Subdivision pads, ranch remodels and the college
Dunning's building story is unusual for a Chicago neighborhood: entire subdivisions went up on the old state hospital grounds off Narragansett Avenue, and infill townhome sites there still open new phases every couple of years. Those builders order units by the block, one standard unit for every few homes under frame, moved along as the phase advances. On the older streets of Schorsch Village and Belmont Heights the work is ranch-house remodels, kitchen bump-outs and detached garage replacements, each with a single unit for a season.
Wright College on Montrose brings periodic campus projects with fenced staging areas, and the shopping centers on Harlem and Irving Park turn over tenants often enough that a restaurant buildout with a unit out back is a regular order.
Which unit for which Dunning job
A subdivision framing crew is happy with standard units serviced weekly, and adds a handwashing station once drywall and paint trades arrive. A ranch remodel where the family stays home during construction usually moves up to the deluxe flushing unit, which has a sealed tank and less odor on a small lot with the neighbor's kitchen window fifteen feet away. Graduation parties and communion receptions in Dunning backyards, a big tradition here, take one deluxe unit for a house full of relatives, and the luxury restroom trailer only appears for the rare tented wedding at a church hall parking lot.
The far Northwest Side run
Our truck reaches Dunning by way of Irving Park Road or Belmont from the east, or Harlem Avenue from the north after the Norridge stops, and pairs the neighborhood with Portage Park and Harwood Heights on the same day. Streets here are wider and alleys less universal than closer to the Loop, so many units sit on driveways and side yards rather than alley lines, which makes the driver's job easier.
The old cemetery grounds and the conservation area near the redevelopment are off limits for placement, but the adjacent streets have plenty of curb space for a short delivery stop.