bath and small primary bath, which is often enlarged into a closet for a walk-in shower and a double vanity.
The village requires a permit to remodel a bathroom and for any interior plumbing or electrical alteration, and the Building Official inspects the work; replacing a faucet or toilet on existing shutoffs does not need one, which is the line between a fixture swap and the complete remodels we take on. Heated tile floors are one of the most requested additions.
Investment
Budget considerations in La Grange.
Houses from the late 1800s and early 1900s carry more unknowns behind the walls than postwar ones, so proposals in the historic district tend to include more plumbing and electrical updating and plaster repair than a kitchen of the same size in a newer house. Structural openings add engineering and permit time, and additions are checked against the village’s lot coverage rules before they are drawn.
We do not publish a price per square foot. The Investment page explains the three planning ranges and what moves a kitchen between them, and your priced proposal follows the in-home visit.
Questions
Questions from La Grange homeowners.
Does living in the La Grange historic district restrict a kitchen remodel?
No. The village describes National Register listing as honorary, and owners are free to maintain and manage their property as they choose where there is no federal involvement. The village’s building permit and inspection process applies as it does anywhere in La Grange.
Are you registered with the Village of La Grange?
Yes. La Grange does not issue a permit until every contractor on the application is registered, with a bond and insurance naming the village as an additional insured, and registrations are renewed each calendar year.
Does replacing a faucet or a dishwasher need a permit in La Grange?
Not on its own. The village lists replacing plumbing fixtures on existing shutoffs and replacing appliances in the same location as work that does not need a permit. A complete remodel that alters plumbing or wiring does, and we file it.
Do you remodel bathrooms in La Grange as well?
Yes. Complete bathroom remodels in the historic district’s houses and in postwar homes follow the same process as our kitchens, with the village’s permit and inspections in the schedule.
Let’s plan your kitchen or bathroom.
Have kitchen or bathroom photos? Include them with your inquiry for complimentary render previews within minutes. Photos are optional.
Nearby and related
- All service areasChicago, the North Shore and the western suburbs.
- Remodeling in HinsdaleComprehensive layout changes and the dining and pantry connection.
- Remodeling in Oak ParkKitchens that fit the character of an older home.
- Remodeling in Park RidgeImproving the footprint, the storage and the connection to living areas.
- Remodeling in ElmhurstKitchens across a century of Elmhurst houses.
- Bathroom remodelingPrimary baths, condo baths, showers and wet rooms.