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Residential framing contractors for Chicago homes
Your house is only as good as its frame. We're the residential framing contractor Chicago homeowners and builders call when the structure has to be right — new homes, additions, second stories, and the century-old houses that keep every framer honest.
The part of your home you'll never see — and always feel
Nobody compliments a house on its framing. But every door that swings true, every quiet floor, every crack-free ceiling is the frame doing its job — and every sticking window and wavy wall is the frame that didn't.
We frame houses from the sill plate up: floor systems, walls, stairs and roofs for new construction, plus the harder work of tying additions and second stories into homes that have been settling for a hundred years. Frank walks every frame with a straightedge before the city inspector sees it, and because the crew is ours — not a rotating cast of subs — the standard is the same on every job. We even wrote up the six most common house framing mistakes we get called to fix.
- New home framing — floors, walls, stairs and roof
- Addition and second-story framing, shored and tied in correctly
- Garages, porches and decks framed to Chicago's porch code
- Gut-rehab reframes in brick two-flats and workers cottages
- Load-bearing wall removals with engineered LVL or steel beams
- Permits and rough inspections handled for you
What we frame on Chicago homes
Tap through the project types — typical cost for the framing trade, how long the crew is on site, and what makes each one tick.
New home framing
Sill to ridge: floor systems, walls, stairs and roof, framed square so the rest of the build goes fast and the finished house stays tight. We frame for our own custom home clients and as the framing trade for owners and builders who bring their own plans.
- Conventional lumber, engineered beams or trusses
- Glued-and-screwed subfloors — no squeaks later
- Sized for Chicago snow, wind and freeze-thaw
Room addition framing
An addition is two framing jobs in one: building the new structure, and marrying it to a house that isn't square anymore. We shore what needs shoring, tie the new frame into the old load paths, and get the roof on fast. Planning the whole project, not just the frame? Start at our home additions page.
- Bump-outs, family rooms, kitchen extensions
- Foundations-to-roof coordination with one contractor
- Weathered-in quickly to protect the existing home
Second-story additions
Taking the roof off an occupied house and framing a new floor on top is the most demanding project in residential framing — engineered shoring, load path verification down to the foundation, and a race against the sky. It's also the move that doubles a bungalow without losing an inch of yard.
- Engineered shoring and temporary weather protection
- Existing walls and foundation verified for the new load
- Framed and dried-in on a tight, published schedule
Garages, porches & decks
Chicago takes porch and deck structure seriously — the city's porch code exists because failures here hurt people. We frame garages, porch systems, decks and exterior stairs with the footings, ledgers, posts and hardware the code book actually specifies, and the inspector's visit goes the way it should.
- Two-car garages and garage rebuilds
- Porch and exterior stair systems, city-code compliant
- Proper ledger attachment — where most deck failures start
Gut-rehab reframing
Inside a brick two-flat or workers cottage, a gut rehab is really a reframe: new interior walls, sistered or replaced joists, new stairs, floors brought back to level. This is where our crew spends half its life, and why we know what's hiding behind Chicago plaster better than most.
- Full interior reframes inside masonry shells
- Sistered joists, flattened floors, corrected load paths
- New stair framing with legal rise, run and headroom
Load-bearing wall removals
The wall between your kitchen and living room is probably holding up your house. We remove load-bearing walls the right way: engineer's sizing, temporary shoring, a properly bedded LVL or steel beam, and loads traced down to footings — not just "a big header and good luck."
- Engineered beam sizing — LVL, flush or dropped, or steel
- Temporary shoring while the load transfers
- Permits and inspections included, always
Framing an old Chicago house is its own trade
Most of Chicago's housing was framed before 1940, by rules that no longer exist. Tap through what we actually find when the plaster comes down — and what a framer has to know to fix it properly.
Balloon framing
Before about 1930, Chicago houses were often balloon-framed: wall studs run unbroken from the foundation to the roof, two stories tall, with floors hung off them. The catch is that each stud bay is an open chimney — there's no framing between floors to stop fire from racing up the wall. When we open a balloon-framed wall, we add the fire blocking the original builders never did, and we frame modifications so the old load paths keep working.
