Remodeling a Chicago High-Rise Condo: What to Expect

Remodeling a high-rise condo in Chicago is different from remodeling a house. The work inside your unit is the same kind of work, but the building sets the rules for when, how and by whom it gets done. Plan around those rules from day one and the project goes smoothly. Ignore them and you can lose weeks. This guide covers what to expect, in the order it usually happens.

Start With the Building, Not the Design

Before you pick tile or cabinets, ask the management office for the building’s current remodeling or contractor rules. They are usually separate from your declaration and bylaws, and they change. Read them before you sign a contract, because they decide what you are allowed to do and how long the paperwork takes.

Board or management approval

Many associations require written approval before any work that touches plumbing, electrical, walls or flooring. Expect to send a description of the work, the contractor’s name and, for larger changes, drawings. Approval can take time, so submit early and keep the scope clear. A vague request is the most common reason for delays and follow-up questions.

Insurance and paperwork for the contractor

Most buildings want a certificate of insurance from every contractor, often with the association named on it. Some also ask for license details or a signed copy of the building rules. Your contractor should know this process and handle it with you. If a contractor has never worked in a high-rise, that is worth asking about.

Work Hours, Elevators and Shared Spaces

In a house, the crew parks in the driveway and carries materials in. In a high-rise, everything moves through shared spaces that your neighbors also use.

• Work hours. Noisy work such as demolition, drilling and tile cutting is often limited to certain days and hours.
• Freight elevator. Materials and debris usually go through a service elevator that you reserve ahead of time. Deliveries have to be planned around those slots.
• Protected hallways. Floors, walls and elevator cars are covered, and the crew cleans up as they go.
• Loading and parking. Some buildings control where trucks can stop and for how long.

These limits shape the schedule. A job that would take one stretch of days in a house may be split differently in a building, so ask your contractor to build the schedule around your building’s actual rules.

What Usually Gets Remodeled in a Condo

Most condo projects focus on the rooms that change the way you live in the unit: the kitchen, the bathrooms and the floors. A new kitchen can bring a better layout, an island where space allows, and new cabinets and lighting. Bathroom remodeling often means a glass shower, new tile and a new vanity. New flooring and interior doors tie the unit together.

For a real example, see our Old Town condo remodel, a high-rise unit where we rebuilt the kitchen, two bathrooms in different styles, the flooring and the interior doors.

Plumbing, Electrical and Structure: Know the Limits

In a condo, you own the inside of the unit, but pipes, risers, walls and floors often belong to the building or are shared with other units. That affects what you can change:

• Moving a sink or toilet may be limited by where the building’s drain lines run.
• Shutting off water for a unit may need advance notice to the management office.
• Walls may be structural or hold building systems, so ask before planning any change.
• Flooring changes often need a sound-reducing underlayment so neighbors below do not hear footsteps. Many buildings write this into their rules.

Permits and inspections still apply where the City of Chicago requires them. Your contractor should tell you which parts of your scope need a permit and which need building approval, and often both.

A Realistic Order of Events

1. Get the building rules from the management office.
2. Walk the unit with your contractor and agree on the scope of work in writing.
3. Submit for approval with the scope, insurance and any drawings.
4. Choose and order materials so they arrive when the freight elevator is booked.
5. Do the work within the allowed days and hours, with the shared areas protected.
6. Final walk-through and clean-up, then any closing steps the building requires.

Questions to Ask Before You Hire

• Have you worked in high-rise buildings, and can you handle the insurance paperwork?
• How will you schedule around elevator booking and work-hour limits?
• How do you protect hallways and elevators, and remove debris?
• Who talks to the management office, and who applies for permits?
• Is the quote fixed and in writing, and what happens if the building asks for changes?

Planning a Condo Remodel in Chicago?

HQ Carpentry remodels condo kitchens, bathrooms and floors across Chicago, and we work within your building’s rules. Read more on our condo remodeling page, then request a free estimate or call (773) 968-3606. We come to your home, look at the space and give you a fixed written quote after the visit.