Renovating a Chicago bungalow | Robert Waltos Homes

The bungalow is one of the most recognizable houses in Chicago. Many owners want more space, a modern kitchen or a finished basement without losing what makes the house a bungalow.

Mostly built from the 1910s through the 1930s along Chicago’s Bungalow Belt.

The Chicago bungalow is a compact one-and-a-half-story house developed for narrow city lots. Brick walls, a raised basement, a low roof and a broad street-facing window give the type its familiar horizontal weight.

Retain, repair, reproduce or replace?

RetainKeep sound character-defining material in place.
RepairCorrect the cause and preserve usable material.
ReproduceUse documented evidence when a missing feature matters.
ReplaceUse compatible new work when condition or present needs require it.

Use evidence from the actual house. A property-specific assessment is still required.

Read the house first

Identifying details

Low-pitched hipped roof with a deep eave
Brick street elevation, often with limestone or cast-stone accents
Raised first floor over a full basement
Front living room organized around a projecting bay or grouped windows

Exterior materials

Repair compatible masonry and mortar before considering coatings. Keep the roof edge, porch or entry, and front window composition legible; those features do much of the architectural work.

Spatial planning

The original sequence usually runs from front living spaces toward dining, bedrooms and a rear kitchen. Opening rooms can improve daylight, but removing every division erases the useful scale of the plan. Attic and basement work must begin with headroom, structure, moisture, egress and mechanical routes.

Interior language

Windows, doors, trim, floors & stairs

Flat or modestly profiled oak trim, built-ins and leaded or divided-light windows often set the interior rhythm. Floors are commonly narrow-board hardwood in principal rooms. Stairs to basements and attics can be steep or constrained, so a new layout has to resolve safe geometry rather than simply relocate a door.

Furniture, lighting & color

Warm oak, muted mineral colors, dark metal and restrained patterned textiles sit comfortably with the house. Furniture with a low profile preserves the long sightlines; lighting works best when layered instead of relying on one oversized fixture.

A board pairing a brick Chicago bungalow exterior with art glass, an oak dining nook and material details.

Kitchens and baths

A kitchen can gain storage and work surface without becoming visually out of scale. Simple inset or framed cabinetry, durable stone or tile, and trim that relates to adjacent rooms create continuity. Bathrooms benefit from compact, well-proportioned fixtures and careful ventilation routes.

Restore or adapt?

Retain the front rooms and street elevation as the clearest record of the house. Put larger spatial changes toward the rear when feasible, and make an addition subordinate to the original roof and massing. Energy upgrades should start with water, air leakage and existing-window condition before wholesale replacement.

Where professional work begins

Attic expansion can affect rafters, ceiling joists, stairs, insulation, ventilation and fire separation; it is not a finish-only project.
A style guide is a starting point, not a diagnosis. Original drawings, physical evidence and later alterations matter more than a label.
Bring in the appropriate architect, engineer or specialist before changing structure, egress, masonry, roofing, mechanical systems, plumbing, electrical work or gas service.
Before disturbing painted or concealed materials in an older house, determine whether lead or asbestos may be present. Do not sand, cut or remove suspect material as a discovery exercise.

Sources and further reading

These sources explain preservation principles and regional context.

What it is

Chicago bungalows are brick houses built from about 1910 into the mid-1930s: one and a half stories over a full basement, a low-pitched roof (usually hipped) with wide eaves, and a long rectangular footprint that is narrow at the street.
Source: The Chicago Bungalow (Chicago Bungalow Association) (opens in a new tab)
More than 80,000 bungalows still stand in Chicago, roughly a third of the city's single-family homes, mostly in an arc four to seven miles from downtown known as the Bungalow Belt.
Source: Chicago Bungalow (Chicago Architecture Center, Buildings of Chicago) (opens in a new tab)
Bungalows were marketed with modern plumbing, electricity and central heating. Inside the city most reused the floor plan of earlier one-story workers' houses, while suburban versions were often frame, one and a half stories, with steeper roofs.
Source: Bungalows, by Joseph C. Bigott (Encyclopedia of Chicago, archived copy) (opens in a new tab)

Renovating one today

The Chicago Bungalow Association says historic brick is softer than modern brick, so repointing mortar should also be softer, with more lime; mortar that is too hard can cause salt bloom and spalling. It warns against sandblasting, sealing or painting masonry.
Source: Masonry & Walls (Chicago Bungalow Association) (opens in a new tab)
The association argues original wood windows can nearly always be repaired, that a well-kept historic window plus a storm window equals a new window's energy efficiency, and that old-growth sash wood resists rot better than new lumber.
Source: Save Your Windows (Chicago Bungalow Association blog, updated Oct. 8, 2020) (opens in a new tab)
Most bungalows were first wired with knob-and-tube circuits meant for little more than lighting, which the association notes can affect insurability. It also urges a radon test before any air sealing or insulating, so gases are not trapped indoors.
Source: Health & Safety (Chicago Bungalow Association) (opens in a new tab)
The association calls vintage homes somewhat leaky and puts air sealing before insulation, targeting attic knee walls, recessed lights and gaps where exterior brick meets interior walls. It cautions against insulating both the attic floor joists and the attic ceiling.
Source: Energy Saving Measures (Chicago Bungalow Association) (opens in a new tab)
Chicago's bungalow historic districts are National Register districts, not Chicago Landmark districts. The association describes Register listing as honorary, with no special review when permits are pulled, whereas Landmark district work triggers Commission review.
Source: What's the Difference? National Register (Bungalow) Districts vs. Chicago Landmarks (Chicago Bungalow Association, updated Oct. 12, 2022) (opens in a new tab)

Programs and resources

Chicago Bungalow Association (opens in a new tab)
Nonprofit that offers membership, how-to guides, seminars and a trusted-referral directory for owners of bungalows and other vintage Chicago homes.
Home Energy Savings Program (Chicago Bungalow Association with ComEd, Nicor Gas, Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas) (opens in a new tab)
Income-qualified home energy assessment and weatherization help for single-family homes, two-flats, condos and townhomes in ComEd's service territory.
Illinois Property Tax Assessment Freeze for historic residences (opens in a new tab)
State Historic Preservation Office program that can freeze the assessed value of an owner-occupied historic home, such as a contributing bungalow in a National Register district, after a qualifying rehab that meets federal preservation standards.
Chicago Additional Dwelling Units (ADU) program (opens in a new tab)
City Department of Housing pre-certification process for adding an attic or basement conversion unit or a coach house on an eligible property.
City of Chicago lead service line replacement programs (opens in a new tab)
Department of Water Management programs, including an income-based option and an owner-initiated option, for replacing lead water service lines in Chicago homes.

How we approach it

We start with what is original and worth keeping, then plan the kitchen, bath, basement or attic work around it. Basements get a moisture review before anything is covered.

Each part of the job is priced on its own line, so you can see what it costs to keep original trim or windows compared with replacing them.

Services that fit

Facts on this page were checked on September 30, 2026. Follow the source links for the full details.