CHICAGO | General Discussions

[Rizzo]

I think choosing the right contractors are one of the most difficult things homeowners will ever deal with. I feel fortunate to grow up in a family background involved in the trades. Same situation with a bunch of my friends who do most of their own renovations with competence. They’ll save thousands of dollars, and when it comes to hiring a contractor, they can tell during the estimate process who knows what they are talking about. I’ve hired much more expensive contractors only because there were more complex problems that needed resolution in order to fix the cosmetic ones.

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by Via Chicago

yeah, they advised even against power washing the face brick and ive come around to the patina. they used some sort of non-caustic putty mixture on the limestone (not sure which but guessing it pulled the dirt out of the pores), let that set, and gently washed that off a few different times. definitely one of the only firms Ive found that has a preservation oriented mindset. if there are others out there id love to learn about them.

its definitely satisfying brining those little touches back. theres lots of boring expensive work that needs to be done to homes like this as you know, but anything involving a flourish on the facade is one of those really enjoyable and fun projects to see come to fruition. and it wasnt particularly expensive either in the scheme of things, just a quick day project they squeezed in amongst bigger stuff. one of these days we'll get a nice stained/leaded glass popped back in that opening, but that'll be the cherry on top once we get a lot more important stuff done lol. and theres quite the list.

but yeah, contractors are a minefield and places like Yelp arent super helpful especially for nuanced things like masonry, because most people reviewing dont even know what they got vs what they SHOULD have gotten. "tuckpointing" especially.

The putty was probably some kind of clay that works like a mud mask, you should have put cucumbers over your windows...


If you want to get a window PM. I have a guy in Milwaukee that has literally hundreds of salvaged windows that are pretty affordable, especially if leaded glass is the style you need. You could probably send him your measurements and he could send you pics of what's available in that size range. He's extremely affordable, we got six windows we used in our rehab for like $800 total.

[BrinChi]

Thanks Via for the tip about Marion Restoration. They did a beautiful job on your window as others said.

Thankfully my front facade doesn't need any mason work yet (some of the wood trim around the windows needs some touching up). My project is brick on the sides and rear - I'm looking for good tuckpointing touch ups around windows, caulking around windows, and two sections of effervescence that need the most work (some bricks are flaking and need replacement). Hoping that if I do a little bit of tuckpointing every few years I can avoid needing a big expensive one in 20 years. As Rizzo said, finding the right contractors is a challenge of itself. My dad is an engineer and never hired work out if he could help it because he wanted to ensure it was done right. I always try to find the sweet spot of someone who will do it right for a fair price, but it's hard to decipher that from the interaction during a quote. Personal references are still the best search tool in this case.

[Via Chicago]

theres a guy who did all his own tuckpointing on my block last year with a hammer/chisel and im not exaggerating he was out there every day by himself for almost the entire summer. i guess if you want it done right...lol

but yeah in my limited experience, you tend to quickly learn during the quote process who wants your business and who dosent just based on how they interact with you, their response time to questions, they way they present proposals, etc. Or at least it gives you an insight into how the work is going to go once it actually starts. Also, always ask for references/examples of similar projects theyve done to what youre asking for so you can go in person and actually look at it. The other thing is if you have an issue could that could be structural in nature but is presenting itself as a "cosmetic" issue, are they acknowledging that at all and are they suggesting other underlying issues you should be looking it. Also, probe them on the type of mortar they intent to use, their methodology for ensuring good brick matches for replacements, how they intend to grind out old mortar and how deep theyre going to go, what type of bead they intend to lay, etc. The good thing is once youve got a "guy" you should just be able to go to him directly in the future and save yourself the headache of vetting every time.

The approach youre taking is a good one tho! An ounce of prevention and all.

[pip]

Today and tomorrow being most likely the last of the 80+ degrees until next year, I decided to bike through Bridgeport and part of Canaryville. Bridgeport was interesting and obviously a thriving neighborhood. It's certainly not the Irish stereotype of years ago. I was disappointed in the lack of a large intact commercial strip - that I saw. Halsted is kind of yeah it doesn't looks bad only. While going through only the northern part of Canaryville I couldn't get out of my head don't go to far south - it really will be the worst Chicago has to offer. Overall it was a good experience and I do like Bridgeport.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by pip

Today and tomorrow being most likely the last of the 80+ degrees until next year, I decided to bike through Bridgeport and part of Canaryville. Bridgeport was interesting and obviously a thriving neighborhood. It's certainly not the Irish stereotype of years ago. I was disappointed in the lack of a large intact commercial strip - that I saw. Halsted is kind of yeah it doesn't looks bad only. While going through only the northern part of Canaryville I couldn't get out of my head don't go to far south - it really will be the worst Chicago has to offer. Overall it was a good experience and I do like Bridgeport.

Bridgeport is over 42% Asian now - it is the highest percentage of any of the racial groups there. Most of this is Chinese too and there's more Chinese people now in Bridgeport than Chinatown next door. There's also a good sized population in Canaryville now. There are some good eateries on Halsted, especially Chinese food - but knowing just how many Chinese people live there it could be WAY more. That and Archer.

Go check out Zhou B Art Center by the way - Chinese artists who have been in Chicago since the 80s and I think have a gallery in Beijing now. My wife and I were married there and it's full of some really awesome art not only from them, but also from other artists on upper floors. They are a lot more connected than I'd realized too - they even have some stuff up in the UN building in NYC. Really good stuff.

