A fixed-scope price, not an estimate that moves
The proposal is a number, not a range that creeps. The only thing that changes it is a change order you signed first.
McHenry & Kane counties and the northwest suburbs
Home remodeling in Crystal Lake, done right the first time.
Kitchens, bathrooms, basements, additions, whole-home renovations, and decks. Planned on paper and priced to a fixed scope before anything comes out of your house. Tim quotes every project himself, and every trade is run by a crew that does that trade for a living.
Free consultation, free written proposal, and nobody calls you twice about it. Projects start around $15,000.
A lifetime in home servicesOwner-run, out of Crystal Lake
Fixed-scope proposalsFree, and the price doesn't move
Budget ranges publishedBefore you call, not after
You deal with the ownerTim quotes it and walks it with you
What we build
The six kinds of project we take on.
All six start the same way. Tim comes out to see the space, then you get a written plan and a fixed price before anything gets torn out. Our smallest projects start around $15,000.
Kitchen Remodeling
Full gut kitchens, layout changes, cabinetry, stone, and the structural work behind an open floor plan.
Projects from$45,000Details
Bathroom Remodeling
Gut bathroom remodels, curbless and tiled showers, primary suites, and the waterproofing nobody else shows you.
Projects from$22,000Details
Basement Finishing
Full basement build-outs: family rooms, baths, bars, gyms, and in-law suites, done dry and done to code.
Projects from$45,000Details
Home Additions
Bump-outs, family rooms, primary suites, and second stories — foundation to roofline, matched to the house you have.
Projects from$70,000Details
Whole-Home Renovation
Multi-room and full-gut renovations — floors, trim, kitchen, baths, and structure, sequenced as one project.
Projects from$150,000Details
Decks & Outdoor Living
Composite and cedar decks, multi-level builds, pergolas, covered porches, and outdoor kitchens.
Projects from$17,000Details
What it costs
What a remodel costs around Crystal Lake.
These are what projects like these run around Crystal Lake and the surrounding northwest suburbs — from the remodels Tim has paid for himself and what the crews we hire quote today. Check them before you call. If your budget and these numbers are far apart, you'll know now instead of after an appointment.
| Project | Most projects land between | On site |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen Remodeling | $45,000 – $180,000+ | 6–10 weeks |
| Bathroom Remodeling | $22,000 – $120,000+ | 3–6 weeks |
| Basement Finishing | $45,000 – $175,000+ | 8–14 weeks |
| Home Additions | $70,000 – $500,000+ | 4–8 months |
| Whole-Home Renovation | $150,000 – $750,000+ | 5–10 months |
| Decks & Outdoor Living | $17,000 – $120,000+ | 2–5 weeks |
Ranges, not quotes. Where your project lands depends on the house, the layout, and what you choose. Each service page breaks its range into tiers and names what moves the number. Your written proposal is the fixed price.
How it works
How a remodel works, in six steps.
Six steps, from the first phone call to the walkthrough. Each one names what we do and what you need to decide. Selections and material lead times set your start date, not labor.
- 0115 minutes
Tell us about the project
A phone call or a form. Fifteen minutes.
- 0260–90 minutes
In-home consultation
Tim walks the space with you. No charge, no pitch.
- 032–6 weeks
Design and selections
Layouts, materials, and allowances settled on paper.
- 04About a week
Written proposal
Fixed scope, line-item price, payment schedule, start date.
- 05Varies by project
Build
Dust walls up, floors covered, one person accountable.
- 061–2 weeks
Walkthrough
Punch list, final walk, and the paperwork on everything installed.
What you can hold us to
Where remodels go wrong, and what we do about it.
These are the places a remodel goes wrong for homeowners, and what we do about each one. The money ones — the fixed scope and the change orders — are terms in your contract, not promises on a website.
You deal with the owner
Tim quotes your project, writes the proposal, schedules the trades, and walks the finished job with you. You're not handed to a project manager you've never met, and you're not calling a dispatch line.
Specialists do the trade work
Tile is set by tile setters and wiring is done by electricians. We hire crews who do one thing for a living instead of asking one team to be good at nine things.
Your house gets protected
Dust containment, floor protection, and a clean site at the end of every day. You live here; we're guests.
Nobody chases you
You get the proposal, and then you get left alone to think about it. There's no follow-up sequence and no discount that expires tonight.
Permits pulled, inspections scheduled
We pull the permits and schedule the inspections, and licensed plumbers and electricians do the plumbing and the electrical. Your proposal names who handles each piece before you sign it.
The work
Kitchens, baths, and basements we've finished.
