Remodeling contractor in Park Ridge, IL

Permits come from the Community Preservation and Development department at City Hall, 505 Butler Place. Everything goes through the Civic Access portal, and the City says reviews take up to two weeks, with two weeks the standard from May to September. A residential permit is good for one year. Inspections are booked in a morning or afternoon block, not a set time.

Contractors register with the City every calendar year, January to December, with a certificate of insurance naming the City. Trades show their licence, and a plumber has to file a job specific letter of intent before the permit can be approved. Park Ridge does not require contractor bonds. We register before we pull. You do not need a permit to replace windows unless the opening gets bigger.

The town was Pennyville, then Brickton, after the clay pits on the north side that turned out millions of bricks a year. It became Park Ridge in 1873. Building picked up in the 1920s, when the Pickwick Theatre went up in 1928, and again after the war as O'Hare and Lutheran General Hospital arrived in the 1950s.

So the city mixes 1920s houses with postwar streets. There are enough century old houses that the Historic Preservation Commission runs a recognition map for 100 year old homes. City figures put the housing stock at 77 percent single family detached and the rest multi family and townhomes.

Park Ridge has its own kitchen, bathroom and general remodel guidelines, which the City is updating for the 2021 codes it has adopted. The remodel checklist wants drawings that separate existing work from new, the square footage of the work and of the whole house including the basement, and a list of every contractor and subcontractor. Incomplete submittals are not taken in.

Older houses often need a new water service when a bathroom is added. The City wants a new service at least 10 feet from trees and 10 feet from the sewer, or benched at least 18 inches above the sewer line where that is not possible. A plumber's letter of intent goes in with every plumbing permit.

The City's basement guideline sets a 7 foot ceiling for habitable rooms and hallways and 6 feet 8 inches for bathrooms and laundry rooms. Older basements with low ducts or beams need checking before you plan a family room. Egress window wells must drain to the foundation drainage or a sump and need heavy duty covers that do not lock, and new wells need a current plat of survey.

Flooding is the city's own stated concern. Its hazard plan says urban flooding is increasing, with five significant events in 2018 alone, mostly due to an antiquated combination sewer system, and that nearly 500 basements flooded on July 23, 2011. Public Works has been relining old sewers, and the Farmers and Prairie Creeks project with MWRD adds flood storage. Overhead sewers, backflow protection and a proper sump are worth planning into any finished basement here.

In the first three residential districts a house can cover 35 percent of the lot, and single family homes have a floor area ratio of 0.45, with a small bonus in some cases. The first floor can sit no more than 4 feet above grade. Any change to yard or bulk needs the City's zoning calculation workbook, and a plat older than six months needs an owner certification.

Park Ridge has a Historic Preservation Commission that recommends landmarks to the City Council, and the City lists the Pickwick Theatre and the Iannelli Studios among its landmarks. If a house is landmarked and the work needs a certificate of appropriateness, the City code says no other permit can be issued until the Commission decides on it.

Park Ridge adopts the 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code with local amendments. Pools and their equipment go in the rear yard only, at least 8 feet from every lot line. A walkway at grade must stay 5 feet from lot lines and an elevated deck around the pool 12 feet.

The fence rule is stricter than most towns. Every pool must be enclosed by a 5 foot fence, with 5 foot gates that are self closing and self latching at the top. Pool plans go to the City's environmental health officer before the permit is issued.