Residential framing cost calculator
A Chicago-specific ballpark for the framing trade on your home project — labor and material. Pick the project, set the size, and watch the range move.
Ranges are 2025–2026 Chicago-area planning figures for the framing trade only — they move with lumber prices, engineering and access. Whole-project budgeting for an addition? Use the calculator on our home additions page. Want it exact? Request a free site visit.
House framing costs in Chicago
What the framing trade runs on Chicago-area homes, and the factors that move the number most. Framing is typically 15–20% of the total project cost — the most load-bearing dollars you'll spend.
Framing cost by home project
| Project | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Garage, porch or deck framing | $14–$25 /sq ft |
| Gut-rehab interior reframe | $12–$25 /sq ft |
| New home structural shell | $18–$35 /sq ft |
| Room addition framing | $20–$40 /sq ft |
| Second-story addition framing | $25–$45 /sq ft |
| Load-bearing wall removal (LVL beam) | $4,500–$12,000 |
| Load-bearing wall removal (steel beam) | $8,000–$25,000 |
What moves the number
| Factor | Impact |
|---|---|
| Lumber market swings | ±10–20% |
| Vaulted ceilings & complex roofs | Add 15–25% |
| Engineered beams (LVL / steel) | By design |
| Occupied-home shoring | Add 10–20% |
| Tight lots & alley-only access | Add 5–15% |
How long the crew is on site
| Project | Duration |
|---|---|
| Garage, porch or deck | 3–10 days |
| Wall removal + beam | 2–10 days |
| Room addition | 1–2 weeks |
| Second story | 1–3 weeks |
| Full house shell | 2–4 weeks |
Planning insulation too? Chicago's climate zone has specific requirements — our guide to framing and insulation R-values in Chicago covers what goes in the walls we frame.
Want a number for your own project? Try our Chicago framing cost calculator — choose your scope and size and it returns a planning range in about thirty seconds.
Walk your frame like a pro
Before drywall hides everything, every homeowner should walk the frame — with any contractor. Here's what we check on our own jobs. Tap items to track what you've verified; it's also a decent test of the framer you're interviewing.
Sight down the walls
Stand at a corner and look down each wall like a rifle barrel. Straight is straight — a wave you can see now is a wave you'll see in raking light forever.
Check headers against the plans
Every window and door opening should have the header the drawings call for — not "whatever was on the truck." Undersized headers are the #1 cause of sagging openings.
Look for full nailing in hardware
Joist hangers and connectors are engineered for a nail in every hole. Two nails and a prayer is one of the most common shortcuts in residential framing.
Ask about crowning
Every stick of lumber has a bow. Good framers sight each stud and joist and install crowns consistently — up on joists, same-way on studs. If your framer doesn't know the word, keep interviewing.
Bounce-test the subfloor
Walk the floor and listen: movement or squeaks now means the subfloor wasn't glued and screwed. It never gets better after tile and hardwood go down.
Find the blocking
Fire blocking in the right places, backing where cabinets, rails and fixtures will hang. Missing blocking means towel bars anchored to drywall and fire paths left open.
Check joist cuts and notches
Holes belong in the middle third of a joist's depth; notches have hard limits. If the HVAC or plumbing rough-in chewed through the structure, now is when it gets fixed.
Confirm the rough inspection passed
Ask to see the passed rough framing inspection before anything gets covered. On our jobs you don't have to ask — we send it to you.
Every item on this list is standard practice on a Bofran frame — it's the checklist our own crew gets graded on.
From drawings to passed inspection
Residential framing rewards preparation — especially when the "site" is the home you're living in.
Site visit & takeoff
We walk the house, read the drawings and price a complete takeoff — lumber, hardware, beams, labor. If your plans have a structural gap, you hear about it before it's framed into the house.
Engineering & permits
Additions, second stories and wall removals need drawings and a Chicago building permit. We coordinate the engineer, pull the permit and schedule the inspections — you don't chase paperwork.
Frame & dry-in
Shoring first where needed, then the structure: plumb, level, square, blocked and strapped. On occupied homes we protect what you're living in and get the new frame under roof fast.
Inspect & hand off
We walk the frame with a straightedge, the city walks it with a checklist, and the passed rough inspection lands in your inbox. Then the next trades inherit a frame they don't have to fight.
