How much does home renovation cost in Chicago? The usual renovation job filed with Chicago is $65,000, from 7,727 priced permits (October 2023 through September 2026); the middle half of firms file between $40,000 and $137,500. A filed value is what the contractor wrote on the permit, not a quote or the final bill.
The usual renovation job filed with Chicago is $65,000, from 7,727 priced permits, October 2023 through September 2026. The middle half of firms usually file between $40,000 and $137,500. Half of jobs were filed for less, half for more. A filed value is what the contractor wrote on the permit, not a quote or the final bill. A renovation permit here usually takes 666 days from issue to final inspection. How long permits take →
Approximately, from each firm's own spread: every firm's range of filed values, weighted by its 7,727 priced permits across 2,582 firms, pooled into one. Half of Chicago renovation permits were filed between $24,500 and $142,000.
| Percentile | Filed value | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $12,600 | 1 in 10 permits filed below |
| 25th | $24,500 | 1 in 4 filed below |
| 50th | $69,200 | the middle permit |
| 75th | $142,000 | 1 in 4 filed above |
| 90th | $274,000 | 1 in 10 filed above |
Firms split into thirds by the usual value of the homes they work on, with each third's usual filed value weighted by permits. Home values: Cook County Assessor values.
| Firms working on | Usual home value | Usual filed value | Firms | Permits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower third | under $271,990 | $70,000 | 860 | 2,440 |
| Middle third | $271,990–$560,000 | $50,000 | 861 | 2,996 |
| Upper third | $560,000 and up | $100,025 | 861 | 2,318 |
Top 10 by permits in the last 12 months. Usual is each firm's middle filed value; middle half is the range its middle half of jobs were filed in. Busy is not the same as careful: pick what you value to build a list.
| Firm | Permits | Last 12 mo | Usual | Middle half | Finished |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frackiel Builders, Incorporated | 316 | 62 | $22,750 | $18,000–$28,000 | 76.3% |
| Mr. Porch, Incorporated | 116 | 22 | $20,000 | $15,000–$24,243 | 64.5% |
| 606 Design and Construction LLC | 51 | 19 | $60,000 | $23,266–$117,900 | 9.2% |
| Airoom, LLC | 45 | 19 | $166,200 | $93,900–$206,835 | 28.5% |
| Chicago Roof Deck & Garden, LLC | 54 | 17 | $32,500 | $25,000–$50,000 | 5.6% |
| American Restoration Services Inc. | 47 | 17 | $100,000 | $100,000–$165,000 | 3.9% |
| AG Construction & Restoration LLC | 30 | 16 | $70,000 | $16,250–$122,500 | 17.9% |
| C. Roman Construction Corporation | 38 | 14 | $47,500 | $25,000–$125,000 | 18.0% |
| AA Construction Consultants Ltd | 26 | 13 | $24,000 | $10,475–$45,000 | 24.5% |
| MCM3 Construction and Management LLC | 19 | 13 | $120,000 | $60,000–$150,000 | 2 of 8 |
Line your quote up against the file. In Chicago, 1 in 10 renovation filed values sit under $12,600, the middle half between $24,500 and $142,000, and 1 in 10 over $274,000.
Chicago files the fewest renovation permits in December (77 against an average month of 100) and the most in October (121). If you can choose, ask for quotes in a quiet month. We have no prices by month, so this is about crews' schedules, not a discount. When each trade is busiest in Chicago →
Source: City of Chicago building permits (Chicago Data Portal). The window is October 2023 through September 2026; a permit filed after that isn't here yet.
Usual is the middle permit: half were filed for less, half for more. Only permits with a filed value count; a value of $0 or none is left out.
The spread is approximate: we keep seven points of each firm's own range of filed values, not every permit, and pool them.
Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. How the records work in Chicago →
Renovation cost in other cities: New York City
Other job costs in Chicago: Solar · Garage · Roofing · Fence · Interior Remodel · New Home · Porch & Deck · Windows & Doors