One route up, two rooms
Kitchen and bathroom vent and drain through the same chase in most Evanston houses. Doing both in one project means that chase is opened once rather than twice.
Evanston, Illinois
Remodeling in Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is the most urban part of the North Shore — courtyard buildings, condo towers, two-flats and Victorians all within a few blocks of each other. Revive 360 Renovations works across that mix, including the association-governed buildings that come with it.
Licensed, Bonded & Insured
Suburb
Evanston, IL
Typical housing
Pre-war single-family & two-flats
Permits issued by
City of Evanston
Nearest office
N. Halsted St., Chicago
Evanston, Illinois
Renovating Homes in Evanston
Evanston is a city rather than a village, and it reads that way. Northwestern sits on the lakefront, the downtown is dense and built up, and the residential streets carry a genuinely mixed housing stock: Victorians and Queen Anne houses, American four-squares, brick two- and three-flats, vintage courtyard apartment buildings, mid-century and later condo towers along the lake, and single-family homes filling the west side.
That density changes the work. A large share of Evanston projects are inside association-governed buildings, where the rules of the building shape the schedule as much as the scope does. Elevator protection, approved work hours, insurance certificates and pre-approval of plans are routine, not exceptions.
In the single-family stock, the pattern is closer to the rest of the North Shore: houses built between the 1890s and the 1930s with closed-off kitchens, one original bathroom, good bones and old systems. Kitchens opened toward dining rooms, bathrooms rebuilt, floors refinished, and layered previous remodels sorted out.
Your Building
Find your building, and you will find your project
Evanston is the least suburban of the North Shore suburbs, and its housing shows it. Four kinds of building cover most of what we are asked to remodel.
| Era and building type | What you find inside | What a whole-home project becomes |
|---|---|---|
| 1890–1920 — frame and brick single-family | Deep lots, front porches, a rear kitchen cut off from the dining room, and one bathroom serving the bedroom floor. | Opening the back of the house and adding a second bathroom where the plan allows, with the original woodwork kept and repaired. |
| 1900–1930 — two-flats and courtyard buildings | Vertically stacked plumbing, radiator heat, and units that still read as apartments even where they are now owned separately. | Work inside the existing footprint, with the building association involved wherever the property has been converted. |
| 1920–1940 — brick Tudors and Colonials | Plaster over masonry, leaded glass worth keeping, a small original kitchen and a basement that was never meant to be lived in. | Kitchen and bath reconfiguration plus basement finishing, which is where most of the added space in Evanston actually comes from. |
| 1950–today — post-war and infill | Modern service, open plans, and finishes that have dated while the building has not. | A finish-led project: cabinetry, surfaces and lighting, with little structural work behind it. |
Inside The Building
What you are actually working inside
Cut through a typical Evanston house and the six things that shape a whole-home project are all visible at once. Red marks what is shared or fixed.
Scroll the drawing sideways →
- 1
The stack and the roof vent
Kitchen and bathroom share one route up through the house. Moving either of them moves that route, and in a house with a finished attic that is the expensive part.
- 2
Interior partitions
In a frame house most of these do not carry load, which is why Evanston kitchens open up more easily than those in a masonry two-flat.
- 3
The service panel
Often original to a 1920s house. A whole-home project is the moment to size it for a modern kitchen, a second bathroom and anything the basement will hold.
- 4
The driveway and the side yard
Evanston lots are deep but narrow. Where the skip sits and where materials are cut is worked out before the first delivery, not after a neighbour complains.
- 5
A full basement
Services can be rerun from underneath rather than through finished ceilings. It is the single biggest practical advantage this housing has.
- 6
The roof void
Where bath ventilation terminates, and where a dormer or a raised ceiling becomes possible without touching the floor below.
In Evanston
Room-by-Room in Evanston
What the work actually involves here: the housing stock, who issues the permit, and what the budget turns on.
Bathroom Remodeling in Evanston
Evanston has the most mixed housing stock on the North Shore. We remodel bathrooms in frame Victorians, brick bungalows and 1920s condo buildings, and the approach is different in each.
Read more →Kitchen Remodeling in Evanston
Half of Evanston is houses and half is flats, and a kitchen project is a different job in each. We handle the structure in one and the association in the other.
Read more →
What We Do
Remodeling Services for Evanston Homes
Most projects here combine more than one of these. Each links through to the full service page.
Kitchen Remodeling
Full kitchen remodels, from opening up a closed-off layout to cabinetry, countertops, tile and the plumbing and electrical work behind them.
