Questions owners ask

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Per state rules and your contract: a deposit, then payments tied to finished stages, all written into the contract before work starts. Your contract states every amount. We never ask for the whole price up front.

Any change gets a written change order with its cost and its weeks, signed by you before we do it.

We stop, photograph it, show you and write down the price and the weeks before we go on.

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.

We don't do kitchen-only or bath-only remodels, roof-only jobs or new houses. If your project is one of those, we'll say so and point you to someone else.

We don't lend. Some owners use a home equity line or a renovation loan from their bank or credit union. Lenders want drawings and a written estimate, and we provide both.

If your plan needs a zoning approval, the city has notice rules, and we explain them. Either way, we tell next-door neighbors about the dumpster, the scaffold and the work hours before the work starts.