Which Chicagoland suburbs have the oldest housing stock?
Some of Chicagoland's most charming suburbs also have the oldest housing stock — which means the biggest need for exterior upgrades. If your home was built before 1960, here's what typically needs attention.
Suburbs with Significant Pre-1960 Housing
Inner-ring suburbs: Oak Park, Berwyn, Riverside, Brookfield, La Grange, Western Springs, Elmhurst, and Hinsdale all have substantial numbers of homes built in the 1920s-1950s. These homes have historic character but often retain original windows, aging roofs, and deteriorating siding.
Mid-century suburbs: Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, Lombard, Villa Park, Downers Grove, and Naperville have many homes from the 1950s-1970s with original aluminum windows, early double-pane glass, and asphalt or wood shingle siding.
What Pre-1960 Homes Typically Need
Windows
Original single-pane wood windows from the 1920s-1960s are beautiful but terribly inefficient. They account for up to 40% of a home's heating loss. Modern triple-pane Andersen windows dramatically improve energy efficiency while maintaining historic proportions with custom grille patterns. Window replacement →
Roofing
Even roofs replaced in the 2000s may be due for replacement if they used 20-year three-tab shingles. Homes with original slate or wood shake roofs may need careful evaluation and specialized replacement. Roofing services →
Siding
Older suburbs often have homes with original wood clapboard, asbestos shingle, or early aluminum siding — all past their useful life. James Hardie fiber cement is an excellent replacement that can match historic profiles. Siding options →
Insulation & Weather Barriers
Pre-1960 homes often have minimal wall insulation and no housewrap. A siding replacement project is the ideal time to add modern insulation and weather barriers.
We specialize in upgrading older Chicagoland homes while respecting their architectural character. Schedule your free assessment →
Where exterior money goes furthest
For how a house looks from the street, the front door, garage door and siding color do the most. For comfort, windows and air sealing. For protecting the building, roof, gutters and flashing. For resale, national cost-versus-value surveys consistently put entry doors, siding and windows near the top for the share of cost recovered. A good plan fixes anything leaking first, then spends on what you will see and feel every day.
Plan the whole house, then phase it
Even if you will do one project a year, decide the end result first: roof color, siding color, trim and window finish. Then each phase fits the next and nothing has to be redone. Tell your contractor the full plan. We keep measurements, product lines and colors on file so that the windows installed next year match the ones installed this year.
A ten-minute walk around the house
Twice a year, walk the outside slowly. Look up at the roof edges for lifted shingles and sagging gutters. Look at the siding for cracks, gaps and soft spots near the ground. Check caulk around windows and doors. Look down at the foundation for soil that has settled toward the house and downspouts that have come loose. Photograph anything that has changed since last time. Small problems caught in a walk-around are cheap; the same problems found by a leak are not.
What to schedule early
Exterior contractors book up before each season. Windows and doors are built to order and take weeks to arrive, and roofing calendars fill after every storm. If you want work finished before winter, start the estimates in late summer; for spring work, start in winter. Planning ahead also gives you time to compare products instead of taking whatever is available.
Common questions
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