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4176 W Montrose Ave, Chicago, IL 60641
Mon to Fri, 9:00am to 5:00pm
Fifty plus neighborhoods and suburbs, one crew. City permits, alley access, garage top loads and older porch framing are everyday work for us, not the exception.
Chicago and each North Shore village write their own requirements, and they do not agree with each other. Rail heights, setbacks, footing depths, permit fees, how long review takes and what an inspector will actually look at all change the moment you cross a village line. A builder who works one town gets caught out in the next.
We build across all of it, every season. That means we know which villages need drawings stamped, which ones review quickly and which will send you back over a detail that could have been handled on day one. On rooftop and multi-unit work in the city, that knowledge is most of the job.
City work is its own discipline. Alley access instead of a driveway, lot lines with no room to spare, garage tops carrying loads they were never drawn for, and rear porch framing on two flats and three flats that has been patched for fifty years. Rooftop decks, multi-unit porches and violation repair are the bulk of what we do inside the city limits.
Our shop is on West Montrose in Mayfair, so most of the northwest side is a short drive.
North Shore work looks different. More space, larger builds, more outdoor rooms and louvered roofs, and villages with detailed review processes that reward getting the drawings right the first time. Lake humidity also shortens the life of anything built in untreated wood, which is why almost everything we put in up here is composite on a steel or treated frame.
This is where the classic backyard build lives. Multi-level decks stepping down a sloped lot, screened rooms, outdoor kitchens and the full range of features. Fewer access problems than the city and faster permitting than most of the North Shore, which usually means a shorter path from design visit to finished deck.
Rooftop and garage-top decks, multi-unit and three flat porch systems, violation repair and code compliance work. Tight sites, alley access and structures that have to carry loads on buildings never designed for them.
Larger backyard builds, outdoor rooms, louvered roofs and screens, outdoor kitchens and full feature packages. Longer village review, and design work that has to satisfy both the homeowner and the permit office.
Multi-level decks on sloped lots, screen rooms, lighting and fire features. The most straightforward permitting of the three and usually the fastest turnaround.
The list covers where we work most, not a boundary. If you are within reasonable reach of the northwest side, call and ask. If it is not a fit we will tell you plainly rather than waste your time.
Still unsure? Call the owner directly and ask.
No travel surcharge. Pricing is based on the project itself. If a site is far enough that it genuinely changes the cost, we say so before you get a quote, not after.
Yes. We file in Chicago and in each of the suburbs we serve, and we coordinate the inspections. You do not deal with the permit office.
Chicago and each village adopt and amend their own building requirements. Rail heights, setbacks, footing depths and review times all differ. Working across all of them is the only way to keep track.
Yes, though most rooftop and garage-top work is inside Chicago because that is where the housing stock calls for it.
Summer fills up by early spring across every area we serve. The permit usually adds more time to the schedule than the build itself does.
Regularly, particularly on multi-unit porch and violation work in the city. We handle the documentation and scheduling that association work requires.
Tell us about your project and we call you within one business day. The free design visit includes:
Mon to Fri, 9:00am to 5:00pm · Chicago, Evanston, Skokie, Morton Grove, Northbrook, Wilmette
