Hiring Home Contractors in Chicago's Western Suburbs

About 6 months before remodeling our 1950's split-level house, we asked friends and neighbors for advice on local firms. Our goal was to hire a well-established local design and build firm that would add a fourth bedroom or office and enlarge the kitchen.

Most firms we contacted sent an architect or sales representative for the initial consultation. Once work began, a project manager would take over. The project manager handled permits, city inspections, scheduling subcontractors, and supervision of the project. Prices the firms quoted included all the subcontractors' work.

Airoom, a large builder based in Lincolnwood, IL is a design-build firm that works throughout the Chicago area and markets itself in local newspapers. According to their Web site, they take on additions, kitchen renovations, whole-house remodels, basement remodels, and teardowns.

When we scheduled our consultation with Normandy Builders, they sent Troy, an architect, to the house. He asked about our needs and expectations for the project. We told him that in the kitchen we wanted enough room for dinner guests--the house had no dining room--and a dishwasher that did not need to be hooked up to the sink. The fourth bedroom was to be used as an office, and would ease congestion in our crowded family room, located below-grade in the basement of the house. Figuring out how to keep the rooflines from covering the only window in the master bedroom was the most difficult challenge--nobody wants a bedroom without a window.

The draft plans Troy drew, for which there was no charge, included exactly what we asked for and nothing beyond that. Troy proposed enlarging the kitchen while leaving the existing back door, and adding closets with sliding doors for extra storage in the kitchen. The fourth bedroom would be placed off the living room, which is the front room of the house. He would leave the master-bedroom window intact, working the roof of the addition around the window.

Dan Wangler Builders, a family-owned firm based in downtown Elmhurst, sent their head of sales, Dan, Jr., for the initial appointment. Like Troy, he asked about expectations, needs, and budget. After we paid a fee for the architect's drawings, the company hired a local architect to measure and draw the plans.

The Wanglers' proposal involved a bit more work than we had requested, as they suggested opening the roof to expand the master bedroom with a dormer. This would move the window in the master bedroom to a different wall, allowing for a view of the front yard and more attractive rooflines over the addition. We saw a larger bedroom as an unexpected plus. Another useful suggestion was the addition of a mudroom with a built-in bench by the back door. There would be a walk-in closet off the mudroom and a walk-in pantry in the kitchen.

Ultimately, we chose Dan Wangler Builders. Some 18 months after the completion of the project, we are still pleased with the results.