Houses across McHenry, Lake and Cook County, photographed when the work was done: kitchens rebuilt from scratch, tiled bathrooms, basements finished out, and one house solved from the drainage up. Real photographs of real rooms we remodeled — no stock, no renders.
Who you're hiring
Tim, who got tired of hiring remodelers.
Tim grew up in his father's home-services business and has worked in home services his whole life. For years he bought houses, remodeled them, and sold them — which meant hiring remodeling crews with his own money, and walking every finished job as the man paying the invoice. He kept the crews that were worth keeping, and he started quoting the work himself.
So he runs the consultation, writes the proposal, schedules the trades, and walks the finished job with you. The trade work is done by crews who do that one trade for a living. There's no sales rep, no call center, and no project manager you've never met. We take a limited number of projects at a time, because one person can only run so many.
More about Level Best Remodeling
Where we work
McHenry County and the towns around it.
We're based in Crystal Lake. McHenry and Kane counties are where we work most, and we take projects in Lake and DuPage and on the Cook side around Barrington — not the whole county. We keep the radius tight so the trades aren't spending two hours a day driving to your job.
Check the full service areaTowns we work in most
You won't find star ratings on this site yet. Level Best Remodeling is new, and we're not going to put up reviews we haven't earned. What you can look at is the work.
Questions homeowners ask about remodeling.
What does a remodel actually cost around here?
A bathroom remodel runs $22,000–$38,000 for a hall or guest bath and $40,000–$75,000 for a primary. A full gut kitchen in the existing footprint is $75,000–$120,000. Basement finishing is $45,000–$70,000 open, or $70,000–$110,000 with a bathroom. Additions start around $70,000 for a bump-out and run past $280,000 for a second story. Every service page on this site publishes its own tiers and names what moves the number.
Do you do handyman work or repairs?
No. We take on projects — a room gutted, a basement finished, an addition built — not repair visits, punch lists, service calls, or insurance restoration. Our smallest projects start around $15,000. If you need a drywall patch or a door hung, a handyman will do it for a fraction of what we would have to charge you.
Is the consultation really free?
Yes, and so is the written proposal that follows it. Tim comes out, measures, and talks through what's realistic for your house and your budget. The proposal names every inclusion, exclusion and allowance, plus the payment schedule and the start and finish dates. There's no fee, no same-day discount, and nobody calls you twice about it.
How long does a remodel take?
A bathroom is 3–6 weeks on site. A kitchen is 6–10. A basement is 8–14. An addition is 4–8 months, plus design and village approval ahead of that. Selections and material lead times set the start date, not labor — we don't demo your kitchen until the cabinets are in our hands.
Can we live in the house during the work?
For a single room, almost always. For a whole-home gut that includes the kitchen and every bathroom, we'll tell you that moving out will be faster and usually cheaper. Either way, the work zone gets sealed off with dust containment and the floors and pathways get protected before demo starts. You'll know which door and which bathroom are yours for the duration.
Who actually does the work?
Tim quotes your project and runs it. The trade work is done by vetted crews who do that trade for a living — the person tiling your shower tiles showers every week, and licensed plumbers and electricians do the plumbing and the electrical. Tim is in and out of the job while it runs, he's the number you call, and he walks the finished project with you. He isn't the one swinging the hammer, and we're not going to tell you otherwise.
Do you pull the permits?
Yes. We pull the permits and schedule the inspections, and the licensed trades work under them. Your proposal names who handles each piece before you sign it. Illinois doesn't license general remodeling contractors at the state level, so if another contractor tells you he's 'state licensed' for a kitchen remodel, ask him to show you which license.
You're a new company. Why hire you?
Fair question, and here's the straight answer. Level Best Remodeling is new, but Tim isn't new to this. He grew up in his father's home-services business and has worked in home services his whole life. For years he bought houses, remodeled them, and sold them, which meant hiring remodeling crews with his own money and inspecting the result as the person paying for it. The projects on this site are those houses. He's now doing the same work for homeowners, with the crews he kept.
What areas do you serve?
We're based in Crystal Lake. McHenry and Kane counties are where we work most, and we take projects in Lake and DuPage and on the Cook side around Barrington. Crystal Lake, McHenry, Woodstock, Algonquin, Lake in the Hills, Cary, Huntley, Elgin, Carpentersville, Barrington, Lake Zurich and Wauconda each have a page on this site. If your town isn't on it, call and tell us where the house is.
Free consultation
Get a free consultation and a written proposal.
Tell us what you want to change and roughly what you're hoping to spend. Tim will tell you on the first call whether it's the kind of project we do. If it is, he comes out to see the space — free, and with nothing to sign that day.