Strategem Construction was recently rated as one of the top home remodeling companies in Chicago by Trust Analytica with a customer rating of 4.9 out of 5. Why Choose Our Home Remodeling Company in Chicago Choosing our home remodeling company for your next project in Chicago means tapping into a legacy of excellence and customer satisfaction. Our team of seasoned renovation experts and designers bring together innovative design, superior craftsmanship, and a dedication to delivering on our promises. We understand the unique architectural character of Chicagoland homes and offer tailored solut ..read more

If you are looking to make the most of your home, the two most important rooms time and time again are the bathroom and kitchen. These two rooms, when done right, add value to your home. Let’s face it, we spend a great deal of time in one or the other. With this in mind, here are the most common bathroom remodel ideas in Chicago. Tile Patterns and Shapes Straight up and down tiles in a plain color are so last season! People are using tiles in more expressive ways. So, don’t concentrate on tiles that your mother would have used thirty years ago! Look for tiles with patterns and shapes that sin ..read more

How much will my bathroom remodel cost me in Chicago? Short answer. 8K to 60K. That was a lot of help, wasn’t it? But read on and I’ll try to explain some factors that will help you understand how much your bathroom remodel in Chicago should cost. We’ll start at the bottom, down and dirty, a 8 to 12K guest bathroom rehab and then work our way up as the size, quality, features, location add onto the cost. I’m going to show you how 6K becomes 60. Down and dirty:  8 to 12 K This is a guest bathroom where EVERYTHING stays in the same place, one shower/tub, one toilet/one vanity, sink, mirror ..read more

How much one should spend on a remodel depends on a number of factors. As a former real estate developer and owner of Habitar Design, a design and home remodeling company in Chicago, I’ve advised many clients about this over the year. It’s not hard to figure out. There just a few questions to ask yourself. Question one: How long to you plan to stay there? If it’s two to five years, six to twelve years or twelve to forever the advice is different. Many people want to buy a place to get into the market and build equity but they’re not sure what will happen next. Perhaps they’ll move to a new cit ..read more

You want to remodel your kitchen and bathroom, have a good idea of what you want, but have no idea what the right price is.  Welcome to Home Renovation 101! Today’s question: should you get three bids for your kitchen or bathroom renovation or just one?  The answer depends on the work you want performed and whether price is more important than inconvenience. I’m Mitchell Newman, a general contractor for over 20 years and owner of Stratagem construction in Chicago.  In this article, I will explain when three bids make sense and when they do not, as well as suggest the best way to ..read more

Stinky, odorous kitchen sink in a high rise? Do you come home sometimes and smell stink coming from your kitchen sink?  Is the odor worse after being away for a few days? This can be from a combination of waste outlet pipe (below your sink) being at a height 24 inches above the floor and a garbage disposal that doesn’t drain as a result.  This can be the case in older buildings. The photos below shows the situation.   The garbage disposal outlet is below the waste outlet for the sink resulting in a deep trap and lots of standing water. In it, you can see the waste outlet is jus ..read more

You’re about to buy a place or you bought one a few years and now you’re asking how much will a kitchen renovation cost in Chicago?  I add Chicago because the cost of construction varies greatly in different regions.  This is because labor costs and building codes are different and if your renovation is in a high rise building more time has to be spent getting approvals and carrying materials up and down elevators which makes working in high rises inefficient.  This means a kitchen or bathroom in a Chicago high rise could cost 75% more expensive than nearly the same construction ..read more

When I was a theater director, yes — believe it or not I was a theater director before getting into construction — I used to say picking the right actor was 60% of getting a good show. There was only so much you could do with an actor. The same applies to pretty much everyone you hire, particularly, contractors. You can tell contractors, write them a list, show them, leave sticky notes, plead, beg, threaten or pray but pretty much they’re going to do what they do which will not be much different from what they did for others. Keep in mind: sometimes they can be worse than expected, but rarely ..read more

If you are looking to make the most of your Chicago home this year, then there are some pretty exciting trends that will transform the place you call ‘home.’ Being bang on trend means you are the envy of your neighbors, can make the most of your space and have something that will sell at the drop of a hat. Not bad at all. With this in mind, let’s take a look at the top Chicago remodeling trends in 2019 and what they mean for you. Kitchen And Bathroom Renovations The two most important rooms in the house are the kitchen and bathroom. That’s why people spend top dollar getting these looking just ..read more

No one wants mold or mildew in their bathroom or kitchen. But with Chicago’s humid summers and 10 months of barricaded windows for winter, it’s pretty much unavoidable. Our Construction Project Managers run through some of their top tips for preventing and managing bathroom mold and mildew below. Preventing Install a high powered ventilation and exhaust fan when remodeling. Be sure to always have it on when showering or bathing and leave it on for 30 minutes afterward to prevent moisture from accumulating. Use a dehumidifier to cut down on humidity levels in the space. After bathing, wipe dow ..read more