The lot gives you a real choice
Wider lots here mean extending is genuinely on the table, not just a theory. Whether to go out, up, or neither is the first conversation.
Lincoln Square, Chicago
Remodeling in Lincoln Square, Chicago
Lincoln Square sits in the heart of Chicago’s bungalow belt, and its houses come with details worth protecting: quarter-sawn oak trim, built-in cabinetry, art glass. Revive 360 Renovations modernises how these homes work without stripping out what makes them worth owning.
Licensed, Bonded & Insured
Neighborhood
Lincoln Square, Chicago
Typical housing
Chicago bungalows & wide-lot two-flats
Permits issued by
Chicago Dept. of Buildings
Our office
N. Halsted St., Chicago
Lincoln Square, Chicago
Renovating Homes in Lincoln Square
Lincoln Square centres on Lincoln, Lawrence and Western, and it holds one of the more consistent housing stocks on the North Side: classic Chicago bungalows, brick greystones, frame two-flats, and courtyard apartment buildings from the 1910s and 1920s, many of them since converted to condominiums.
The bungalows in particular were built to a recognisable formula — a low-pitched roof with wide eaves, a full-width front room, bedrooms along one side, and a kitchen at the back. Inside, they were finished properly: quarter-sawn oak trim, built-in buffets and bookcases, leaded and art glass windows, hardwood under later carpet. It is genuinely good work, and stripping it out is almost always the wrong call.
So the work here is a balance. Open the rear of the house so the kitchen connects to the dining room. Bring a 1920s bathroom into this century. Refinish the floors that are under there. Add capacity in the attic or basement. And leave the oak, the glass and the built-ins where they are.
Your Building
Find your building, and you will find your project
Lincoln Square has wider lots than most of the North Side, and that single fact opens up options that are simply not available further south.
| Era and building type | What you find inside | What a whole-home project becomes |
|---|---|---|
| 1905–1925 — frame houses and early two-flats | Deeper lots than usual, front porches, a rear kitchen, and services added to a house that predates them. | Reworking the rear of the building, with a genuine possibility of extending because the lot allows it. |
| 1920–1935 — brick bungalows | Art glass, a long plan, a single bathroom off the hall, and an attic left unfinished. | Opening the rear, adding a bathroom, and finishing the attic. The classic Lincoln Square project. |
| 1920–1940 — courtyard buildings near Lincoln Avenue | Stacked plumbing, radiator heat, generous principal rooms and a small service end. | Rebuilding the wet rooms within an association framework. |
| 1990–today — infill and rebuilds | Newer houses on wide lots, and older houses already extended once. | Finish-led, with the earlier extension assessed first. |
Inside The Building
What you are actually working inside
Cut through a typical Lincoln Square building and the six things that decide a whole-home project are visible at once. Red marks what is shared or structural.
Scroll the drawing sideways →
- 1
The wet core
Kitchen and bathroom share one route. Keeping new fixtures near it is what keeps the budget sensible, even on a wide lot.
- 2
The spine wall
In a bungalow it carries the roof. Opening it is the single most effective change available in the house.
- 3
The service panel
Usually original. A second bathroom, a modern kitchen and a finished attic together need it sized once, properly.
- 4
A side yard worth having
Wider lots mean real side access. It is why work here is less disruptive than the same scope in a narrow-lot neighbourhood.
- 5
The basement
The route for new services and, in many of these houses, the extra family room.
- 6
The unfinished attic
The largest unused space in the house, and where the extra bedroom usually comes from.
In Lincoln Square
Room-by-Room in Lincoln Square
What the work actually involves here: the housing stock, who issues the permit, and what the budget turns on.
Bathroom Remodeling in Lincoln Square
Lincoln Square is bungalow country inside the city limits. The bathrooms are small, original and beautifully built, and replanning them within the same four walls is usually all they need.
Read more →Kitchen Remodeling in Lincoln Square
A Lincoln Square bungalow kitchen is a small rear room with too many doors. Winning back a continuous wall is worth more than any finish, and it does not need an extension.
Read more →
What We Do
Remodeling Services for Lincoln Square 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 Lincoln Square. We plan around them rather than discover them.
The spine wall carries the roof
Opening a bungalow plan is a beam, an engineer and a permit. It is worth doing properly rather than partially.
Attic or addition
Finishing the attic and building out at the rear solve different problems. We price both before either is chosen.
One service upgrade, at the start
Kitchen, bathrooms and a finished attic together outgrow an original panel. Sized once, early, not twice.
Art glass and original trim
Worth keeping and worth protecting. The making-good after every service run is a real budget line in these houses.
Side access changes the day
A usable side yard means materials and waste do not go through the house. It is the quiet advantage of working here.
Permits
Which permit does your project need?
The question every Lincoln Square 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 Lincoln Square 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, and in a bungalow it has to supply the storage the original plan never had.
Structural work, the attic or the addition
The beam, and then whichever direction the house grows in. This is the decision that moves the budget most.
Labour and project management
Trades, supervision and sequencing, usually with the family still in the house.
Surfaces: stone, tile and flooring
Countertops, tile and refinishing the original oak through every room.
Fixtures, appliances and lighting
The widest spread on the list, and the easiest to settle once the rest is locked.
Permits, protection and insurance
City permit, floor protection and dust containment. The smallest line and never worth cutting.
This is the order these lines typically fall in on a whole-home project in Lincoln Square, not a breakdown of your project. Your figures come from a site visit and a scope, and nowhere else.
Coverage
Where we work in Lincoln Square
Lincoln Square is not one place. These are the parts of it we are in most often.
RavenswoodRavenswood GardensBowmanvilleBudlong WoodsThe Lincoln Avenue corridor
Planning a Renovation in Lincoln Square?
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
Lincoln Square Remodeling FAQs
What is a Chicago bungalow and how does it affect a renovation?
It is a specific early-twentieth-century house type: brick, low-pitched roof, wide eaves, full-width front room, bedrooms along one side and a kitchen at the rear. The layout is consistent, which means the useful moves are fairly predictable — opening the rear, converting the attic, and updating the original bathroom.
Can original oak trim and art glass be kept during a remodel?
In most cases, yes, and it is usually worth it. Reproducing quarter-sawn oak millwork or original leaded glass is slow and expensive. We catalogue what is original before demolition starts, protect it while work goes on, and route new plumbing and electrical around it wherever that is practical.
Can the kitchen be opened up to the dining room?
Usually. The question is whether the dividing wall carries load. If it does, the opening needs a properly sized beam and a permit, which changes both cost and schedule. We confirm the structure before finalising a layout, rather than discovering it once the plaster is down.
What should I expect from the wiring and plumbing in a house this old?
Knob-and-tube wiring, galvanised water lines and cast-iron drains are all still found in Lincoln Square houses. They do not always need wholesale replacement, but whatever is exposed during a kitchen or bathroom project is the right thing to address then, while the walls are open and the cost is lowest.
Do you work in Lincoln Square courtyard condo buildings?
Yes. Those buildings usually come with association rules covering approved work hours, protection of hallways and elevators, and insurance certificates. We ask for the building's requirements at the start and build the schedule around them, since they often affect timing more than the work itself.