Western Springs Home Remodeling

The village’s heart, Old Town, emerged from the 1870s around the iconic 1892 limestone Western Springs Water Tower at Tower Green. Further out, areas like Field Park and Ridge Acres were platted from land once held by Marshall Field, offering homes that often reflect early to mid-20th-century styles, from Craftsman bungalows to more traditional two-stories. Forest Hills, known for its deep front lawns, typically features larger, more stately homes from the mid-20th century, often with robust construction and a layout that lends itself well to open-concept transformations or significant additions.

The postwar boom brought the Ridgewood and Springdale neighborhoods, built on former farmland between 1955 and 1973. These areas are characterized by mid-century brick ranches and two-story homes, often with full basements ripe for build-outs. More recently, Timber Trails, new construction on the former country club site since 2005, offers contemporary homes that, while newer, still benefit from whole-home updates as families settle in and personalize their spaces. The downtown area, anchored by the Western Springs Metra station (BNSF Line) along Hillgrove Avenue, remains a vibrant hub, and proximity to this amenity often influences renovation decisions, with homeowners looking to enhance their living spaces to match the convenience and charm of village life.

What that means for whole-home remodeling in Western Springs: The intricate details and compartmentalized layouts of Victorian-era Old Town homes with original plaster walls often require careful structural planning to open up spaces while preserving historic character and navigating original plumbing and electrical systems. For mid-century homes in Forest Hills, their robust construction and generous layouts lend themselves well to open-concept transformations or significant additions, often including basement build-outs. Postwar homes in Ridgewood and Springdale, built between 1955 and 1973, frequently involve basement build-outs and additions to maximize living space within their mid-century brick ranch or two-story structures. Remodeling projects that open up plumbing in any home present an opportune moment to check and potentially replace the service line, taking advantage of the village's lead service line replacement program. For all homes, particularly older ones, prudent basement remodeling includes considering appropriate waterproofing and drainage solutions, even though Western Springs is not highly flood-prone.

A whole-home remodel in Western Springs involves extensive permit review by the Community Development Department, encompassing structural modifications, electrical system upgrades, plumbing reroutes, and HVAC alterations. GS Construction & Remodeling meticulously prepares and submits all necessary applications, ensuring every phase of the project, from initial demolition to final inspections, is fully compliant and smoothly coordinated with village officials.