More framing from Bofran Builders
Wood framing
Lumber choices, engineered beams and what quality stick framing looks like up close.
Wood framing in ChicagoSteel framing
Metal studs and structural steel — where they beat wood in a house, and where they don't.
Steel framing in ChicagoCommercial framing
Build-outs, demising walls and multi-unit work — including framing-only scopes for GCs.
Commercial framing in ChicagoOr go back to the framing services overview.
Your frame, backed in writing
- 5-year structural warranty on framing and load-bearing work
- Covers the frame our own crew built — we never warranty a stranger's work
- 30-day post-project check-in once the job closes out
- Documentation that helps when you sell the house
What our clients say
"The deck and staircase construction on a residential building was completed fast, under budget and with high quality. Even the city inspector was impressed with the workmanship."
"Our architect recommended Bofran Builders and we couldn't be happier. Frank and his team worked with us throughout building our new home, making excellent suggestions. Built on schedule despite permit obstacles — and more affordable than other contractors. The craftsmanship is phenomenal."
"They did a great job replacing both support beams on our rooftop pergola — a tricky job with heavy materials in a tight space. I appreciated the attention to detail matching the existing accents and the timeliness to finish."
Residential framing FAQs
For the framing trade — labor and material — a new home's structural shell typically runs $18–$35 per square foot in the Chicago area, so a 2,500 sq ft house lands roughly between $45,000 and $88,000. Room additions run $20–$40/sq ft, second stories $25–$45/sq ft, and garages, porches and decks $14–$25/sq ft. Lumber prices, roof complexity and engineered beams move the number. The calculator above gives a range tuned to your project.
Everything structural above the foundation: sill plates, floor joists and subfloor, exterior and interior walls, stairs, ceiling joists and the roof structure — plus the headers, blocking, strapping and hardware that hold it all together. On remodels it also covers shoring, sistering old joists, correcting load paths and removing load-bearing walls. Rough carpentry is the trade name; the frame is what everything else in the house attaches to.
With our crew on site: a garage or deck takes 3–10 days, a room addition 1–2 weeks, a second story 1–3 weeks and a full house shell 2–4 weeks. Add engineering and permit time up front — typically a few weeks for additions and wall removals in Chicago. We frame year-round; a Chicago winter slows a frame far less than a slow permit does.
Yes — most of our addition clients stay put. The frame gets shored and weathered-in quickly, the work area gets sealed off from the living space, and the loudest days get scheduled with you in advance. A second story is the most disruptive version: there are usually a few days where the roof is off and protection matters most, and we plan those around the forecast, not hope.
Almost everything. Pre-1930 houses are often balloon-framed with no fire blocking, the lumber is true-dimension (a real 2x4, not 1.5x3.5), joists bear in brick pockets where rot hides, past remodels cut structure wherever it was convenient, and nothing is level or plumb anymore. We work on these houses constantly — the fixes are all standard practice for us, and they're covered in the "old Chicago homes" section above.
Yes — it's one of our most common structural jobs. Done right it means an engineer sizes the beam, we shore the load temporarily, set an LVL or steel beam with proper bearing down to the foundation, and the city inspects it. Typical Chicago cost is $4,500–$12,000 with an LVL beam, or $8,000–$25,000 when the span or load calls for steel. Anyone who quotes a load-bearing removal without engineering is quoting a future repair.
For houses in Chicago, wood wins almost every time: lower cost, easier connections, naturally insulating stud bays, and it matches the existing structure in a remodel. Steel earns its place in specific spots — metal stud walls against damp basement foundation walls, arrow-straight feature walls, and structural steel beams for long open spans. We frame both, so you get the honest answer for each wall, not a sales pitch. More on our wood framing and steel framing pages.
Call (773) 969-9097, email bofranbuilders@gmail.com, or send the project form on this page. We'll visit the house, look at your plans or your problem, and give you a straight answer on scope, cost and schedule — no obligation.
Let's get your home's structure right
Tell us about the project — a new build, an addition, a wall you want gone, or a floor that shouldn't bounce. We'll reach out within one business day with an honest read on cost and schedule.
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