Sam & Lena Ortiz
Chicago, IL
Full Home Renovation
Sam and Lena wanted to refresh their three-story townhouse, but moving out for months wasn't an option. They both work from home and have two cats.
So we planned a renovation they could live through comfortably, one floor at a time.
The Challenge
Each floor had been updated in a different decade. Mismatched flooring, three styles of door handles and tired bathrooms made the house feel disconnected.
The Approach
We split the work into three phases, with a clear start and end for each floor:
Top floor first: bedrooms, closets and the main bathroom.
Middle floor next: living room, home offices and staircase.
Ground floor last: kitchen and entrance, with a temporary kitchen set up upstairs.
Materials and Details
The same flooring, door hardware and paint palette now run through all three floors, so the house finally feels like one home. In the kitchen and bathrooms, we replaced fixtures and finishes but kept the existing layouts to save time and budget.
We never had to move out, and the crew left every floor clean at the end of each day. It was much easier than we expected.
The Outcome
Each floor was finished and cleaned before the next one began, with dust barriers between the work area and the rest of the house.
What We Did
Three-phase plan with no move-out
New staircase finish and handrail
Updated kitchen and bathrooms
Built-in bedroom closets
Matching flooring and paint on all floors
The townhouse now feels calm and connected from the front door to the top floor.
