All Forum Posts by: Ann Folan

Sorry -- just seeing this tag now. We have been in new construction for almost 20 years -- renovations are newer to us. We have done ground up construction all over Chicago (Lincoln Park, Lincoln Square, Andersonville, Roscoe Village, etc.) and the NW suburbs. My best advice would be to not view new construction through the same lens as renovations. It is a completely different project. Your time lines are longer and your expenses are higher. But, there tend to be fewer surprises in new construction (making accurate budgeting easier) and the potential payoff is usually much higher.

Your first order of business is to find out your zoning for your lot -- that zoning will determine what you can build. Second order of business is know your alderman. If you want to change that zoning, some alderman are open to it, some will absolutely not consider it. Ever. So don't waste your time. Once you know what you can build, find an architect with experience getting permits in the City of Chicago (a process unto itself). Those are the basic steps before you even consider breaking ground. 

Once you know what you can build and have plans, you can start interviewing GC's. A good GC is the biggest part of a successful project, maybe even more so in new construction that in renovations. There tend to be more subcontractors to manage, bigger payouts to administer and a lot more decisions to be made, so a good GC is key. Find someone with good communication, a good track record and good references. We are out there! 

Hope that helps!

Sorry, I don't have a referral for this one. I would research concrete and foundation companies. DesPlaines is not far outside the city, so most companies will come to you. 

@Mark Shelstad Directional boring is not allowed on City of Chicago property. So once you hit the edge of the sidewalk (and City property) the entire trench must be open cut. Also, do not assume you can replace the water service at the B Box, unless that has already been approved, you may have to replace all the way out to the main in the street with an open trench the entire way (and in which case your CDOT fees will be even higher).  Hence the reason we do not pursue much sewer and water work anymore - we focus about 95% on the building and general contracting side of our business!

@Mark Shelstad  Unfortunately the permit fees are much higher than $3,000. You need a Dept of Transportation permit to open the sidewalk, curb, street, etc as well as a permit from the Water Dept for the actual new service as well as paying a tapping fee to tap into the water main. Then another cost to restore the asphalt. In permits, fees and asphalt alone, before you buy a piece of pipe, you are about $9,000-$10,000 in the hole. 

I completely agree that the permits and fees are crazy! At this point, we only do sewer and water for our own projects. We keep our licence and insurance up but don't pursue residential sewer and water work in Chicago. Hope that helps clarify (although I know it doesn't make the price tag any easier to swallow). 

 We are a GC here in Chicago and also own a sewer and water company -- so I may be your ideal contributor :). You are correct, the City of Chicago infrastructure is old, with every extensive re-hab and new construction 99.9% of the time they city will require a new water service. New construction will also require a new sewer line, re-habs may be able to get away with a camera in the line for possible re-use. We figure it in to every job we price and more often than not, it is required. I cannot even remember the last time we didn't have to install a new service.  There is no appealing it, there is no getting around it, you will absolutely have to install a new service. New 1" services are rarely installed, you will need at least 1.5" depending on the number of fixtures you have - as mentioned above. 

The high cost has less to do with the paving contractors (although that adds on as well) and much more to do with the cost of the actual permits from the city. The permits alone are thousands of dollars, which adds on to your cost for the new service. We are thousand of dollars in the hole before we even figure out the actual labor or the materials! $15,000 is actually a fairly good price for a new service to the main. As also mentioned above, if the water main is across the street, your costs will be even higher.  Feel free to send over any other questions I will help if I can! Best of luck, plumbing inspectors in Chicago are the toughest by far.

Just a word of advice for next time -- always, always, always set up a temporary service before you disconnect from the pole! And if service is already cut off, it should be the very first thing you schedule to get hooked up - ComEd and Peoples Gas are busy here in Chicago! 3-5 weeks is not really unreasonable, it just is not good for your stage of construction. And I hear you, we had every bit of copper ripped out of the walls in a 6 unit condo building -- eventually had to get guard dogs in the building at night. Not sure what the status is on the old service to your building -- any way your GC or electrician can get a temporary service set up for you now? 

@Stefanie K. we have not worked with Moreno, but he has a reputation of being zoning change friendly in the right circumstances. Give his office a call, if you are living in the neighborhood they usually give you a little more attention!

Man there are a lot of super knowledgeable people on BP! As a licensed GC in Chicago we have done about 85% of our work in new, ground-up new construction (SFR and multi-family/mixed use) and I was expecting the usual crappy mis-information. BP proves me wrong again!

I would add that demo itself is NOT a big deal. It is done all day, every day in Chicago as there is not a lot of vacant land in desirable neighborhoods. In almost 20 years, we have built on a vacant lot exactly once. Zoning will be your first (and biggest) hurdle. Most residential neighborhoods are zoned R3 will allow you to build up to 2 units, if you want more you will need a zoning change. Zoning is handled almost 100% by the alderman in your ward. Some are very amenable to zoning changes, some will not give it to you if you promise them your first born. We have worked in a lot of wards over the years and your success with a zoning change is almost 100% alderman specific. We walked away from a deal last year when we discovered that one side of the street was one ward, our side was a different ward and alderman (who never grants changes).

So your first task if you are zoned R3 is talk to your alderman's office and see how they feel about zoning changes. Some have down-zoned their entire ward to keep out congestion, some are happy to attract new investment in the neighborhood. Aldermen wield a lot of power in Chicago wards, everything else will hinge on that information. 

We are a licensed GC in Chicago and we have never had 4 inspections with ComEd. In fact our last project was a 2-flat to SFR conversion. The inspector came out, told us what he wanted and told us to call him when it was done. We did exactly what he asked, called his cell phone, he stopped by, passed it and we got our new service in a matter of days. Are you sure your contractor is doing what is being requested? Exactly as requested? We have never found the inspectors unreasonable and we have been building in Chicago for almost 20 years (completed a massive gut re-hab on a Bronzeville greystone late last year). Not trying to place blame, but it is just not something we have experienced in Chicago or in Bronzeville specifically. Sorry this is such a hassle for you, I know it is SO frustrating! Make sure you are calling the new business line and that your GC and your electrician are familiar with getting a drop for a new service, it can sometimes be funky but it really shouldn't be this hard. Not sure if that helps you, feel free to DM me any questions and I will help if I can!

Hi @David Clarke we are also a licensed GC here in Chicago. And I concur you are absolutely going to be spending every bit of 200K (probably more). Great rough breakdown by Robert Los above, good ballpark figures for our market. And you are correct, no pex (or pvc) in Chicago, all cast iron and copper. 

Also, if you are going to finish that basement -- put in the drain tile and an overhead sewer!  Personally, I would put them in even if I was not finishing the basement. Run the underground plumbing before you pour the basement floor so you are not ripping it back up later. You will spend  more than just pouring the concrete slab, but it will be money well spent. Based on the age of the home, I would also anticipate running a new water service from the house to the main, it will in all likelihood be required by the City so figure it in now. 

Hope this helps!