Inside a Chicago Home

Opening the house…

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Drag to turn it. Slide to take it apart. Tap a layer to read about it. Use the arrow keys to turn the model, plus and minus to zoom, and the list of layers to read about each one.

1. 

   Layer 1 of 15

   Roof covering and deck

   • Shingles shed the rain, and the roof deck under them is what they are fastened to.
   • A Chicago bungalow guide lists a low-pitched hipped roof with wide overhangs as typical of the Chicago bungalow.

   Ask your builder

   • Ask what is under your shingles, how many layers are on the roof, and what the deck is made of.

   Trade detail

   • Ask how the roof edge and the joint where the roof meets a wall are flashed.
2. 

   Layer 2 of 15

   Roof framing

   • This model shows sloping rafters that carry the roof deck, with a joist across the bottom of each pair.
   • Roof framing varies from house to house.

   Ask your builder

   • Ask what the roof framing is made of, and for an independent look at it before any work covers it.

   Trade detail

   • Ask who checks the framing when a roof is rebuilt or an attic is finished.
3. 

   Layer 3 of 15

   Attic insulation

   • Insulation slows the heat that flows between outside and inside; that ability is its R-value, and a bigger number resists more.
   • The Department of Energy describes loose-fill insulation as able to conform to any space.

   Ask your builder

   • Ask what R-value goes over your ceilings, and who checks that it is complete and level.

   Trade detail

   • The Department of Energy describes blanket insulation, in batts and rolls, as perhaps the most common type used in homes.
   • Ask whether gaps at the top of the walls and around chimneys and pipes are sealed before insulation goes down.
4. 

   Layer 4 of 15

   Brick walls

   • A Chicago bungalow guide lists brick construction as a defining feature of the Chicago bungalow.
   • A building-enclosure article describes older multi-wythe mass masonry walls as solid masonry for their entire thickness, with the layers tied together by header courses.
   • A wythe is one layer of brick; this model shows a solid wall of an outer layer and an inner layer, while some houses have a brick skin over a wood frame instead.

   Ask your builder

   • Ask whether your walls are solid brick or a brick skin over a wood frame, and what condition the mortar joints are in.

   Trade detail

   • The same article says mass masonry walls rely on their mass to absorb water that gets past the outer face, and work differently from modern cavity walls.
   • Building Science Corporation names freeze-thaw damage to brickwork as the main concern when old solid masonry is insulated from the inside, and asks for a careful look at how the wall gets wet first.
   • Ask how any change on the inside of a brick wall will affect how it dries.
5. 

   Layer 5 of 15

   Window

   • This model shows a window in an opening in the brick, with a steel lintel above carrying the masonry.

   Ask your builder

   • Ask how the window is sealed to the brick, and what carries the masonry over the opening.

   Trade detail

   • Ask for the window's energy ratings, and how the opening will be flashed if the window is replaced.
6. 

   Layer 6 of 15

   Inner wall framing

   • This model shows studs, plates and a header set inside the brick; framing details vary.
   • A summary of the 2021 International Residential Code says fireblocking is required to slow hidden fire spread in wall cavities; requirements for a Chicago project depend on the Chicago code that applies.

   Ask your builder

   • Ask whether any walls are balloon framed, with studs that run from the foundation to the eave line, and where fireblocking was added.

   Trade detail

   • A fire-service article describes balloon framing as wood studs that run from the foundation to the eave line, and warns that renovations to balloon-frame homes often neglect to add fire stopping when walls are opened.
   • The City of Chicago publishes Title 14B for new construction, Title 14R for rehabilitation of existing buildings, and Title 14X with minimum requirements for existing buildings; ask which provisions apply to your permit.
   • If walls are opened during a renovation, ask for photos of the framing and any fireblocking before it is covered again.
7. 

   Layer 7 of 15

   Wall insulation

   • Blanket insulation, batts and rolls, is perhaps the most common type used in homes, according to the Department of Energy.
   • This model draws batts between the studs of the inner frame.

   Ask your builder

   • Ask what insulation, if any, is in your walls now, and how that was checked.

   Trade detail

   • Building Science Corporation says an airtight layer should be on the interior side of insulation added inside an old masonry wall, and that rain is the largest wetting source.
   • It adds that, where feasible, exterior insulation is the easiest and lowest risk approach.
8. 