[Chisouthside]

Alot of south halsted in Birdgeport looks bad with alot of empty storefronts but I will say all the chinese restaurants on the strip are holding it down. I think alot of the olde establishments catered to the old timers and with alot of them gone they too go into a decline.

[Via Chicago]

theres so many good hidden gems on that strip. every time im down there i see another hole in the wall i mean to try, but its tough to switch up once you find a sure thing. i usually stick to Four Season Dumplings, Potsticker House, Shinya, and Northern Taste.

also, it goes without saying but Palmisano Park is an absolute knock out. i usually take my dumplings to go, hike up the hill there, and eat them straight out of the styrofoam container while soaking in the view. if you need ideas for a cheap date...

[pip]

Originally Posted by Via Chicago

theres so many good hidden gems on that strip. every time im down there i see another hole in the wall i mean to try, but its tough to switch up once you find a sure thing. i usually stick to Four Season Dumplings, Potsticker House, Shinya, and Northern Taste.

also, it goes without saying but Palmisano Park is an absolute knock out. i usually take my dumplings to go, hike up the hill there, and eat them straight out of the styrofoam container while soaking in the view. if you need ideas for a cheap date...

No kidding that was a great park. No idea that existed and that's why I love biking Chicago. There is always something that makes me go 'wow' Two weeks ago or so I ended up in the Sauganash neighborhood. What was that? It is a stunning neighborhood with people out and about - no Lakeview in terms of vibrancy but for what it is, is was active. And then I came across the Sauganash Trail Park bike path.... another wow.

[OrdoSeclorum]

Originally Posted by Chisouthside

Alot of south Halsted in Birdgeport looks bad with alot of empty storefronts but I will say all the chinese restaurants on the strip are holding it down. I think alot of the olde establishments catered to the old timers and with alot of them gone they too go into a decline.

The guy that originally opened Myopic books on Milwaukee is in the process of opening a new used bookstore on Halsted--about 3300 S--right now. And there's a huge theater rehab going on at 3501 S Halsted right now, the Ramova, that's going to be a music venue + brewery + restaurant. I wouldn't be surprised to see the blocks near to there pop in the next decade. I think Morgan street is the best looking commercial strip in Bridgeport by far. Looks alot like Damen in the early 2000's right now.

[the urban politician]

Bridgeport is the cat’s pajamas!

[left of center]

Bears have signed a purchase agreement for the Arlington International Racecourse

https://theathletic.com/news/bears-s...e/QTJyEXELsaMt

[jpIllInoIs]

Originally Posted by left of center

Bears have signed a purchase agreement for the Arlington International Racecourse

https://theathletic.com/news/bears-s...e/QTJyEXELsaMt

It was bound to happen. Modern day NFL stadiums require huge footprints. Look at SoFi in Inglewood CA and AT&T Stadium in Irvine TX. That is the model. No place for the Bears on the lakefront.

[Bonsai Tree]

It boggles my mind that some people (the Mayor of Arlington Heights) are even still trying to court the Bears. The Bears will build their stadium there and then go somewhere else in 20 years to build the next state-of-the-art stadium. It's downright idiotic that any mayor would want them in their town. Modern NFL teams are like blood-sucking parasites, they go wherever offers the juiciest prize. With that said, I don't know if Arlington Heights will offer any concessions, but it's pretty clear they'll need to build plenty of new infrastructure to accommodate the Bears. Once they leave, Arlington Heights will be screwed and left with a massive white elephant. This is the wrong approach all around and a completely stupid move. The Bear's owners and franchise are extremely wealthy. They should pay for every cent of infrastructure necessary to house the team. They should also pay for the construction and demolition of every stadium they build.

[k1052]

The city should not chase them with a pile of cash. Focus efforts on getting it to work for the Fire.

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by k1052

The city should not chase them with a pile of cash. Focus efforts on getting it to work for the Fire.

Completely, i can't stand the NFL anymore anyway.

[the urban politician]

One has to wonder if the Bears had been based out of Arlington Heights, whether the Lucas Museum would not have encountered so much opposition from Friends of the Parking Lot. After all, no issues with tailgating or parking any more

[Via Chicago]

That was explicitly bears fans who were whining about losing their tailgating lots. So yeah.

[tjp]

I'm not familiar with Arlington Heights, but do you think this would get any pushback from residents? The area immediately surrounding the proposed site is leafy residential... I know the racetrack is already there but I assume the Bears would bring in a lot more traffic and noise?

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by tjp

I'm not familiar with Arlington Heights, but do you think this would get any pushback from residents? The area immediately surrounding the proposed site is leafy residential... I know the racetrack is already there but I assume the Bears would bring in a lot more traffic and noise?

wikipedia says that arlington racecourse's grandstand seating capacity is 35,000, but there are also other areas adjacent to the grandstand for spectators to watch the races that probably aren't included in "seating capacity". let's say that ~40,000 show up on the busiest race days (though i'm not sure how often arlington actually fills up to that level).

a new NFL stadium for the bears would roughly double that capacity (and would always full), but the schedule of use would be considerably less: 2 preseason + 8 regular season home games + potential playoffs (yeah right, ) vs. some 70-odd race days in a typical summer calendar for arlington racecourse.