“The timeline on paper matched what happened. When the city's comments came back, Milan told us the week and what he was changing.”
Ludmila K.Rear addition, Jefferson Park
Additions for Chicago bungalows and two-flats
Room to grow, on the house you already love.
We draw, permit and build attic expansions, rear additions and second stories. Before you sign anything, you see the plan and permit timeline in weeks.
- We pull the permits
- Spanish and English
Permit and plan timeline
From first visit to first nail, in weeks
A typical second-story or rear addition. The city's review is the one stretch we can't speed up, so it shows as a range.
- Weeks 1–2
Step 1: Site visit and measure
We measure inside and out, look at the roof, the joists and the basement, and photograph the block. You get a written scope of what we found.
- Weeks 3–6
Step 2: Drawings and zoning check
Plans are drawn to your house as it stands. We check your lot against the zoning limits for height, setbacks and floor area before the drawings go further.
- Week 7
Step 3: Your sign-off
You go through the drawings and a plain-language scope with us. Changes are easiest on paper, so this is the week to ask for them.
- Weeks 8–14
Step 4: City plan review
We submit the plans with the sealed structural pages and answer the city's comments. The city sets this clock, so we show it as a range and update it whenever the city writes back.
- Weeks 15–16
Step 5: Permit in hand
Materials are ordered, the crew is booked and your build schedule is written down: start day, roof-open days, shut-offs and inspections.
- Weeks 17–30
Step 6: Build and inspections
Framing, roof, wiring, plumbing, heat and finishes, with the city's inspections along the way. We call you before every shut-off.
Typical ranges, for planning. Your written schedule sets your weeks.
What we build
Four jobs, one crew from drawings to inspection
Attic and dormer expansions
A dormer, a real stair and heat turn the half-story under the roof into bedrooms or an office.
See attic expansions
Rear additions and bump-outs
Chicago lots are long. The room is usually in the back: a bigger kitchen, a family room, a bedroom.
See rear additions
Second-story additions
A new floor on a one-story brick house, once an engineer says the walls and foundation can carry it.
See second stories
Plans, engineering and permits
Drawings, sealed structural pages, the zoning check and the city's review, handled by us and reported to you by the week.
See plans and permits
The bungalow belt
We know what's inside the house on your block
Chicago's brick bungalows went up in the 1910s, 20s and 30s: brick walls, a low roof, a half-story above and a long, narrow lot. They are sturdy houses with limits we know to look for before we promise a plan.
What we check first
Rafters, joists and bearing walls
Headroom and where a stair can go
Rear-yard, height and floor-area limits
The wiring, plumbing and heat that came with the house
Check us
Registered, lead-safe trained and insured, with places to check
Registration
General contractor registration
IL Reg. # 000000 · City of Chicago, Department of Buildings
Registered with the city to pull building permits for work in Chicago
Lead-safe work
EPA Lead-Safe Certified Firm (RRP)Verify
Required for paid work that disturbs paint in homes built before 1978. Check the firm on the EPA's lookup.
Insurance
General liability and workers' compensation
Certificates go to you, or to your lender, before work starts
From past clients
What owners say about the weeks
“We lived in the house the whole time. The crew told us the roof-open days before they started, so we could plan around them.”
Ricky A.Second story, Dunning
“They explained the permit in Spanish and in English, with the same dates on both pages. My mother could read it too.”
Nallely C.Attic expansion, Belmont Cragin
Sample reviews.
Before you call
Questions owners ask first
Can my bungalow take a second floor or a bigger attic?
Sometimes. We look at the roof framing, the joists, the walls and the foundation first. Headroom, the stair path and the zoning limits on height decide as much as the structure does. After the site visit you get a written answer, including when the answer is no.
Who pulls the permit?
We do. We prepare the application, submit it and answer the city's comments. You sign wherever the city requires the owner's signature. Permits, plan review and inspections are written into your scope.
How long does the permit take?
That's the part we can't promise. The timeline shows the range we plan for. The city's review depends on the project and on its queue, so your schedule shows the weeks as a range and we update it whenever the city writes back.
My house was built before 1978. Does that change anything?
Yes. Most Chicago bungalows are older than 1978, so the EPA's lead rule (RRP) covers paid work that disturbs paint. We seal the work area with plastic, keep dust down, clean with HEPA vacuums and test the area before we take the barriers down. Windows and demolition are always covered. Small jobs that disturb less than 6 square feet of paint inside, or 20 outside, can be exempt, but an addition is not one of them. Our EPA certification is on the credentials page.
Can we stay in the house while you build?
Usually, with a plan. A second story with the roof open is the hardest stretch, so we write down the roof-open days, the shut-offs and where the dust barrier goes. If a stretch isn't livable, we say so before you sign.
Who on the crew speaks Spanish?
Jimena Loera (permits and scheduling) and Vicente Centeno (lead carpenter) speak Spanish and English. Milan Stepien speaks Polish and English. Ask for a walk-through in the language you prefer when you book the site visit.
Our blocks
The bungalow belt and the blocks around it
We build on the northwest and southwest sides of Chicago and in the near western suburbs. Type your ZIP code to see if we come to you.
- Northwest side: Portage Park, Jefferson Park, Irving Park, Dunning, Belmont Cragin, Hermosa, Montclare, Albany Park, Norwood Park
- Southwest side: Garfield Ridge, Clearing, Archer Heights, Chicago Lawn
- Near western suburbs: Bellwood, Harwood Heights, Maywood, Westchester, Stickney, Brookfield
We don't build on the north shore, in DuPage County, on the south side below 63rd Street or in Indiana.
ZIP codes: 60630, 60631, 60634, 60639, 60641, 60646, 60656, 60638, 60629, 60632, 60706, 60104, 60153, 60402, 60513
Start here
Tell us about your house
We call or text within a business day to set a time for the site visit. A written scope follows the visit.
Phone(773) 555-0100
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- SaturdayToday
- By appointment
- SundayToday
- Closed