Second-Story and Home Additions
A second story when the lot has no room to build out, or a primary suite or family room where it does. Either way, the addition ties into the existing structure and roofline so it reads as part of the original house.
Remodeling & General Contractor · Frankfort, IL
Remodeling Contractor in Frankfort, IL. More House on the Same Lot.
Adding to a house in Frankfort comes down to two things: how much of the lot you're allowed to cover, and who reviews the design. We're a New Lenox-based remodeling contractor and custom home builder, about nine miles from downtown Frankfort, and we plan around both.
~9 mi
Our Base to Downtown Frankfort
1:1
Project Manager On Every Job
$40k+
Typical Min Project
$0
First Conversation
Adding Space in Frankfort
Your Lot Decides How Far Out You Can Build.
Frankfort caps how much of a lot can be covered by buildings. In the E-R, R-1 and R-2 zoning districts, the house plus any roofed outbuilding, such as a detached garage, shed or gazebo, can cover no more than 20 percent of the lot, or 25 percent for a one-story home in R-2. A planned development can carry its own limits.
Coverage is measured on footprints, so a finished basement adds living space without touching the limit, and a second story often does too. There's one catch in R-2. A ranch keeps its extra allowance only while it stays one story, so a ranch covering more than 20 percent of its lot can't simply add a floor.
When you remodel or add on, the house has to meet the zoning ordinance, or at least not fall further out of line with it. We check your lot's setbacks and coverage first, so the design starts inside what the ordinance allows.
HOA and Village Review
Your HOA and the Village Both Get a Say.
If your subdivision has a homeowners association that reviews exterior changes, the Village's permit checklists ask for the association's approval before the permit is released. Not every association here runs architectural review, so we ask up front whether yours does.
When it does, an addition or any other change to the outside of the house waits on that approval. We put its timeline in the schedule and prepare drawings that show the committee what it asks to see.
Downtown adds another layer. Inside the historic district, a Certificate of Appropriateness is needed before the Village will issue a building permit, and any change to the approved design goes back for review.
The Village's downtown design guidelines favor second stories that step back or use dormers, replacement windows that match the original pattern, and garages that are detached or load from the side or rear.
For a downtown addition, we design around those guidelines from the first sketch and settle the exterior details early, so fewer changes have to go back for review. Not sure whether your house is in the district? We'll check with the Village before design starts.
Remodeling in Frankfort
A General Contractor for Frankfort Additions, Kitchens and Baths.
Most Frankfort homes were built between 1970 and 2009, so many are at the age where the kitchen, the baths or the layout needs work. One project manager runs your job from design through the final walkthrough.
Kitchen Remodel
A kitchen remodel doesn't have to add footprint. The work goes into the layout, the storage, the island, the lighting and how the room connects to the rest of the first floor. When the plan calls for custom kitchen cabinets, they're built for the space.
Bathroom Remodeling
A bigger primary bath can often come from space you already have, such as a closet or the spare bedroom next door, without adding footprint. A finished basement can take a new bath too.
Decks, patio covers and screened porches go to our sister company, EZ Deck Co., which is based in Frankfort. EZ Custom Homes doesn't take on deck work, so if you need a deck builder in Frankfort, they're the ones to call.
More detail on each service is on our home remodeling page.
Basements and Electrical
A Finished Basement Adds Room Without Adding Footprint.
A finished basement adds living space without counting against lot coverage, which makes it a practical choice when a lot is near its limit. Most of the soil in the village drains poorly or somewhat poorly, so we check for water, and deal with any we find, before anything is framed.
Installing drain tile takes a Village permit, with a plat of survey showing where the sump pump or gutters discharge, and the tile is inspected before it's covered.
Village rules also show up in the price. Plastic-sheathed cable isn't allowed, so the wiring runs in metal conduit, and we price the electrical work for it. If the plan changes anything structural, such as moving a beam or a post, the Village wants drawings sealed by an Illinois-licensed engineer before work begins. We bring the engineer in during planning.
It's also worth testing for radon before the walls go up, and keeping any mitigation system reachable in the finished space.
New Homes in Frankfort
Custom Home Builder in Frankfort, IL.
A new custom home in Frankfort is designed around rules that are easy to miss. Every new house needs a basement under at least 80 percent of its first floor, and each zoning district sets a minimum house size.
In the E-R, R-1 and R-2 districts, a new house needs a masonry first floor, and a one-story house needs masonry all the way up. In those districts' subdivisions platted since 2000, the main roof needs a pitch of at least 8/12, with no metal roofing.
Frankfort bars plywood, vinyl, steel and aluminum siding in its subdivisions. Vinyl, aluminum or plywood is allowed only to maintain or repair siding a house already has. And in a subdivision, a new house has to differ from its near neighbors, on its own side of the street and across it, in at least four of eight listed features, such as roof type, number of stories or garage orientation.
All of it can be designed and priced in if it's in the plan from day one. We work with the architect so the layout, the elevation and the budget reflect those rules before the drawings are submitted for HOA and Village review.
The same rules make a barndominium, with or without metal siding, hard to fit inside a Frankfort subdivision. Read more about how we work as a custom home builder.
How It Works
The Lot, the HOA, the Village, Then the Build.
01
Conversation and Lot Check
Scope, budget and fit first. Then the lot: zoning district, coverage, setbacks, any HOA, the historic district, and whether any part of it sits in a mapped floodplain.
02
Design With the Architect
The architect draws the plans with the Village's rules and any HOA standards in hand, and we price them in a written, itemized estimate as part of our preconstruction phase.
03
HOA Approval
For exterior work, if your association reviews changes, its approval comes before the Village permit, and we build that time into the schedule.
04
Permit Review
If your address is inside the Village, the plans go there for review, with the association's approval where one is required. Nothing starts on site until a permit is issued.
05
Build With Inspections
Utility locates before any digging, then inspections of the framing, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and insulation as the work moves along.
06
Final Walkthrough
We walk the finished space with you and check it against what you signed off on. Any punch list items get settled before we close out.
Straight Answers for Frankfort Homeowners.
Yes. Frankfort, in Will County, is one of our primary service areas. We take on remodels, additions, basement finishing and new homes there. Remodels typically start around $40,000.
Almost always. The Village requires a permit to remodel an existing structure, and it has removed the building code's standard list of work that is exempt from a permit. A basement finish, for example, needs a permit, plans submitted to the Village, and inspections of the framing, mechanical, electrical and plumbing work, insulation where needed, and finals.
Often, yes. In Frankfort's E-R, R-1 and R-2 districts, coverage is measured on the footprints of the house and any roofed outbuildings, so a finished basement adds living space without counting against the limit, and a second story often does too. The exception is an R-2 ranch that covers more than 20 percent of its lot. We run the numbers for your lot first.
We work that out with you before demolition. We'll settle which rooms stay usable, where a temporary kitchen can go, and how long the kitchen will be out of service. Once you know the schedule, it's easier to live with.
No. Frankfort Square is a separate unincorporated community that shares the Frankfort name and the 60423 ZIP code. The Village's building rules don't automatically apply there.
More Room Starts With the Lot.
Tell us what you'd like to add or change. We'll look over the house and lot together, check what the rules allow, and give you a realistic sense of cost.
Get In Touch
Let's Talk About Your Project.
Reach out and we'll talk through your project, give honest feedback, and help you understand what makes sense. You decide how to move forward.
Phone
+1 708-888-1608Your project manager keeps you in the loop from first call to final walkthrough.
Working Hours
- Monday – Friday9:00am – 5:00pm
- Saturday9:00am – 12:00pm
- SundayClosed