Calling this Little Chicago Two-Flat Home

If you haven't heard the phrase "Two-Flat" before, you probably aren't from Chicago. And that's okay! Let's catch you up super quickly.

Chicago two-flats have been around for more than 100 years. First built by primarily European immigrants in the 1900s, the two-flat has historically served as an economic bridge for many Chicago families over the years. The two-flat often allowed families to own a house by renting out the second unit to help cover the mortgage.

Back in the day, owning a two-flat was often less about finding good tenants and more about finding good neighbors with whom to share a home. And, it was less about building a real estate empire than about leveraging the two-flat as a vehicle for economic mobility. Two-flats were everywhere and served as micro-businesses for many Chicago residents.

Our 1910 two-flat is made from Chicago brick and has three bay windows at the front and a small porch. After looking at dozens of properties and learning what we wanted as first-time home buyers, we fell in love with owning one of these classic Chicago buildings and carrying on the legacy of the Chicago two-flat. 

Here's a photo of our home. If you're from Chicago, you've probably seen dozens of buildings that look very similar. 

Our two-flat has three units (including one non-conforming basement unit), and we plan to live upstairs in a cozy two-bed, one-bath. The unit isn't huge, but it gives us the space to live, work, and enjoy our lives together. AND, eventually, with tenants in the other units, we hope our living costs end up being much lower than we'd pay to rent a similar-sized apartment in our neighborhood. As young homeowners who genuinely love the city and never want to leave Chicago, our goal was to make the best long-term financial decision. So, we chose an investment property.

Our unit and the downstairs tenant unit have three beautiful bay windows.

While the house needs a few updates, we love the classic layout and hardwood floors, and the home still has some original character.

Turning this two-flat into our first home has been a BIG project. Since December 2021, we have stepped into the DIY world (including demoing, waterproofing, tiling, painting, the list goes on!), learned to work with contractors, and dabbled in interior design. We have poured our hearts into this house to make it a true home - for our future tenants and us! 

This is the upstairs kitchen needing a floor, cabinet, and appliance refresh!

Here is the not-so-functional bathroom we decided to renovate on our own - 100% DIY style! More soon!

Stay tuned for updates about our projects, home hacking, and designing functional and cozy spaces.