Kitchen remodeling
Cabinets, counters, plumbing moves and finishes, planned around how you actually cook.
Careful renovation and repair for Chicago and the suburbs.
Every job starts with a written scope and a line-by-line price, so you know what you are paying for before work begins.
Service area
Chicago and suburbs
Direct line
What Robert takes on
From a short list of repairs to a whole two-flat, the work is scoped with you first and priced item by item.
Bathroom remodeling
Tub-to-shower conversions, new fixtures, tile and ventilation, done room by room.
Basement finishing
Turning a raw or tired basement into usable rooms, starting with moisture.
Whole-home renovation
Multi-room and whole-house projects, sequenced so the work happens in the right order.
Two-flat and multi-unit renovation
Owner units, rental units and common areas in two-flats, three-flats and small buildings.
Rental turnovers
Clean-outs, repairs and touch-ups between tenants, itemized so you know what each fix cost.
Repairs and punch lists
The list of small fixes that never gets done, often combined into one visit and priced by item.
Flooring
Laminate and other floor replacement, measured and priced by the square foot.
Drywall, plaster and paint
Patching, new walls and painting, floor by floor, in drywall or old plaster.
Heating and water heaters
Planning, sizing and coordination for boiler, radiator and water-heater replacements.
Built around Chicago homes
Bungalows, two-flats, greystones, worker's cottages and suburban houses each have their own quirks. The work is planned around the building you actually live in.
Chicago bungalows
Brick one-and-a-half story homes with full basements and original detail.
Two-flats and three-flats
Stacked units, shared systems and an owner who often lives upstairs.
Greystones
Limestone-fronted buildings with deep interiors and a lot of original character.
Worker's cottages
Small, narrow, often raised homes from the city's early working neighborhoods.
Courtyard buildings and vintage condos
Vintage apartment buildings around a garden court, many now condos.
Suburban homes
Ranches, split-levels and Cape Cods across the Chicago suburbs.
How a job runs
Every change is priced and approved in writing first, and you see the work and the price in writing at every step.
Walk-through first
Robert looks at the job with you and writes down exactly what you want done before anything is priced.
Written scope, priced by line
You get the work in writing, with each item priced on its own line instead of one lump sum.
Changes in writing
If something new turns up behind a wall or under a floor, it is written up as a change order for your approval before it is added.
An invoice that matches
The invoice follows the written scope line by line, with any approved changes listed separately.
Chicago and the suburbs
Every municipality has its own permit office and rules. Each area page links to the official source, checked and dated.
- ChicagoCook County
- EvanstonCook County
- SkokieCook County
- WilmetteCook County
- GlenviewCook County
- Park RidgeCook County
- Des PlainesCook County
- Arlington HeightsCook County
- PalatineCook County (also partly Lake County)
- SchaumburgCook County (also partly DuPage County)
- Oak ParkCook County
- Crystal LakeMcHenry County
- CaryMcHenry County (also partly Lake County)
Common questions
How do you price a job?
After a walk-through, you get a written scope that lists the work item by item, with each item priced on its own line. You can see what every part of the job costs and decide what to do now and what can wait.
What happens if something unexpected turns up?
Older Chicago-area homes hide things: rotted framing, old wiring, a drain that runs somewhere unexpected. When we find something, we stop and write it up as a change order with its own price. Extra work starts only after you approve it in writing.
Does my project need a permit?
Many projects do, especially anything that changes plumbing, electrical, gas, structure or the layout of a room. The rules differ between the City of Chicago and each suburb, and many require the permit to be pulled by a licensed or registered contractor or trade. We confirm what your project needs before work starts and tell you who will pull the permit.
Our area pages link to each municipality's official building department so you can read the rules yourself.
Can you work in a building with tenants?
Yes. In two-flats and small buildings we plan noisy work, water and heat shut-offs, and access ahead of time so you can give tenants proper notice.
Tell Robert about your project.
Call, email or send an estimate request with photos. You deal directly with the person running your job.