Bungalow Restoration in Norwood Park

I have just started a new project on a Bungalow in Norwood Park. This home must have had a craftsman as a previous owner. The walls on the second floor are made of 1/4 inch plywood with curves and details. The entire back room is completely tiled (including the ceiling) with plastic tile. All the cabinets are built in with an old school style. The bathroom is blue!

My client wants to renovate his kitchen as well as the bathrooms on the 1st and 2nd floors. He is undecided about what to do with the old 2nd floor kitchen. He has two older sons that visit him from time to time. He wants to make it new and cool, utilizing it partly as a office, but still wants to keep the vague aspects of a kitchen and the functionality of an in law apartment. I plan to document this process for you. Stay tuned for further developments.

Go green with your Appliances!

For those seeking a green solution to kitchen appliances, I am publishing this article written by a friend and esteemed colleague, Joe Oliver, otherwise known as "The Pie Guy". For more details or information on restoring chambers stoves, you can reach him at 773-973-5330 or thepieguy@sbcglobal.net

The ultra eco-conscious stove:

It seems ironic, in these days of carbon consciousness, high fuel bills, and “Energy Star” rated appliances, that a fuel conservation technology perfected in the late 1800’s seems to have been all but forgotten. “Retained Heat Cooking” was widely employed in American kitchens for decades, but only one major manufacturer integrated this technology into a practical stove. For over 50 years, the Chambers Range Company, with the sales pitch “Cooks With the Gas Turned Off”, promoted Retained Heat cooking as its primary selling point. Despite their popularity, the Chambers company folded in the 1980’s.

Vintage stoves have become a hot item among eco-conscious homeowners: there is significant environmental value in saving any appliance from the scrap heap. But with a unique and timeless design and super-efficiency, Chambers ranges stand out among all the rest. However, we’re not just talking cute and practical here. Chambers ranges offer fun and useful features that modern manufacturers seem to have forgotten, like a full-size griddle and pop-up broiler on the stove-top. Constructed with commercial grade components and made in a wide variety of colors, Chambers not only look great, they work great!

SNOW WAY

Like there is snow way this actually happened. As a general contractor and snow plow"er" in Chicago, every day is full of adventure. I've been told many times I should write my memoirs. Mrs. McCarthy, here is chapter 14 (chapter 13 was when the cockatiel got stuck behind the drywall).



