Home Remodeling in Geneva, IL

According to Census Reporter, Geneva has about 8,700 housing units and a median year built of 1987. That middle number hides a long range. About 1 in 10 homes dates to 1939 or earlier, and the 1950s added close to another 1 in 10. The 1980s, 1990s and 2000s each added somewhere between 1 in 6 and 1 in 5 of the homes standing today. All told, a bit under 4 in 10 Geneva homes were built before 1980, and about the same share went up between 1990 and 2009.

Geneva leans hard toward single-family houses. About 73% are detached and about 12% are townhomes, with the rest in small buildings and larger apartment buildings. Owners live in more than 8 in 10 homes. The median home value is about $441,000.

For remodeling, that points to two kinds of Geneva projects. If you own an older frame home, you may want to update the inside while keeping the character of the outside. If your home is from the 1980s through the 2000s, a basement finish, a more open kitchen or a bathroom redo may be higher on the list. With a home worth that much, compare two written quotes before you sign.

You won't find an official count of which remodels Geneva homeowners take on. What follows is based on the age and style of Geneva's houses, from 1800s frame homes in the center of town to the 1980s and 1990s neighborhoods. Your house might match one of these or several.

Geneva names Kitchen Remodel right on its permit list, and in the town's older frame houses a kitchen job takes extra planning. Here's how one usually plays out.

First, you share the details of the kitchen and the house, and what you want from it. Maybe you'd like to take out the wall between the kitchen and dining room, add an island and let in more light. The room gets measured, and then you get a free written quote.

Design and the permit come next. If the plan only changes the inside, it goes through the Kitchen Remodel permit, plus Electric Upgrade if the panel needs more room. If it adds a window or changes the outside in any way, and your house is landmarked or in a Historic District, the Historic Preservation Commission application is filed with the permit.

Then the work. Old frame houses can have uneven floors, walls that aren't square, and wiring or plumbing from several eras. The remodeler opens things up, runs new plumbing and electrical, gets inspections, then closes the walls and sets cabinets, counters and flooring. Ask how you'll cook while the kitchen is down.

Geneva handles permits through Community Development's Building & Zoning Division. The city's permits page spells out what needs one: Kitchen Remodel, Basement Finish, Residential Remodel, Residential Addition, Deck, Roof, Siding/Windows and Door Replacement, Water Heater, Furnace/AC/HVAC and Electric Upgrade.

The same page says it plainly: "The City of Geneva does not have contractor registration." That leaves the checking up to you. Get proof of insurance in hand, find out which state licenses apply to the work, and ask for addresses of past jobs you can drive by.

If your home is landmarked or sits in a Historic District, exterior work needs a Historic Preservation Commission review application, filed along with the permit.

Illinois has rules of its own. The state's Home Repair and Remodeling Act puts any job above $1,000 on paper, and the contract must list what it all costs, who the contractor is and their business address. You should also receive the Home Repair: Know Your Consumer Rights pamphlet. For anything not covered here, check with the city. Homes near the Fox River can be looked up on the FEMA flood map.

Geneva's housing covers a lot of ground, so the way people plan ahead here varies from house to house.

If you want to age in place, think about a bedroom and full bath on the main floor. Accessible Bathroom Remodeling can add a walk-in shower, grab bars and wider doorways. In a two-story older house, a small addition is one way to get a first-floor suite.

For working from home, a finished basement or a quiet back bedroom can turn into an office. A Basement In-Law Suite gives a parent or a grown child a place of their own under the same roof.

Radon belongs on every Geneva basement plan. Kane County sits in EPA radon Zone 1, its highest risk level, and the county's average home test came in at 4.6 pCi/L. Run a test before the basement gets finished, then run another once the work is done.

Geneva had 21,393 people at the 2020 census. It was settled in the 1830s, became the Kane County seat in 1836, was platted in 1837 and was incorporated as a village in 1867. By 1900, Swedish immigrants made up half its population. The Central Geneva Historic District joined the National Register in 1979 and was enlarged in 2017, and the North Geneva Historic District is listed too.

Geneva School District 304 serves the city. Riders can catch the train at the Geneva Metra station on the Union Pacific West Line. Main roads include IL 25, IL 31, IL 38 and Randall Road. The city owns its water, sanitary sewer and electric utility.

Geneva's closest neighbor to the south is Batavia, and St. Charles is nearby to the north. Keep going about 10 miles south and you reach Aurora. Our service areas page lists every town we cover. Anywhere on that list, you can get a free quote with no obligation.

Choose a service to learn more, or just tell us what you're planning.