Chicago's Bungalow Belt: Renovating a Classic

The Chicago Bungalow

Drive through Portage Park, Berwyn, Garfield Ridge, or South Shore and you'll see them everywhere: tidy brick bungalows with wide front porches, low-pitched roofs, and characteristic art glass windows. Built primarily between 1910 and 1940, these homes represent one of the largest collections of a single architectural style anywhere in America.

The Chicago bungalow was working-class housing designed for efficiency. A typical example is 1,200 to 1,400 square feet on a single story with a full basement, sitting on a standard 25-by-125-foot Chicago lot. They were built to last, and most have — but after 80 to 100 years, many need significant renovation work.

What's Behind the Brick

Understanding the construction is essential before you start swinging a hammer. Most Chicago bungalows use balloon framing — continuous studs from the foundation to the roof plate. The exterior walls are typically 2x4 framing with diagonal board sheathing (not plywood — actual 1x boards nailed at 45 degrees for racking resistance), building paper, and then the brick veneer.

Interior partitions are usually 2x4 stud walls finished with wood lath and plaster. The plaster system — a brown coat and finish coat over wood or metal lath — provides surprisingly good sound isolation and thermal mass but is prone to cracking and failure at its age.

Common Lumber-Related Renovation Work

Attic conversion: The most popular bungalow upgrade is finishing the attic into living space. The existing roof structure may need reinforcement — original rafters are often 2x6 at 24-inch spacing, which may not meet current live load requirements for habitable space. Sistering new lumber alongside old rafters, adding collar ties, and installing dormers all require careful structural work.

Porch rebuilding: Bungalow front porches take tremendous weather abuse. Columns, decking, railings, and stair stringers often need partial or full replacement. Matching the original design details while using modern pressure-treated lumber and code-compliant connections is a craft in itself.

Basement finishing: Many bungalow basements have low headroom — 7 feet or less. Every inch counts, so framing choices matter. Using 2x3 walls or furring strips directly on concrete (with rigid foam insulation) instead of standard 2x4 framing can save 1-1/2 inches of headroom on each wall.

Kitchen and bathroom remodeling: Opening up bungalow floor plans often involves removing or relocating partition walls. In balloon-framed homes, you must determine whether a wall is load-bearing before removal. Because the framing behaves differently than modern platform construction, this determination requires experience or an engineer's analysis.

Working With Old Lumber

Original bungalow framing lumber is often old-growth Douglas fir or longleaf pine — tighter grained and stronger than modern lumber of the same dimensions. A 2x4 from 1920 actually measures about 1-5/8 by 3-5/8 inches (larger than today's 1-1/2 by 3-1/2). This dimensional mismatch means new lumber doesn't sit flush with old lumber, requiring shimming, furring, or custom milling at transition points.

When sistering or extending old framing, use lumber that matches the depth of the original members. This sometimes means ripping modern stock to match non-standard old dimensions — a table saw or a visit to a lumber yard that can custom-mill is essential.

Resources for Bungalow Owners

The Chicago Bungalow Association offers guidance and sometimes financial incentives for historically sensitive renovations. Whether you're restoring a front porch to its original glory or converting an attic into a bedroom, quality lumber is the foundation of the work. We've supplied material for hundreds of bungalow projects across the city and can help you figure out what your specific renovation needs.