Custom kitchen cabinets and trim for Park Ridge homes

Brickton, the New England plan and the arts community

Park Ridge began as a brick town. George Penny and Robert Meacham opened a brickyard here in 1854; the settlement was called Pennyville, then Brickton from 1857, and took the name Park Ridge when it incorporated in 1873. Its leaders wanted the look of a traditional New England town, with large homes on wide lots and plenty of trees. Apartment buildings were banned and industry discouraged, and today about 77 percent of the city's housing is single-family detached. Building took off with the commuter trains, and the population reached 10,417 by 1930; it grew from 16,602 in 1950 to 42,466 about twenty years later. In the early 1900s Park Ridge also had an arts community: the Kalo Shop silversmiths and the designer Alfonso Iannelli, who settled here in 1919. The city has 18 designated landmarks, among them Bruce Goff's 1940 Unseth House, Tudor Revival and Cotswold houses on Cedar Street, and the 1928 Pickwick Theatre.

Which Park Ridge house you have shapes the job:

• In a house from the 1910s or 1920s: painted framed cabinets or stained wood inset, and trim matched to what is already there. We can reproduce a profile that is no longer sold.
• In a house from the 1950s or 1960s: we start by asking what stays where: the sink, the range, the walls. Park Ridge's permit page turns on exactly that (below).
• In a new house on an older lot: from the 1980s, investors bought small houses, took them down and built much larger ones. For a new house we work from the architect's or builder's drawings.

Park Ridge permits: alterations and routine maintenance

Park Ridge's permits page says "A permit is required for most construction projects," and its list includes "Interior and exterior alterations" and "Electrical and plumbing work." It also says "Routine maintenance that does not alter the location of existing electrical, plumbing, or mechanical systems, and does not modify structural walls, does not require a permit." Cabinets are not named either way, and the page adds: "If you are unsure whether your project requires a permit, please contact the department." (City of Park Ridge, as read 2026-10-28; confirm for your address.)

The city's kitchen remodel guidelines add that if a wall is to come out, the drawings must come from a licensed design professional (Residential Kitchen Remodel Guidelines). We pull any permit the job needs. If your house is one of the 18 landmarks, ask the city before you plan.

The range, the walls and the trim: planning a Park Ridge kitchen

• The range. Our Park Ridge job is built around a professional range. Send us the model of your range and hood before the drawings; we size the cabinets to them.
• Same layout or a new one. The city exempts routine maintenance that leaves plumbing, wiring and structural walls where they are, and lists alterations as permit work. Whether your cabinet job is one or the other is the city's call, so ask before you plan.
• Walls. If a wall comes out, the city wants drawings from a licensed design professional. Plan that before the cabinet drawings.
• Trim. We make it to match the house; it comes with nearly every job we do.
• Drawings. Plans from your architect or builder, priced as given, or our design package.

More we build for Park Ridge homes

The Park Ridge range wall is our work on record in the city. Other work we take on, whether your house dates from the 1920s or the 2000s:

• Kitchens: painted or stained wood doors, framed or inset, or European-style frameless flat-panel, our specialty.
• Built-ins: libraries, bookcases, window benches and media walls.
• Vanities, closets and mudrooms.
• Pantries and bars.
• Stairs, mantels and trim.

How a Park Ridge kitchen gets built

1. The visit. It starts with a visit. We measure, we listen, and we give you a straight number. If it works for you, we design it with you, and only then do we build. Park Ridge is just under an hour from the shop. Your first visit and consultation are free.
2. Drawings. Your architect's or builder's drawings if you have them, priced as drawn; if not, our design package, which ends with the final price after one major revision.
3. The permit, when the city's rules call for one.
4. The build. Roughly 6 to 8 weeks from signed drawings for an average kitchen; built-ins and closets usually 4 to 6.
5. Installation. Most full kitchens go in over 1 to 3 days; a vanity or one built-in is quicker.

Uptown, the parks and nearby towns

Park Ridge is in Cook County, about 14 miles northwest of downtown Chicago. Niles lies to the north, Des Plaines across the Des Plaines River to the west, and the city of Chicago, with Edison Park and Norwood Park, to the south and east. Uptown is one of the city's main shopping areas, and South Park, Maine Park and Hinkley Field are among its parks. We serve all of Park Ridge. Nearby, see our page for Glenview, or all the towns we serve. We also serve Niles, Des Plaines and Edison Park.

Park Ridge questions

Does Park Ridge require a permit for new cabinets?

The city lists interior alterations as permit work and exempts routine maintenance that does not move plumbing, wiring or mechanical systems or touch structural walls. Cabinets are not named, so call the department about your plan. When a permit is needed, we file for it.

Can you build around a professional range?

Yes. Our Park Ridge range wall is built around one. Send us the range's model before the drawings.

Can you match the trim in an older Park Ridge house?

Usually, yes. We reproduce custom and discontinued profiles.

Do you build for new houses on older lots?

Yes. We work for homeowners, general contractors, interior designers, developers and architects, and we price from your drawings and specs as given.

What if my house is a Park Ridge landmark?

The city has 18 designated landmarks and a Historic Preservation Commission. Ask the city before you plan work on a landmark.

How long is the drive from Spring Grove to Park Ridge?

About 40 miles, just under an hour from Spring Grove.