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Ask an architect: Program helps point homeowners in right direction before remodeling

Feb. 22 at 6:33 a.m.

Architect Brian Fryzel, left, meets with Westchester homeowners Glenn and Amy Fundator during Ask an Architect program at Western Springs Recreation Center in Western Springs. (Scott Strazzante, Chicago Tribune / January 24, 2012)

The Fundators have names for the different problem areas of their Westchester house.

Downstairs is the “Greg Brady Basement,” furnished in a woefully outdated decor. There is “The Door that Goes Nowhere” off the back of the 1,065-square-foot home. And the kitchen is known as “The Nine-Year Project.”

“When we first moved into this house, the kitchen was 10 feet by 8 feet,” says Glenn Fundator with a laugh. “So I started to rehab it. Now nine years after starting it is still not finished. My wife has banned me from doing major home projects.”

And that explains why Glenn and Amy Fundator went to the Western Springs Recreation Center one recent Thursday night to get home-remodeling advice from a stranger who had never seen their home. This free program — known as Ask an Architect — pairs those considering construction projects with an expert who has experience planning those types of projects.