At the outset of this project, our clients requested a neutral, high-value, and cost-effective design to attract quality renters to the beautiful Albany Park neighborhood.  They also requested a fast turnaround time to get renters into the unit as quickly as possible.

The 1,400 square foot second floor had four bedrooms and a single bathroom. The client asked that we add an additional bathroom to be part of a newly remodeled primary bedroom suite. The best solution was to convert a storage/mechanical room into a new adjoining bathroom. The existing kitchen layout was converted into a choreographed space for its end users: a kitchen which also allowed for a washer and dryer. The existing storage unit and mechanical room became the new bathroom.

The solution was deemed brilliant by the client, transforming the storage area into two new spaces: a new mechanical room was created albeit with exterior access, and a private bathroom that connected the largest bedroom with a new entrance.  To reconfigure the kitchen, we needed to rip out damaged oak floorboards for access to the floor joists and relocate a new gas line to the new stove location. New water and waste lines were relocated to the kitchen sink at the window.  The new primary bathroom boasted a full-sized vanity, flanked by storage units on either side. The new bathroom also featured a shower area with a comfortable, new built-in shower bench, a uniquely deep niche, which were enlivened by a colorful aqua green mosaic shower floor tile.

The unit also needed new HVAC supply and return lines to keep the rooms warm in the winter and cool in the summer. We removed the existing exposed spiral ducts and replaced them with a rectangular “supply and return chase” concealed above the hallway ceiling.  We came up with a reasonable budget and a sixty-day timeline for completing the project.   After 45 days,  the client was able to show the unit to prospective renters.  The client had multiple renters interested in the newly remodeled unit and was able to double the rent, a rent-level well above the average rents in the neighborhood.