   Layer 8 of 15

   Plumbing

   • Supply lines carry hot and cold water to the shower and sink; a wider drain pipe carries waste away.
   • This model draws hot lines in red and cold lines in blue.

   Ask your builder

   • Ask what the supply and drain pipes are made of, and for photos of them before any wall is closed.

   Trade detail

   • The City of Chicago runs programs to replace lead service lines, the pipe from the water main to a house.
   • Ask whether the pipe that brings water into your home is lead, and what the city's address look-up says.
9. 

   Layer 9 of 15

   Wiring

   • Cables run through holes drilled in the studs to the boxes for outlets and switches.
   • Older houses can have older kinds of wiring, so the type in each wall is worth knowing.

   Ask your builder

   • Ask what wiring is in each wall, and for photos of it before the walls close.

   Trade detail

   • Knob-and-tube is old electrical wiring, and insulation contractors will not insulate spaces that have active knob-and-tube wiring.
   • If your house has knob-and-tube wiring, ask an electrician first whether it is active.
10. 

    Layer 10 of 15

    Radiator and pipes

    • The Department of Energy says high-efficiency boilers can produce hot water for home heating through methods including metal radiators mounted along the wall or near the floor.
    • This model shows a cast iron radiator under the window with a supply pipe and a return pipe.

    Ask your builder

    • Ask whether your radiators are fed by hot water or by steam, and when the pipes were last checked.

    Trade detail

    • Ask what controls each radiator, and whether its pipes run through walls you plan to open.
11. 

    Layer 11 of 15

    Wood lath

    • An old-house guide from the National Park Service says early wood lath was hand-split, narrow and thin.
    • Plaster pressed through the gaps between the strips forms ridges, called keys, that hold the finish on.

    Ask your builder

    • Ask how the lath and plaster will be protected, repaired or removed if a wall is opened.

    Trade detail

    • Ask what dust control and testing are planned before old plaster and paint are disturbed.
12. 

    Layer 12 of 15

    Plaster

    • The same guide says plasters were made from lime, gypsum and, most recently, cement.
    • Plaster goes on wet and hardens into a solid surface; drywall is hung in panels.

    Ask your builder

    • Ask whether your walls are plaster or drywall, and how a repair would be matched.

    Trade detail

    • The guide says the keys hold the plaster on even on ceilings.
    • If a wall will be opened, ask how much of the plaster can be kept.
13. 

    Layer 13 of 15

    Paint, tile and trim

    • Paint, tile, trim and caulk are the finish, the part of the wall you see every day.
    • It covers the visible surfaces and hides many of the layers you just looked at.

    Ask your builder

    • Ask for a list of the finish products, and keep it next to your photos from before the walls closed.
    • Ask what the wall behind the shower tile is made of.

    Trade detail

    • The layers behind finishes can be harder to inspect or change, and may mean opening the wall.
14. 

    Layer 14 of 15

    Boiler

    • The Department of Energy says high-efficiency boilers produce hot water that can heat homes through several distribution methods, including radiators.
    • This model shows a boiler with a flue pipe and two pipes that rise toward the radiator.

    Ask your builder

    • Ask how old the boiler is, who services it, and where the flue is and the carbon monoxide alarms are.

    Trade detail

    • Ask what fuel it burns, and whether the Chicago code for existing buildings affects replacing it.
15. 

    Layer 15 of 15

    Basement foundation

    • This model shows a footing, a block wall, a drain pipe along the footing and a floor slab.
    • A home-improvement guide says a block foundation is stacked concrete units mortared together, and is more susceptible to leaks than poured concrete because of the joints between blocks.
    • The Department of Energy's Building America Solution Center describes a footing drain as a perforated pipe on the outside of the footings, set in clean gravel, that keeps water moving away from the foundation.

    Ask your builder

    • Ask whether your basement walls are poured concrete or block, and where the drain tile leads.

    Trade detail

    • The same center says the pipe slopes to an outlet that discharges away from the foundation, with a sump pump as one alternative.
    • Ask whether the drain is inside or outside the footing, and whether its outlet has been checked.

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