Permit and plan timeline
Thirty weeks, written down
This is a typical second-story or rear addition, from the first visit to the final walk-through. Your schedule has your own weeks; the city's review is the one stretch that moves most.
- Weeks 1–2
Step 1: Site visit
Lauryn or Milan comes to the house with a tape, a camera and a ladder. We measure each floor, the roof and the lot, look at the basement and the electrical panel, and ask what you want the new space to do. A written scope follows, with what we found and what the job would include.
- Weeks 3–6
Step 2: Drawings
We draw the house as it stands, then the new rooms. An architect or structural engineer prepares the sealed pages the city asks for: beams, posts, footings and rafters. We check the lot against zoning for height, rear yard and floor area as the drawings take shape.
- Week 7
Step 3: Your sign-off
One meeting at the kitchen table: the drawings, the scope and a draft schedule. You mark what to change. We update the drawings before anything goes to the city.
- Weeks 8–14
Step 4: City plan review
Jimena files the application. The city reviews the plans, and its reviewers may write back with comments. Milan answers each one and tells you the week. The length of this step depends on the project and on the city's queue; the weeks here are what we plan for, not a promise.
- Weeks 15–16
Step 5: Permit and schedule
When the permit is issued we order long-lead materials, book the crew and give you the build schedule in writing: start day, the days the roof is open, water and power shut-offs, and when the inspector comes.
- Weeks 17–28
Step 6: Build
Footings and framing first, then the roof, windows, wiring, plumbing and heat, then drywall and finishes. Vicente's crew sets up dust barriers and floor protection every morning. We call you before any shut-off and send photos of what's inside the walls before they close.
- Weeks 29–30
Step 7: Inspections and walk-through
The city inspects at stages, and we schedule each one. At the end we walk the job with you, make a short list of fixes and put the warranty terms and the plans in your hands.
Typical ranges, for planning. Your written schedule sets your weeks.
The seasons
When each part of the work happens
Chicago weather sets what can be built when. Drawings and the city's review happen all year; the roof comes off in the warm months.
Site visits and drawings
Oct to Mar
City plan review
all year
Footings and rear additions
Apr to Nov
Roof-off work on second stories and dormers
May to Sep
Interior finishes
Oct to Apr
Sample content.
What the city looks at
Why the review takes weeks
Reviewers read the plans for zoning, structure, fire and energy rules. When something is unclear they write a comment, and the plans go back and forth. We answer the same week we get a comment, and we tell you which week the city has the plans.
What reviewers check
Zoning: height, rear yard, floor area
Structure: beams, posts and footings
Fire and egress: stairs, windows and alarms
Energy: insulation and windows
Want your own weeks on paper?
Book a site visit. The written scope that follows has your first schedule.