Remodeling contractor in North Center, Chicago

Permits come from the City of Chicago Department of Buildings, and the city requires a licensed general contractor for permitted work. We pull the permit and handle the inspections.

There is no Chicago Landmark district in North Center. The former Engine Company 86 firehouse at 2414 W. Cuyler, built in 1899, is an individual landmark. The rule that catches more owners is the demolition delay. If a building is rated red or orange in the Chicago Historic Resources Survey, the city can hold its demolition permit for up to 90 days to look at preserving it. Check the rating before you decide between remodelling and rebuilding.

CMAP's community snapshot puts 51.4 percent of North Center's homes in buildings from before 1940, with a median year built of 1939. But 21.8 percent were built between 1990 and 2009 and another 11.1 percent since 2010, far more than the city average. Owner occupancy has climbed from 41.2 percent in 2000 to 56.9 percent now.

Two unit buildings hold 17.4 percent of homes and three and four unit buildings 25.4 percent, so the flat is still the backbone of the neighbourhood. At the same time 9.5 percent of homes have five or more bedrooms, more than double the city share. That is the new construction showing up in the numbers.

In a prewar two flat the work is about the drain stack, old supply lines and floors that have settled over a century. We open up, check what earlier owners left behind and plan the layout from the plumbing.

The houses built in the 1990s and 2000s are now 15 to 35 years old. Their structure is sound, but the original kitchens, tile showers and builder grade fixtures are reaching the end of their life. These jobs are usually a straight replacement in the same footprint, which keeps the permit simple. We also look for the usual failures in houses of that age, such as shower pans and window flashing that have let water in.

The North Branch of the Chicago River is North Center's west edge, and FEMA maps a Zone A strip along it covering about two percent of the community area. Away from the river, the risk is the sewer. Chicago's Department of Water Management says heavy storms fill the mains and push water back into basements through private drains, and that older code had downspouts tied into the house drain.

If your basement is low, getting a finished space with proper headroom can mean lowering the floor, which brings in underpinning, a new slab and new drains. Before any finishing we check backflow protection and floor drains, and we use materials that survive a backup.

About half of North Center's land is zoned RS3 on the city zoning map, with RT4 on some blocks. Under the Chicago Zoning Ordinance, RS3 allows a floor area ratio of 0.90 and a maximum height of 30 feet. RT4 allows 1.20 and 38 feet. The rear setback is 28 percent of lot depth or 50 feet for a detached house and 30 percent for other buildings.

A house built in the last 30 years may have been designed right up to its floor area limit, leaving no room for an addition under the code. An older house or flat on the same size lot may have plenty. We check your zoning and existing floor area before you spend on drawings.

North Center is community area 5, bounded by Montrose, Diversey, Ravenswood Avenue and the river. It takes in Northcenter, St. Ben's, Hamlin Park and Roscoe Village, with Brown Line stops at Addison, Irving Park and Montrose. The city's ZIP code boundaries put most of it in 60618, with parts in 60613 and 60657.