The proud owner of this Lake Bluff property called us about her front storm door. The door is a round-top wooden door that had been custom made for a previous owner…likely 70 years ago. The door has interchangeable glass and screen panels and exhibits the original high-quality workmanship. However, the freezing and thawing of Chicago… Read more…

A young family in a new house in Morton Grove reached out to House Specialties to have a special piece of artwork hung on the wall. This art piece is 7 feet long and almost 4’ high, and the homeowner wanted it hung in an area with a vaulted ceiling. Watch this video to see… Read more…

Long-time clients of House Specialties in south Evanston called us to do some repairs on their pergola/arbor. The outdoor garden structure is part of a beautiful yard that wraps from the side to the back of their house. The pergola is approximately 25 years old and has a significant amount of rot. This pergola is… Read more…

A resident of the Optima towers in Skokie contacted House Specialties to perform some work in his 10th floor condo. His name is Jose and he has a corner desk in his large bedroom. He wanted 3 L-shaped shelves over his desk. Shelving comes in many different varieties. Inexpensive ready-made white laminated particle board from… Read more…

A family in Glencoe reached out to House Specialties about the small shed they keep their trashcans in. The structure was built long before they owned the property, and was now in such disrepair that it was unusable. House Specialties owner Lightning Atkinson provided quotes to repair the rotted structure or build a whole new… Read more…

First-time homeowners in Long Grove called us to install 2 new electrical outlets in their new living room. During this work we removed the cover of the breaker panel and found water beading and pooling inside. Yikes! Puddles inside an electrical panel are cause for immediate action. The electrical panel, which was only 30 years… Read more…

Homeowners Sara and Bob called House Specialties to wall mount their TV. Typically this is a straight-forward project, but they sensed that their situation might be more complicated. And they were right.  Their 1924 brick home in Evanston had received an addition in the 1930s that included a small room with built-in wooden cupboards and… Read more…

Amanda from the Edison Park neighborhood called House Specialties with an interesting idea. Her Chicago bungalow had built-in cabinets in the kitchen that included a very shallow closet that housed 2 flip-down ironing boards—one for regular ironing and a special board for sleeves. Amanda thought that this would be a perfect place for a spice… Read more…