Kitchens
Cabinets, countertops, backsplash and flooring.
Kitchens, baths, and the rest of the house
Kitchens, bathrooms, basements and additions, plus decks, siding and garages.
What this covers
Bathrooms
Tile, waterproofing, vanities and ventilation.
Plumbing is separately licensed in Illinois. This work is placed with a contractor licensed in that trade.
Flooring
Hardwood, engineered wood, laminate, tile and vinyl plank, including subfloor prep and transitions.
Drywall and painting
Hanging, taping and finishing drywall, then priming and painting, including patch repairs.
Carpentry and trim
Baseboard, casing, crown, stair parts and built-ins, cut and fitted on site.
Basement finishing
Framing, insulation, ceilings and floors that turn unfinished basement space into rooms.
Doors and windows
Interior doors, exterior doors and replacement windows, including trim, hardware and weather sealing.
Garages
New builds, rebuilds and repairs, covering slab, framing, siding and roof.
Decks and porches
Decks, porches and stairs in treated lumber or composite, on footings set below the frost line.
Siding
Vinyl, fiber cement and wood siding, with the trim, flashing and water barrier behind it.
Additions
New square footage tied into the existing house, from foundation and framing through roof, siding and interior finish.
Recent residential work
Finished rooms rather than renderings. The projects page has kitchens, bathrooms, floors and stairs, and a detached garage, photographed as they were left.
Kitchens
Two-tone cabinetry with a geometric tile backsplash above, and a second kitchen in white with a stone-topped island.
Bathrooms
Six photographs of finished bathrooms: green subway tile with brass, a penny-round floor, fluted tile with black fittings.
How a project runs
How long a job takes depends on its size, what is found once the old material comes off, material lead times, and weather. You’ll get a timeline with your estimate.
Permits: permit requirements are set by the village or city where the property sits, and they differ from one to the next. We’ll tell you what your job needs at the estimate.
Licensing on this page
Plumbing is separately licensed in Illinois.
Y Squared Inc. is licensed for roofing and general contracting.
Ask which license covers your work, and ask for it in writing. On any job, from anyone.
Questions
Can you work around us while we live in the house?
Usually. Most interior work can be staged so one area is out of use at a time, with the rest of the house sealed off from dust. A kitchen is the hard one. Expect a stretch without a working sink or range, and we'll tell you which stretch that is before the work starts.
Do you supply materials, or do we choose them?
Either way. Pick your own tile, cabinets, flooring and fixtures if you want to, or tell us the look and the budget and we'll bring options. Longer lead-time items are worth choosing early, because cabinets and special-order tile can set the schedule.
How long does a kitchen, bathroom or basement take?
It depends on the size and how much changes. What moves the date most is material lead times and what turns up once walls or floors open. You'll get a timeline with your estimate, and you'll hear about it if something changes.
Do you handle the design, or should we bring our own plans?
Bring plans if you have them. If you don't, we can work from what you want the finished space to do. Anything structural, or anything the village wants drawings for, goes to an architect or engineer, and we'll say so up front if your job is one of those.
Which jobs need a permit?
Permit requirements are set by the village or city where the property sits and differ from one to the next. As a rule, cosmetic work doesn't need one and structural, electrical or plumbing changes do. An addition almost always does, because it changes the footprint, which also brings setback and zoning rules into it. We'll tell you what your job needs at the estimate.
Related services
Roofing
Replacements, leak repair, storm damage, gutters and ventilation for homes and commercial buildings.
Infrastructure
Water supply, drainage and waste, water heaters, HVAC, electrical, and waterproofing.
Commercial
Interior build-outs and fit-outs: taking a commercial space from shell or strip-out to finished.
Service area
- Chicago
- Elmhurst
- Elmwood Park
- Evanston
- Forest Park
- Franklin Park
- Glenview
- Harwood Heights
- Lincolnwood
- Melrose Park
- Morton Grove
- Niles
- Norridge
- Oak Park
- Park Ridge
- River Grove
- Rosemont
- Skokie
- Wilmette
Ready to talk about your project?
Estimates are free. Call or send a message.