Victorian homes in Beverly were built to last — and so is the work I do in them. Owner-operated, 36 years of hands-on craftsmanship. Crown molding, wainscoting, cabinet installation, and trim carpentry for homes that deserve better than a contractor who doesn't know the difference between a dado and a cove.
Beverly is one of Chicago's most distinctive neighborhoods — and not just because of the annual Beverly Hills Home Tour that draws people from across the city. The houses here were built between roughly 1890 and 1930: Queen Anne Victorians on the tree-lined streets west of Western Avenue, Classical Revival foursquares with their characteristic hipped roofs, and early Bungalows that started appearing after the streetcar line went in.
What that means for your project: you probably have original hardwood floors under whatever carpet the previous owners put down. You likely have plaster walls two inches thick. Your door casings are probably solid mahogany — not the hollow-core junk from Home Depot. And your kitchen cabinets, if they're original or period-appropriate, were built by someone who understood what a 10-inch drawer pull should feel like.
I've worked on Beverly houses for more than three decades. I know which walls are load-bearing because of how the joists run. I know when it's worth restoring original millwork and when replacement makes more sense — and I will tell you the difference, not just do whatever is fastest.
Queen Anne Victorians (1890–1910): Turrets, bay windows, wrap-around porches, intricate spindlework. Original trim was often heart pine — a wood you can't buy anymore. Finding it requires salvage yards and patience. Restoring it requires someone who knows how to match grain and stain.
Foursquare / Prairie Influence (1900–1920): Hip roofs, broad porches, built-in cabinetry. The Craftsman details in these houses — craftsman columns, plate rail, window seat cabinetry — are where finish carpentry earns its name.
English Tudor & Craftsman Bungalows (1920s–1930s): Half-timbering, exposed rafter tails, clinker brick. These houses reward careful trim work. A poorly matched crown molding here stands out like a wrong note in a song.
Victorian-era homes have high ceilings and ornate plaster medallions. I install crown molding that matches the period — not the 4-inch contractor special from a big box store. If your house has original picture rail, I'll work with it.
Beverly Victorians had wainscoting in hallways, dining rooms, and sometimes stairwells. I install traditional raised-panel wainscoting in the styles those houses were built with — not the peel-and-stick panels from a catalog.
Custom and semi-custom cabinets. I handle the full install: boxing out above-refrigerator cabinets to eliminate the dead space, building toekick drawers for storage, fitting around existing trimwork without cutting corners — literally.
Reclaim lost space with a sliding barn door. I build the mounting system, hang the door so it tracks true, and make sure it doesn't bind or rattle. Popular for separating dining rooms and home offices in Beverly's older floorplans.
Not every piece needs replacing. I assess whether existing trim can be saved, stripped, and refinished. When it can't, I match the profile from scratch — because nobody makes reproduction Victorian casings anymore.
Front entry doors, interior passages, window aprons. I install casing that accounts for out-of-plumb openings — common in houses over 100 years old. My work closes gaps properly, not just covers them.
"We hired John after getting three quotes from general contractors who wanted to rip out our original kitchen cabinets and put in IKEA. He said they were worth saving and spent three weeks custom-fitting new boxes behind the old faces. The kitchen looks like 1925 and works like 2025."
— Homeowner, Beverly, Chicago (2024)One of the reasons I built FindBravo.app is so you never have to wonder if the number I quoted is real. I put pricing ranges there for every service. No bait-and-switch. No "call for pricing" with no number to call.
For a typical Beverly kitchen with semi-custom cabinets, expect to invest in the $28,500–$62,000 range depending on scope. Crown molding for a living room runs $1,200–$4,800 depending on linear footage and complexity. Wainscoting in a dining room: $2,000–$6,500. I'll give you a firm number after I see the house — not after I've already started and you're on the hook.
See full transparent pricing at FindBravo.app ↗
I work primarily in Beverly, Morgan Park, Mt. Greenwood, Evergreen Park, and Oak Lawn — the neighborhoods where I know the housing stock, the permit offices, and the suppliers. For trim work and finish carpentry, that local knowledge matters.
I call back within 2 hours. One visit, one firm quote. No pressure.
Chicago: (312) 970-9228 · NW Indiana: (219) 384-1566