Home 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.
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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.
Remodeling Services for Lincoln Square Homes
Most projects here combine more than one of these. Each links through to the full service page.
Kitchen Renovation
Full kitchen renovations, from opening up a closed-off layout to cabinetry, countertops, tile, and the plumbing and electrical work behind them.
View service →Bathroom Renovation
Bathroom renovations that make small, older layouts work harder: tiling, vanities, fixtures, and shower or tub replacements.
View service →Flooring
Refinishing original hardwood where it is worth saving, and installing new hardwood, luxury vinyl plank or laminate where it is not.
View service →Interior Painting
Interior painting for plaster and drywall - walls, ceilings, trim and cabinetry - with the prep work older buildings actually need.
View service →Renovation Considerations for Lincoln Square Properties
Original detail. Bungalow trim, built-ins and art glass are difficult and expensive to reproduce. We identify what is original before demolition and protect it through the job. Where something genuinely cannot stay, you hear it during planning rather than after it is gone.
Opening the rear. Connecting a back kitchen to the dining room is the single most requested change here. Whether the wall between them is load-bearing determines whether the job needs a beam and a structural permit, and that is checked before the layout is settled.
Older systems. Knob-and-tube wiring, galvanised supply lines and original cast-iron drains still turn up in houses of this age. They are not automatically a problem, but a kitchen or bathroom project is the sensible moment to deal with what is exposed.
Courtyard condos. If you are in one of the vintage courtyard buildings, the association usually sets rules on work hours, protection of common areas and insurance. We ask for those requirements before scheduling anything.
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.
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.