Chicago, IL

Neighborhoods & homes in Chicago

Chicago neighborhoods and Oak Park, and the buildings painters see in each.

Areas painters cover

Lincoln Park

North Side neighborhood with greystones, row houses and vintage apartment buildings.

Lakeview

Dense North Side area with two-flats, courtyard buildings and many condos.

Logan Square

Northwest Side neighborhood with greystones, two-flats and boulevards.

Beverly

Far South Side neighborhood with larger single-family houses and mature trees.

Oak Park

Suburb west of the city with many older single-family homes.

Chicago landmarks

Millennium Park

The downtown park beside Michigan Avenue.

Lincoln Park Zoo

The zoo inside Lincoln Park on the North Side.

Wrigley Field

The Cubs ballpark on the North Side.

Old buildings, mostly multi-unit, mostly rented

1954Median year built
73%Built before 1980
39%Built before 1940
25%Single-family detached
53%Renter-occupied

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, via Census Reporter.

About 71% of Chicago homes are in multi-unit buildings, and just over half are rented. Interior turnovers, hallways and porches make up a large share of painting work, alongside single-family bungalows and frame houses.

Nearly three-quarters of homes are older than 1980. In those, painters should assume old paint may contain lead, use lead-safe practices when sanding or scraping, and clean up carefully, especially where children live.

Masonry is common, so many Chicago exterior jobs are not about walls at all. Brick bungalows and greystones usually need paint only on wood windows, soffits, fascia, porches and doors, while the masonry is left as it is. Frame cottages and Victorian-era houses are the main full-exterior repaints.

Inside, older buildings often have plaster walls and ceilings with cracks that need patching before paint, plus wood trim with many old coats. Newer high-rise condos tend to have drywall and simpler prep, but building management rules on hours, elevators and protecting hallways can shape the schedule.

Illustration of porch railing prep before painting
Illustration (AI-generated). Not a real project and not work by any painter we refer.
  1. 1

    Where is the job?

    Your ZIP code or neighborhood.

  2. 2

    What needs paint?

    Apartment and condo turnovers, Porches and back stairs, Bungalow and greystone trim, Frame cottages.

  3. 3

    How should we send it?

    Best Price, Fastest Start or Top Quality.

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