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Not surprising for a city known for its architecture, there is a wide variety of housing styles in Chicago. Bungalows, two- and three-flats, graystones, Chicago cottages, Georgians, ranches, Cape Cods and many other styles are sprinkled throughout city neighborhoods, often with several styles found in one block. There’s not quite...
Poking around in the history of familiar communities around Chicago is often pretty interesting. How else would anyone know, for example, that Skokie was originally called Niles Center or that Des Plaines was once the world’s largest producer of hothouse roses or that Oak Lawn is the home of...
Although there may be a few exceptions found in older homes, houses in the Chicago area will generally rest on one of two types of foundations: concrete or masonry. All modern foundations, whether concrete or masonry, start with footings or “footers,” which are concrete pads that describe the perimeter of...
Northbrook, IL, although not situated on the lakeshore, is considered one of Chicago’s North Shore suburbs with more in common with lakefront communities like Wilmette and Winnetka than with suburbs farther inland. Indeed, a quick glance at Northbrook’s demographics justifies the village’s inclusion in the North Shore. For example, both...
There’s an old saying that most people have heard at least once: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Of course, most old sayings get lumped together as sort of conversational chewing gum – people don’t pay attention to the meaning or the language but just toss...
Structural damage to the foundation is one of the worst things that can happen to a house. Not only can the damage be time-consuming, inconvenient and costly to repair but it can easily lead to other damage in the structure above, including interior and exterior cracking, misaligned doors and...
The municipal history of Skokie IL doesn’t go back as far as that of neighboring suburbs like Evanston and Morton Grove but it does extend back to the late 19th Century when the village was first incorporated as Niles Center. Residents voted in 1940 to change the name to...
Palatine IL is one of the largest municipalities in the Chicago area with a population of more than 68,000. It could be called a global village, too, because 22% of Palatine residents were born outside the United State, coming from countries around the world, including Mexico, India, Poland, the...
In the mid-80s, there was a popular movie that starred Tom Hanks and Shelley Long as a young couple struggling, with the expected comedic results, to renovate an old house. The movie was called “The Money Pit,” and, although the movie has been pretty much forgotten, the title has...
I want to go on record, again, that I am not opposed to do-it-yourself repairs. For a homeowner with the necessary time, skills, tools and equipment, DIY is a viable option, especially for minor repairs to their basements. Regrettably, the proliferation of home repair TV shows have made it look...
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