This is one reason why snow plow operators get paid what they do. Not only do we have sleep deprivation, but it is a toll on our bodies and equipment. The other night, the snow/slush stopped around 6:00 p.m. My accounts do not need snow work done until later and I was spending a little time with family and friends. One account calls me and asks if I can clean their space by midnight. I know I have a slow leak on my driver's side tire, but I haven't seen the truck in a couple of days. I also know that I am low on fuel. So, I have to factor in time to allow for both of these. I'm pretty tired from a long week and decide to rest a little before I head out. Well, I woke up at 11:30pm. I race through the house waking my wife up in the process. "Is there a herd of elephants stampeding" she asks sleepily. "Shhhh," I respond. Off to the plow truck a block away only to find my tire nearly flat. I know I can't make it to a gas station and those 50 cent pumps cannot fill up the 80 psi that I need. My compressor happens to be at my house so I limp the one block back to my house on three full tires, plug the compressor in (WHAAAAA) it starts up at 11:45 P.M. with my whole family asleep as well as the neighborhood and I proceed to air up my tire. Now I 've really lost some time. So I can't get fuel before I clear my accounts driveway. By the time I finish with them, I am nearly out of fuel. I drive to the nearest fuel station and find the station closed. I rack my brain for the next closest. I barely make it to Ashland and Addison and fuel up. I Drive back to the commercial account on Ravenswood and Irving to continue the clean up. I need to shovel the walk whick takes about an hour of heavy work, then need to clean all the parking spaces. As I finish, I hear a clunk, squeek, and misc. other noises. I get out the truck, can't locate the problem and drive on (does this surprise anyone?) I hit a couple of other accounts and the noise is getting worse. By the time I get to one of my last accounts, I turn into the driveway and completely lose my four wheel drive capacity. Well, when you have had as much snow as we have, you need all 4 wheels pulling in order to move a big pile of snow. I shift into two wheel drive and find my rear wheels spinning on the ice. It's 2:30 in the morning and I am stuck. Blocking the driveway. In the process of trying to get unstuck, my rear end has fishtailed over so that I am wedged 1" away from one of the parked cars. I try leveraging the truck over,with a long 2 x 4 I found in the Sears parking lot, but to no avail. So happens I am only about 8 blocks from my house - where my other truck is parked. I figure if I get a chain, I'll be able to pull my truck rear end over to get out of this situation. So I leave my truck, plow and all, completely blocking the way for anybody to get out and start the walk of shame. I get to the corner of Lawrence and Wolcott, and lo and behold, here comes a little 4 wheel drive Jeep with a plow on it. I flag him down and ask the favor. He follows me over, I drag a chain out of the back of my truck and he yanks my rear end over far enough to be able to get out of my predicament. Many thanks to that unknown angel. Needless to say none of my other accounts were plowed that night. I think it was 3:45 before I nestled into my bed. The next morning, I wake up at 6am and help get kids ready for school. Breakfast, brush teeth, get dressed etc. My daughter takes ice skating lessons at McFetridge two days a week at 7am. My wife and daughter leave shortly before this, leaving me with the other two. I get my son to school and get a call on my cell phone. The wife says, "I have a flat tire at Montrose and California." I retrieve them, drop off my daughter at school and my wife at home. I still have mentioned nothing of the previous evening. I load my compressor in the back of my truck, drive back to my wife's car, air up her tire and get her car home. Then I get my plow truck, drive it my house so that I can remove the plow, which often times is not an easy process. Well the gods granted me a favor this day and she popped right off. Now I have to slowly drive my rig to Montrose and Pulaski with a man behind me following. Thom's Four Wheel Drive & Auto Service at 4118 N. Pulaski is an awesome place. Thom is one of the most interesting and informative guys I have met in the business. I highly recommend him. It turns out the left front tire was about to fall off. She is still in the shop at this writing and it is supposed to snow Monday night. It's now 11:oo am and I still have not plowed three of my accounts. I call a buddy of mine from Queen of Angels Parish and school who does snow plowing - Robert Brooks of Autumn Ridge Landscape and Design came through big time for me. Many thanks Robert. Well, that about concludes my story. Wish me luck and God Speed.

Tankless Water Heaters

Do you realize you are paying to heat water 24 hours a day? You are if you have a standard water heater. A tankless water heater is a much more energy efficient way to heat water and it provides an endless supply of hot water for your entire home. You don't have to heat and reheat a reserve of water sitting in your hot water tank.

Tankless water heaters are up to 50 percent more energy efficient than a traditional natural gas water heater and up to 70 percent more efficient than an electric water heater. They turn off automatically when hot water is not needed. The units are great space savers too because they are small and mounted to the wall. One of the products I am most familiar with is Rinnai. They are easy to install and my clients have been extremely happy with them. This is an excellent first step toward adopting a "Build Green" philosophy in your home.

Green your home with Solar Panels

A solar hot water or heating system is an excellent investment for home owners. It can utilize your current water heater or furnace, but the energy is generated by pollution-free solar panels on your roof rather than through gas or electricity.

Solar energy is also becoming more price competitive. For example, a $12,000 investment can place 2 solar panels on your roof to heat your hot water. Government programs can help subsidize this cost and offset it by almost $5,000. As energy prices continue to rise, this option will save in utility expenses over and over as well as reduce our dependence on natural gas and electricity.

Snow Removal in Chicago

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For Chicago snow removal, contact us. We'll help dig you out!