About Us

After brokering commercial real estate in the Loop, Dina Petrakis managed construction projects for developers from 1984 to 1994, building 26 Lincoln Park homes, office space in Rivers West and North, loft renovations, and a strip mall on Clybourn. She incorporated Littlerock Construction, Inc. in 1994, providing “Quality Construction With Exceptional Attention to Detail” to residential remodeling clients.

Littlerock now provides remodeling consulting services, referred to as “Renovation Coaching” (also see Services page). Dina’s vision of aesthetic potential, combined with foundation-up knowledge of construction and development, helps her clients make “Informed Decisions for Inspired Homes”.

Dina’s approach:

“I always work toward maximizing resale value and creating a cohesive whole for any project. If the cost of what my clients desire will over-improve the property, or not increase resale, I work with them to find different ways to achieve their goals. Most people have 60% of their net worth in their homes, so the financial element of any home improvement must be considered, with an eye on maximizing value”.

“That said, the space has to “feel” right — which isn’t easy to articulate — it’s about balance and harmony, and is apparent to most people only inside the finished space. My 24 years of experience with my client’s homes; using my home as a design laboratory; and visualizing space as a completed whole — i.e. perception of it as a 3-dimensional object — helps me significantly improve layouts, designs, and details for my clients”.

“A part of the “feel” of a home is cohesiveness — making a remodeled space flow with the rest of the home. A room that feels ‘done’, or is strikingly different, is something to avoid, unless the rest of the home is scheduled for makeover. An important way I achieve that cohesiveness is using details or treatments from the rest of the home, interior and exterior, in the renovated area. I reinforce the positives of the home by repetition- integrating the new space into a cohesive whole”.

Why the name, Littlerock? Petrakis, a Greek name, means little rock. (petra=rock, akis=little). My LinkedIn profile.