When Mrs. O’Leary’s cow supposedly in a fictional account set off the great conflagration that  became known as the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, an area subdivision known as  Wicker Park attracted large numbers of Polish immigrants looking…

 It’s end of a sunny day in June, and the sun is setting over the Windy City. A  gentle breeze is coming off Lake Michigan, and a gorgeous evening beckons. You  pour a glass of wine and throw open the door to your condo's balcony to take i…

 With multifamily buildings, who is in charge of the property and how well those  people are trained are critically important factors in the successful operation  of the community. Board members are a part of this management class, which i…

 As the old saw goes, one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch. The same idea  often holds true for residents who choose to ignore bylaws or house rules, even  if they are well-intended and in place to serve the greater good of the  communi…

 When you think landscaping, you probably don’t think of a swanky Chicago co-op or condo high-rise building. After all,  landscaping is typically reserved for suburban homes where there is rolling  turf, strategically placed trees, sprawli…

 According to the U.S. Green Building Council, Chicago had more certified green  buildings than any other city in the United States in 2009—and that number continues to grow.    A whopping 88 projects in the Chicago-area earned Lead…

 It's a common enough story: the condominium was relatively new, but from the  start its board of directors was stingy with maintenance and repair dollars.  Then the recession struck, and the percentage of unpaid maintenance fees  spiked. …

 As spring dawns anew on a frigid Chicago landscape, many condo dwellers will get  their first prolonged looks at Mother Nature’s wintery ravages. Nowhere is this better seen than on a property’s exterior siding, much of which might need c…

 They say a house is only as strong as its foundation. While it's true that a bad  roof or shoddy plumbing can set your building back a lot of money, a foundation  in disrepair can put the entire structure at risk, and can cost tens—even h…

 After the four walls of a given structure, the roof is sometimes referred to as  the “fifth plane”—and just like the walls that hold it up, the roof is an all-important structure  that can make or break a building’s performance. Chicagola…