Printer's Row Kitchen and Bathroom Remodeling

We have remodeled kitchens throughout the Printer's Row loft buildings, and they all start with the same structural reality: you are working inside a converted printing factory. The heavy timber columns and beams in buildings like the Donohue, Pontiac, and Manhattan cannot be removed, so the layout question is always about working around the structure rather than through it. Original plumbing stacks were sized for presses and machine floors, not kitchens, so relocating a sink or dishwasher usually means a conversation with your building engineer about what is actually behind the wall and under the concrete. We do that read first, before any finishes are chosen.

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We handle cabinet selection and install, quartz or natural stone countertops, tile and stone backsplashes, and integrated appliance packages sized to the room. Taller loft ceilings open the door to cabinetry that runs 10 or 12 feet high, which changes how we think about storage and sightlines. Exposed brick, timber columns, and industrial windows also shape what finishes read well, and we calibrate to the character of the building rather than fighting it.

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Kitchen remodeling in Printer's Row typically ranges from $15,000 to $80,000+ depending on the scope, finishes, and any structural or plumbing-stack changes. Cosmetic kitchen updates with cabinet refacing or painting, new countertops, and backsplash usually fall in the $15,000 to $22,000 range. Mid-range remodels with new cabinetry, appliances, and finishes typically run $22,000 to $50,000+. Complete loft kitchen transformations with layout changes, high-end appliances, and custom cabinetry typically run $50,000 to $80,000+.

Printer's Row bathrooms run into a specific challenge: the original buildings were designed for printing presses and typesetting floors, not residential plumbing, so every stack, drain, and vent in your loft was added during the conversion. We start with a careful read of what is actually routable in your building and which walls hide converted-era plumbing versus original structure. We have worked enough Printer's Row bathrooms to know which walls can move, which stacks are worth relocating, and where to keep things simple.

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In these loft conversions we deal with concrete floors that do not always cooperate with drain relocations, heavy timber partitions that cannot be cut into, and tile substrates that have been patched through multiple remodels since the mid-80s and 90s. That shapes what is realistic inside the existing footprint. Waterproofing is non-negotiable, so we follow best practices for shower pan construction and proper membrane application and sequence the work so water issues never reach the units below.

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Our primary bathroom remodels include curbless showers, soaking tubs, double vanities where the layout supports them, heated floors, and the kind of lighting and ventilation these industrial buildings were never designed to have. Powder and guest bathrooms get the same attention in a smaller footprint.

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Bathroom remodels in Printer's Row typically range from $12,000 for small bathroom updates to $55,000+ for luxury primary bathroom renovations. Powder room and half bath updates usually fall in the $12,000 to $20,000 range. Mid-range full bathroom remodels with new fixtures, tile, and vanities typically run $20,000 to $32,000+. Luxury primary bathroom renovations with custom tile, premium fixtures, heated floors, and stack relocation typically run $32,000 to $55,000+.

Some of our most common Printer's Row work is full-unit condo and loft renovation, where we rebuild the entire home at once: the kitchen, every bathroom, closets, flooring, and finishes throughout, while the timber columns, concrete floors, and industrial windows that give the building its character stay put. Combined units and larger lofts in buildings like the Donohue and Franklin often call for rethinking how to live inside what started as a factory floor. Most full-loft Printer's Row projects run 8 to 14 weeks from demolition to final walkthrough.

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A full condo renovation here is often carried out as a complete whole home renovation of the unit, paired with custom carpentry and built-ins, since dividing an open factory floor usually calls for built-ins designed around the structural grid rather than off-the-shelf cabinetry. The few ground-floor units with finishable lower levels can also add a floor of basement finishing when the space allows. If you are weighing a phased remodel against a single full renovation, we will walk you through the trade-offs at your consultation.

Renovating in a Printer's Row building means working with your condo board before any work begins. Nearly every residential building here has its own board, architectural review process, certificate of insurance requirements, and rules around elevator and loading dock scheduling. Some of these buildings keep preservation-minded review practices because of their age and architectural significance, so even an interior remodel can require a review pass with the board before work starts. Approval timelines range from two weeks to two months depending on when the board meets.

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We take the board side off your plate. Having worked the Printer's Row loft buildings, we know the documentation each board tends to ask for, and we prepare our scope, material specifications, and timeline to answer those questions before they are raised, which shortens the wait. We also know which buildings set which insurance limits, how the freight elevator and loading dock get reserved, and how to keep lobbies and corridors protected while crews move through.

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On the city side, most kitchen and bathroom remodels that touch plumbing, electrical, or structure need a Chicago building permit. We tell you up front whether your specific scope requires one and pull the permit through when it does. The city's review usually runs 2 to 4 weeks, and we build that window into the schedule from day one so it never becomes a surprise mid-project.