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4176 W Montrose Ave, Chicago, IL 60641
Mon to Fri, 9:00am to 5:00pm
We help homeowners, landlords and associations clear City of Chicago deck and porch violations. We inspect the structure, read the notice, and give you a clear path to compliance with permits and reinspection handled.
The notice has a deadline on it and it does need dealing with. What it does not mean is that your porch is coming down tomorrow or that you are about to be fined into the ground. It means an inspector found something that is not to current code, and the city wants it corrected and reinspected.
Most of what shows up on these notices is fixable. Some of it is a rail height or a missing handrail. Some of it is structural and more involved. The only way to know which you are dealing with is to have someone look at it properly, which is what we do first and at no cost.
Every property is different, but a few issues come up on Chicago deck and porch notices over and over.
Framing that has aged out or was never sized correctly for the load it carries. The most common structural finding and usually the most involved to correct.
Guardrails that do not meet current height, spacing or strength requirements. Often the quickest item on a notice to clear.
The deck bolted or nailed to the building incorrectly, or missing flashing. This is the one that causes both structural failure and water getting into your wall.
Treads and risers that are too steep, inconsistent from step to step, or missing proper handrails.
Stacked porches built without adequate support or bracing. Common on older two flats and three flats across the city.
Rot, rust, cracked footings and the accumulated effect of age and deferred maintenance.
City of Chicago resources: Porch Safety · Building Permits · Building Code Library
We come out, inspect the deck or porch, read your violation notice and take measurements and photographs. Then we tell you plainly what can be repaired and what needs rebuilding to meet current Chicago standards.
You get a written scope of work with materials, timeline and straightforward pricing. Structural repairs, railing and stair upgrades, or a full rebuild, whichever the notice and the structure actually call for.
We handle permits where required and coordinate the inspections. Our crew completes the work to code, and we walk the finished project with you so you understand exactly what was done before the final inspection.
Replacing rotted posts, beams and joists, adding proper connections and reinforcing critical areas so the structure can safely carry its load.
New guardrails and handrails that meet current height and spacing requirements, and still look like something you would choose rather than something you were made to install.
Rebuilding stairs with consistent treads and risers, solid stringers, proper handrails and a landing where one is needed.
For structures too far gone to repair, we rebuild multi-story porches and decks to current standards, on a new frame, in treated lumber or composite.
Connections, hardware, flashing and the other small items inspectors specifically look for when clearing a violation. This is usually the difference between passing reinspection and repeating it.
You opened the mail and found a violation notice you were not expecting. You need someone to tell you what it actually means and what it will take to clear it.
Aging rear porches that no longer meet today’s standards. Usually structural, usually multi-story, and usually needing phased work so tenants keep access to their units.
You need a contractor who will move quickly, handle the paperwork properly and get the property through reinspection without a second round of corrections.
A general contractor can rebuild a porch. Clearing a violation is a different job, because the finish line is not a completed structure. It is an inspector signing off, and inspectors look at specific things in a specific order.
We do this work every season, so we know what gets flagged on reinspection and we build for that from the start. Hardware, flashing, connection detail, stair geometry. The items that are cheap to do correctly the first time and expensive to go back and redo when the file does not close.
Real Chicago porches, photographed before and after by our own crew.
If yours is not here, call the owner directly at (773) 573-6909.
The notice states your deadline. Extensions are sometimes possible if work is demonstrably underway. Call us as soon as you get the notice, because the permit takes time before anything can start.
Usually yes, particularly for structural work. We file it and coordinate the inspections. You do not deal with the city.
It depends entirely on the structure. Plenty of notices are cleared with targeted repairs. Some porches are too far gone and rebuilding is the cheaper answer over any real timeframe. We tell you which after the inspection, not before.
Yes. We come out, look at the structure, review your notice and give you a written scope and price at no cost.
We phase multi-unit work so residents keep a usable route to their units throughout. On three flats that usually means working one level or one stair run at a time.
It should not. Where we are replacing rails, stairs or framing we match what is there or upgrade the whole run so it reads as intentional rather than patched.
Regularly. We handle the documentation, scope approval and scheduling that association work needs.
The inspector returns and checks the corrections against the notice. We build to what they will be looking for, and we walk the finished work with you first so you know exactly what was done.
