Single-family homes with yard to spare
Homes with a deep backyard can often take a larger addition, with the kitchen expanding into it and a mudroom or eating area alongside.
Serving Downers Grove & nearby Lisle, Woodridge
Kitchen Additions in Downers Grove, IL
Bump-outs and rear additions that give your Downers Grove kitchen the room it's missing, from zoning check to finished cabinets.
- Kitchen remodels across Downers Grove ZIP 60515, 60516
- One project manager from drawings to final walk-through
- Permits and inspections handled for you
When a Downers Grove kitchen needs more room, not just new cabinets
Sometimes no layout can fix a kitchen that is simply too small. A kitchen addition in Downers Grove — a bump-out of a few feet or a full rear addition — adds floor space for an island, a table or a pantry, and we handle it from the zoning check and permit drawings to the foundation, roof and finished cabinets.
A 1970s kitchen on a slab or crawlspace
Whether your 1970s house has a basement, crawlspace or slab decides how we build the new foundation and run pipes into it.
More appliances than the electrical panel can take
New space and new appliances can overload an older panel. We size the electrical work for the whole kitchen, not just the addition.
No room for a pantry
Food stacked on counters and in the basement means the kitchen is short of storage. An addition can hold a walk-in or a wall of pantry cabinets.
Nowhere to eat together
A bump-out with built-in bench seating and windows is one of the most popular ways to make room for meals in the kitchen.
Worried about living through construction
Most of an addition is built outside the existing wall, so the old kitchen can often stay in use until we open the wall near the end.
The addition has to match the house
We plan the exterior as carefully as the kitchen: matching brick or siding, a roof pitch that ties in and windows that fit the existing style.
Kitchen too small for an island or table
If you eat standing at the counter because there's no space for chairs, adding floor area is the honest fix, and a bump-out is often enough.
What's included
- Feasibility and zoning checkWe review the lot, setbacks, coverage limits and existing structure before design starts.
- Design and permit drawingsDrawings for the addition and the new kitchen, prepared for plan review and construction.
- Excavation and foundationDigging, footings and foundation walls or a slab, depending on how the existing house is built.
- Windows, doors and exterior finishExterior cladding, windows and an entry door that blend with the original home.
- Grading, gutters and drainageSoil regraded away from the new walls, gutters and downspouts extended so water stays clear of the foundation.
- Opening the existing wallWe break through to the existing kitchen late, with a properly supported opening.
- The new kitchenFlooring run continuously from the old kitchen into the addition, then cabinets, counters and fixtures.
Choices you'll make
Matching exterior materialsBrick, siding and trim sourced to match the house as closely as possible.
Cantilevered bump-outA short extension supported by the floor framing instead of a new foundation, when the joists and codes allow it.
Skylights and vaulted ceilingsA sloped ceiling or skylights in the addition add height and light over the new table or island.
Rear kitchen additionA full room added at the back, giving the kitchen space to grow and room for more.
Bump-outA modest extension of the kitchen wall that adds depth without a full addition.
Kitchens like yours in Downers Grove: before and after
Before
In progress
AfterKitchen Additions in a 1950s ranch, Downers Grove
The site: a 1950s ranch in Downers Grove. What we started with: 1970s dark pecan-stained cabinets, light beige laminate and a dome ceiling light. The reason for the call: a cramped kitchen with one small window. The result: the kitchen extended by a 10-ft bump-out with a row of new windows and a dining area, cabinets in pale mint green with matte black pulls, black honed granite counters, hickory luxury vinyl plank flooring through the old and new space and two glass pendants and recessed lights. On site this meant feasibility and zoning check, excavation and foundation, plus the new kitchen.
Before
AfterBefore and after: a 1980s two-story in Lisle
This one is a 1980s two-story near Oakview. What we started with: golden-oak cabinets with oak soffits above, white Corian-style solid surface with a yellowed seam and two hanging glass pendants. What bothered the owners most: a kitchen that had run out of space. The result: the kitchen extended by a 10-ft bump-out with a row of new windows and a dining area, cabinets in light gray uppers and dusty rose lowers with brushed nickel bar pulls, dark soapstone-look quartz counters, gray wood-look porcelain plank flooring through the old and new space and two glass pendants and recessed lights. On site this meant windows, doors and exterior finish, grading, gutters and drainage, plus the new kitchen.
