Building violation repairs in Back of the Yards and Canaryville
Workers cottages and frame two-flats from the stockyard era, many of them raised onto masonry foundations decades after they were built. That raised-cottage construction is unique to this part of the city and it produces a specific citation: the foundation and areaway wall under a wood-frame house, which most exterior contractors will not touch.
Also covers New City, Canaryville, Fuller Park.
What the City's record shows in 60609
cited properties
open violations
items per notice
What gets cited here, in order
- permits and plans30%
- masonry29%
- porches and stairs17%
- carpentry11%
- roofing and drainage6%
Cited buildings here were built around 1902 on average, and 61% of cited owners do not live at the property.
Back of the Yards is mostly frame workers cottages
The photograph is one of ours, a frame workers cottage taken from cited to closed. It is not a picture of Back of the Yards itself. It is the building type your blocks are made of, and the standard we finish them to.
Knowing the type matters more than it sounds. It decides whether your notice is a mortar problem or a framing one, whether a permit is needed before anyone touches it, and what the inspector will look at when they come back.
See more of our workWhat we fix most in Back of the Yards
Notices here lead with permits and plans, then masonry. These are the trades that actually close cases on these blocks, and we self-perform all but the licensed ones.
Foundation & Areaway Walls
Where the building meets the ground, put right. The City treats these as serious, and so should you, because everything above depends on it.
On the notice as: Repair defective foundation, Repair areaway wall
Porches, Stairs & Decks
Porches and exterior stairs rebuilt to current Chicago code, which is the item the City is least willing to be patient about.
On the notice as: Repair porch system, Repair exterior stair
Tuckpointing & Repointing
The joints get ground out and repointed to match, so the wall stops shedding mortar and the inspector stops writing it up.
On the notice as: Repair exterior wall, Building in disrepair
Structural Repairs & Engineer Reports
The engineer report the City is demanding, filed, plus the repairs it calls for. Until this lands, nothing else on your notice can close.
On the notice as: Submit structural report, Structural member, pier block
Permits, Plans & Unpermitted Work
Drawings prepared, permits pulled under our licence, and old unpermitted work made legal. You never have to call the department yourself.
On the notice as: Plans & permits required, Work not allowed
Windows, Doors & Carpentry
Glass, sashes, frames and exterior doors made to work and lock again. The single most common item on Chicago notices.
On the notice as: Maintain window, Replace broken window panes
Nearby on the South Side
Cited in Back of the Yards? Find out what it costs.
We price every item on your notice in person, for free, and tell you honestly which ones are repairs and which are replacements.
Insured. A person answers, Monday to Saturday.