View service →Bathroom Remodeling
Bathroom remodels that make small, older layouts work harder: waterproofing, tile, vanities, fixtures and shower or tub replacement.
View service →Custom Kitchen Cabinets
Cabinetry built and fitted to the room rather than the other way round, including scribing to walls that are rarely square.
View service →Walk-In Shower Installation
Replacing an unused tub or a dated enclosure with a level-access shower, properly waterproofed and tiled.
View service →On Site
What makes remodeling here different
These are the conditions that decide the sequence and the contingency on a whole-home job in Evanston. We plan around them rather than discover them.
The panel decides what else is possible
A 1920s service was never sized for an induction range, a second bathroom and a finished basement at the same time. Upgrading it once, early, is cheaper than three visits.
Evanston reviews, and it reviews properly
The city looks at scope, drawings and contractor licensing. We build the review into the programme rather than treating it as a delay that happens to us.
Plaster, not drywall
Original plaster cracks at every service run. How much making-good follows the electrician is a real line in an Evanston budget, and it is better priced than discovered.
The basement is the extra floor
Most added living space here comes from below grade rather than from an addition. Headroom, egress and the position of the mechanicals decide whether that is realistic.
Deep lots, narrow sides
Materials come down a side yard measured in feet. It sets what can be delivered assembled and what has to be built in place.
Permits
Which permit does your project need?
The question every Evanston homeowner asks first, answered before you commit to anything. Follow your own project across.
Scroll the chart sideways →
This is the route, not a ruling. Scope decides it and the city has the final say, so we confirm which branch your project sits on in writing before any money is committed.
Where It Goes
Where the money actually goes
No two Evanston houses price the same, so this is an order rather than a number: the lines that pull hardest on a whole-home budget here, largest first.
Cabinetry and built-in joinery
The largest line on almost every project here, and in a house with original trim it also has to be detailed to match what is already in the room.
Labour and project management
Trades, supervision and sequencing. On a whole-home job with the family still in the house, sequencing is what keeps the schedule honest.
Making good after the services
Plaster repair, trim repair and redecoration following every run. In a pre-war Evanston house this line is consistently larger than owners expect.
Surfaces: stone, tile and flooring
Countertops, bathroom tile and refinishing the original oak. Material choice moves this line more than any other decision.
Fixtures, appliances and lighting
The widest spread on the list, and the easiest line to adjust once everything else is locked.
Permits, protection and insurance
City permits, licensing, floor and stair protection, dust containment. The smallest line, and never the one to cut.
This is the order these lines typically fall in on a whole-home project in Evanston, not a breakdown of your project. Your figures come from a site visit and a scope, and nowhere else.
Coverage
Where we work in Evanston
Evanston is not one place. These are the parts of it we are in most often.
Downtown EvanstonCentral StreetNorthwest EvanstonSoutheast EvanstonThe Ridge Historic District
Planning a Renovation in Evanston?
Tell us about the property and what you want to change. We will set up a consultation, walk the space, and come back with a scope, a schedule and a price.
FAQ
Evanston Remodeling FAQs
Do you renovate condos in Evanston?
Yes, and it is a significant share of the work here. Condo projects come with an extra layer: association approval before demolition, defined working hours, protection of hallways and elevators, and insurance certificates. We request the building's rules at the start and shape the schedule around them from the beginning.
What limits a renovation inside a vintage Evanston building?
Mainly shared infrastructure. Plumbing stacks, risers and electrical service are common to the building, so moving a kitchen or bathroom far from its existing location is sometimes limited by what the building can support rather than by the unit itself. We check that before drawing layouts.
Do Evanston historic districts affect my project?
Only if the work touches the exterior. Interior renovation is generally unaffected by district designation, while facade, window and roofline changes within a designated area can require review. We confirm whether your address sits inside one before any exterior scope is finalised.
Can you work on an Evanston two-flat or Victorian?
Yes. Those houses typically have solid structure, a closed-off kitchen, a single original bathroom and systems that have been partially updated over the decades. Common projects are opening the kitchen toward the dining room, rebuilding bathrooms, refinishing original floors, and sorting out earlier remodels.
How do you handle parking and deliveries on busy Evanston streets?
By arranging it in advance. Permit zones, restricted street parking, alley access and shared building entries all affect where a truck or dumpster can go. On denser blocks we plan deliveries and waste removal into the schedule rather than leaving it to the day.