Kitchen Additions in Lisle →
Before
AfterBefore and after: a two-story colonial from the 1990s in Woodridge
This one is a two-story colonial from the 1990s near Seven Bridges. Before: honey-oak cathedral raised-panel cabinets with worn finish near the handles, brass knobs, almond laminate with a backsplash lip and a fluorescent box light in the ceiling. What bothered the owners most: a cramped kitchen with one small window. After: the kitchen extended by a 10-ft bump-out with a row of new windows and a dining area, cabinets in light sand beige with unlacquered brass knobs and cup pulls, warm walnut butcher block counters, light oak luxury vinyl plank flooring through the old and new space and black cage pendants and slim recessed lights. Work included windows, doors and exterior finish, opening the existing wall, plus the new kitchen.
Kitchen Additions in Woodridge →
Before
AfterDowners Grove kitchen, 1950s ranch: kitchen design & layout planning
Finished: a new layout with an island, cabinets in light greige uppers and muted blue lowers, black honed granite counters and two glass pendants and recessed lights.
Kitchen Design & Layout Planning in Downers Grove →
Before
AfterDowners Grove kitchen, postwar bi-level: accessible kitchen remodeling
Finished: a lowered black honed granite counter section with knee space under the sink, cabinets in deep burgundy with polished nickel pulls, pull-down shelves in the uppers, drawers instead of base doors, a side-opening wall oven, a lever faucet and black cage pendants and slim recessed lights.
Accessible Kitchen Remodeling in Downers Grove →How your kitchen addition goes
- Site visit and feasibilityWe look at the kitchen, the house and the lot, and check the zoning limits that apply.
- Design and estimatePlans, elevations and a line-item quote for the full project.
- Permit and plan reviewWe submit to the village and respond to plan review until the permit is issued.
- Building the shellWe build and close in the addition while your kitchen stays in use.
- Connecting and finishingThe final stretch: break-through, drywall, cabinets, counters and a walk-through with you.
Kitchen Additions questions from Downers Grove homeowners
How long does a kitchen addition take?
Expect months, not weeks. The exact timeline depends on size, foundation type and the village's review.
Will the addition match the rest of the house?
That's the goal. We match brick or siding, roof pitch, windows and trim, and plan the interior so floors and ceilings line up.
Will my furnace and air conditioner handle the extra space?
We check it up front. Small bump-outs often run off the existing ducts; larger additions may need more.
Do you work with an architect?
For larger additions, yes. We coordinate the architect or engineer so you deal with one contractor.
Will the addition change my property taxes?
Added square footage is often reflected in your assessment. Your township assessor can explain how improvements are handled.
Which Downers Grove homes do you most often see for kitchen addition?
In Downers Grove we see Mix of housing from mid-19th century onward, Sears and other kit homes and Frequent teardowns replaced by new houses. Each comes with its own walls, wiring and plumbing, and we plan the job around them.
What is the Downers Grove building department phone number?
Permits go through Community Development Department, Building Division (https://cvportal.downers.us), phone 630-434-5515. When your scope needs one, we prepare the application and schedule the inspections.
Do I need historic review for kitchen addition in Downers Grove?
Downers Grove has locally reviewed areas, including Shady Lane Estates, E.H. Prince Subdivision and Maple Ave/Main St corridor. Exterior changes there can need review; interior-only work usually does not. We check before anything changes on the outside.
Do I need a permit for kitchen addition in Downers Grove?
It depends on the scope. Downers Grove's rule in short: Village states most projects require a permit and applications are submitted online; First review about 10 business days. We handle the permit when one is needed with Community Development Department, Building Division.
Do you work in my part of Downers Grove?
Yes. Our crews work across Downers Grove, including Denburn Woods, Shady Lane Estates, E.H. Prince Subdivision — ZIP 60515, 60516 — and nearby Lisle, Woodridge, Oak Brook.
Working in Downers Grove
- A lot of Downers Grove kitchens date from the 1970s. We know these layouts well and what is worth keeping.
- Most Downers Grove homes are single-family. We protect floors and driveways and leave the site clean every day.
- Live in a historic district? Interior kitchen work is usually not reviewed. We check before anything touches the exterior.
Denburn WoodsShady Lane EstatesE.H. Prince Subdivision
ZIP 60515ZIP 60516
Kitchen Additions nearby
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Other kitchen services in Downers Grove
Kitchen Design & Layout PlanningLayouts, 3D plans and material picks before work starts.
Accessible Kitchen RemodelingKitchens that work for every age and ability.
Kitchen Wall Removal & Structural AssessmentOpen the kitchen up with an engineered beam.
Kitchen RemodelingFull kitchen remodels, from layout to last cabinet pull.
Kitchen Cabinet PaintingFactory-smooth painted cabinets without replacing them.