When we bought the 1918 bungalow on West Sunnyside Avenue in Ravenswood Gardens, we knew the easier path. On a lot nearly twice the size of a standard Chicago lot, tearing it down and building new would have been most developer’s go to option.
We didn’t want that outcome. Chicago bungalows are part of what makes this city’s neighborhoods what they are, and this one deserved another hundred years.
Over 15 months, we rehabbed and expanded the house while keeping its character intact. We added an attached garage and a second floor set back from the front edge, so the original bungalow profile still reads from the street. That avoids the “pop the top” look that so many bungalow lovers rightly dislike. Inside, we installed all new windows, thick insulation, a heat pump and gas cooking. We also brought back period details: cabinetry flanking the living room fireplace, kitchen cabinets and a hood that reflect the home’s era, and the sunroom wrapped in a square bay of windows that bungalow owners will recognize.
The home is now listed at $2.25 million with @properties Christie’s International Real Estate. According to Crain’s, that’s the first time a Chicago-style bungalow has been offered above $2 million.
I’m proud of the outcome, and even prouder that it shows preservation and value can go together.
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— Ari Killian, Principal, Consortian Construction
