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Service areas · Chicago

Kitchen and bathroom remodeling in Lakeview.

Lakeview runs from the vintage high-rises and courtyard buildings near the lake through the low-rise flats of Central Lakeview and Wrigleyville to the houses of West Lakeview. Most of our work here is in condominiums and converted flats, and we have completed a galley kitchen in the neighborhood.

Serving Lakeview, Chicago, ZIP 60657, 60613. Every Chicago ZIP code is inside our service area.

Narrow condo galley kitchen with white uppers, white oak slab lowers, pale quartz, glossy ivory tile and light oak floors

Kitchens in Lakeview

Condo galleys, courtyard buildings and three-flats.

Along the side streets between Lake Shore Drive and Broadway, rehabilitated vintage courtyard buildings are common, and their kitchens are galleys on shared stacks with plaster walls and a panel that has not grown since the building was converted. High-rises along the Drive add concrete slabs, building engineers and elevator reservations. Low-rise apartments and three-flats fill Central Lakeview and Wrigleyville, many of them now condominiums.

In every one of these the building decides what can move before the design does: the stack, the panel, whether a hood can vent outside, the association’s hours and insurance rules. We settle all of it at the consultation, then draw the galley or the opened-up kitchen to the inch, because in a condo every inch of depth counts.

Local context

Planning a remodel in Lakeview.

Landmark districts

Lakeview holds several Chicago Landmark districts, each a block or so: Alta Vista Terrace (1971), Hawthorne Place (1996), Newport Avenue between Halsted and Clark (2005) and Oakdale Avenue between Halsted and Mildred (2006), plus Wrigley Field as an individual landmark. The Lakeview National Register district covers a larger area roughly between Wrightwood, the lake, Belmont and Racine. For a designated Chicago Landmark or a building in a landmark district, the Historic Preservation Division reviews permit applications so the work does not affect the significant historical or architectural features named in the designation ordinance. The City says those features are typically the exterior elevations visible from the street, and that no additional permits are required for landmark buildings. A kitchen or bathroom remodel inside the walls is therefore usually outside that review; a new window, vent or rear opening on a designated building may not be, and we confirm it for the address before drawing it.

Newport Avenue District, Chicago Landmarks

City permits

The Department of Buildings’ Express Permit Program covers building repairs and a limited range of small improvement projects through an online platform, with guided worktypes that include electrical work, plumbing work, nonstructural interior alteration and mechanical work. A kitchen or bathroom remodel that alters plumbing or opens a wall goes through the standard permit process instead. We file whichever applies and schedule inspections before the walls close.

Chicago Express Permit Program

Condominium requirements

Shared stacks, water shutoffs scheduled with the building, certificates of insurance, approved hours and elevator reservations shape a Lakeview condo remodel more than any finish does. In high-rises the slab decides whether a drain can move at all. We confirm the building’s rules before the layout is drawn, and the condo checklist and board-approval guide explain what to expect.

Municipal 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 Lakeview projects we take on.

Every project uses the same design and build team. These pages explain the scope in more depth.

Everything a kitchen remodel involves

Recent work

Recent work in Lakeview and nearby.

Recent projects completed by the contractors on our team, each labeled with its own location and its contractor.

See all recent work

Bathrooms in Lakeview

Bathroom remodeling in Lakeview.

A Lakeview condo bathroom shares its stack with the units above and below and often sits on a concrete slab, so the toilet and shower usually stay near their positions while the vanity, storage, lighting, tile and ventilation are rebuilt around them. The waterproofing protects the unit below as much as yours, so we build it as a full membrane system, flood-test it before tile and keep the photos in your project file. Exhaust routing is confirmed with the building, since a new exterior vent is not always allowed.

In West Lakeview houses and three-flats the room is often the original one, rebuilt within its footprint with a level floor, a walk-in shower or tub and, where the owner wants it, a heated tile floor. A second bathroom in a garden unit or attic is drawn with its drain and vent routes settled at the consultation.

Bathroom with black hexagon tile on the wall and floor, a black veined vanity top and a glass walk-in shower
Bathroom remodels in Lakeview follow the same process as our kitchens: measured at the visit, priced from a written scope, permitted and inspected.

Investment

Budget considerations in Lakeview.

Condominium remodels carry coordination costs that houses do not: association approvals, insurance, scheduled shutoffs, elevator time and deliveries on approved hours. A slab that blocks a drain move, a panel with no room for induction or a hood that cannot vent outside each change the design, and Chicago’s conduit rule applies to every new circuit. Vintage buildings add plaster and old pipe.

We do not publish a price per square foot. The Investment page explains the planning ranges and what moves a kitchen between them, and your priced proposal follows the in-home visit.

What a kitchen remodel costs in ChicagoWhat shapes bathroom remodel cost

Questions

Questions from Lakeview homeowners.

Can the kitchen move in a Lakeview high-rise?

Rarely far. On a slab the drain has to reach the existing stack, and the building often restricts wet areas over a neighbor’s dry ones. Cabinets, counters, lighting and an opened wall can change a lot within those limits, and we show you what is possible at the consultation.

Does a house in a Lakeview landmark district need approval for interior work?

Usually not. The City reviews permits for landmark-district properties against the significant features in the designation ordinance, which it says are typically the exterior elevations visible from the street. Exterior changes may need review, and we confirm them for your address before designing them in.

Have you worked in Lakeview?

Yes. A narrow condo galley kitchen in Lakeview with white uppers, white oak slab lowers and light oak floors is in our gallery and shown on this page along with nearby projects.

Do you remodel bathrooms in Lakeview as well?

Yes. Complete bathroom remodels in condominiums, three-flats and houses follow the same process as our kitchens, with the building’s rules confirmed before design and the flood test before tile.

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.

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