HGTV Project 18 photos

As seen on HGTV! House Hunters Renovation.

This project consisted of a 3,100 square foot Victorian 3-flat located in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood. The scope included replacement of new HVAC, Electrical, and Plumbing systems, the conversion of the 2nd and 3rd floor into an owner occupied duplex, and the demolition and re-construction of the rear, 3-story porch to comply with City of Chicago code.

The intent of this property was for the newly-married owners to move into the 2nd/3rd floor duplex as their long-term residence and rent the 1st floor for additional income. The first step of this project, just like all others, was demolition. Unfortunately, demolition showed us unforeseen structural challenges which required immediate remedy - the joists on the 3rd floor were all cut to accommodate "home-made" plumbing from the previous owner, the walls and roof had so much water damage that, when it rained, the water seeped through the wood and pooled on the interior floors. We also found that the rear porch was fully supporting the rear bedroom on the 3rd floor which meant that the 3rd floor bedroom was slowly breaking away from the rest of the building. Long story short - we had to completely demolish the 3rd floor and build it again. Doing this required that we revise our General Permit and seek approval from the City of Chicago Zoning Board. Additionally, the plumbing systems required new water service from the City to meet code standards. We collaborated with the Chicago Department of Water and Chicago Department of Transportation for this effort.

Ultimately, through the permitting and zoning process, we were able to secure additional headroom on the 3rd floor which allowed us to optimize the layout on the 3rd floor for a more functional space. We created an open-concept 2nd floor consisting of a luxury kitchen designed by Susan Klimala at The Kitchen Studio of Glen Ellyn in collaboration with HGTV which included a custom peninsula island, custom built-in millwork bench for a breakfast nook, and custom cabinetry.