Property guide · Chicago

Plumbing in Chicago bungalows

Brick bungalows line whole blocks of Chicago’s Northwest and Southwest Sides and many inner-ring suburbs. Their plumbing is simple — which makes its weak points predictable.

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How a typical bungalow is plumbed

Most Chicago bungalows have one main drain-waste-vent stack serving the kitchen and first-floor bath, a basement with a floor drain and laundry, and a single building sewer running to the street. Many attics and basements were finished later, adding a second bathroom upstairs or downstairs.

Typical bungalow plumbing
Part	Typical original material	Common today
Main stack	Cast iron	Original or partly replaced
Water supply	Galvanized steel	Often partly or fully replaced with copper
Building sewer	Clay or cast iron	Often original under the yard and parkway
Service line	Lead is common in Chicago	Check the City inventory

Patterns only; check your own home.

Old cast-iron drain stack with a cleanout plug in a basement — Illustration

Common bungalow problems

Floor-drain backups during storms — the basement drain is the lowest opening. Floor drain backups
Cast-iron stack corrosion — rust weeping at joints, cracks. Repiping
Low pressure from galvanized supply. Low pressure
Roots in the building sewer under mature parkway trees. Camera inspection
Frozen kitchen lines on exterior walls. Frozen pipes

Finishing the basement

A finished bungalow basement raises the stakes on every backup. Before finishing, owners commonly have the building sewer camera-inspected, consider backflow protection, and plan access to the cleanout and any valves. Basement bathrooms below the sewer usually need an ejector pump.

Diagram An overhead sewer keeps the building's sewer connection above the basement floor so a backed-up street sewer cannot flow in through floor-level openings.

Ejector pump with check valve lifts basement wastewater up; it needs power, so outages matter.
Overhead sewer line runs near the basement ceiling.
Building sewer exits the wall at a higher elevation.
Former floor-level openings are sealed under the design.

Simplified schematic, not to scale. Actual layouts vary by building.

Permits

In Chicago, removing and replacing any drain, water, soil, waste or vent pipe requires a permit and inspections, and most work must be done by a licensed and bonded City plumbing contractor.

Source: Municipal Code of Chicago, Ch. 14A-4 (Permits); City of Chicago — Does my project require a licensed plumbing contractor?

What affects the cost of work

Basement finishes, how much original pipe remains, access to the stack, building sewer depth and condition, and permits. We do not publish prices.

Frequently asked questions

Do all bungalows have lead service lines?

Not all, but lead service lines are common in Chicago. Check the City’s service line inventory for your address.

Is it worth replacing the cast-iron stack before it leaks?

It depends on its condition. Many owners replace it during renovations when walls are already open.

Sources

Municipal Code of Chicago, Ch. 14A-4 (Permits) Official / primary
City of Chicago — Does my project require a licensed plumbing contractor? Official / primary
City of Chicago Department of Water Management Official / primary
Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning — Local Housing Profiles Official / primary

Information can change; official sources control.