Wilmette sits right on Lake Michigan, and that lakefront exposure drives real wear on homes. The freeze-thaw cycles hit hard through January and February, and the moisture off the lake works on wood trim, grout lines, and basement walls year after year. Homes in the East Wilmette and Lakeside neighborhoods near the Baha'i House of Worship deal with this more than most. It's not abstract weather talk. It shows up in water-damaged bathrooms and wet basements.
The housing stock here skews older and larger. You'll find a lot of Tudor and Colonial-style homes built in the 1920s through the 1950s, especially along Sheridan Road and in the central neighborhoods near downtown Wilmette and the Green Bay Trail. Many owners want to preserve the character of those homes while bringing kitchens and bathrooms up to current standards. That's the kind of project we do well. We work around original millwork and tight layouts. We don't just gut everything and start over unless that's what the job actually calls for.