HIGHLAND PARK, ILLINOIS · LAKE COUNTY
Home Renovations in Highland Park.
In Highland Park, deciding to replace a house is reviewed harder than almost anything else you'll do to it. We build renovations, additions and new homes here, from our base in Lake Forest just to the north.
THE HOUSES
Built Along the Bluff.
Highland Park runs for miles along the Lake Michigan bluff, cut by wooded ravines that reach well inland. Its houses range from Frank Lloyd Wright's Willits House and the work of Howard Van Doren Shaw to Ravinia's early cottages and every decade of house since.
- Prairie School and early-1900s houses, some of them designated landmarks
- Bluff and ravine lots where the land shapes the house
- Ravinia's older homes, from its years as an artists' colony
- Houses from every decade since, many on wooded lots
WHO REVIEWS IT
Keep It, or Replace It.
Most renovation work in Highland Park goes through a building permit. Demolition is different: every residential demolition application goes to the Historic Preservation Commission first.
RENOVATE
- A building permit, with a tree preservation plan where trees are near the work
- Commission review only for a landmark or historic-district house, and only for exterior work
- Steep slope rules if the lot touches a ravine or the bluff
- The structure is kept, so the project starts from what's already standing
REPLACE
- The Historic Preservation Commission reviews every residential demolition application
- A house that meets enough of the city's landmark criteria can be held for a review period of up to a year
- The city charges a demolition tax on residential teardowns
- The new house is then permitted under the same steep slope and tree rules
Replacing a house often looks like the simpler path. In Highland Park it's usually the longer one · the review comes first, and for some houses it takes a year.
Rules change. Checked against the City of Highland Park's published code and commission materials, October 2026. City of Highland Park · Community Development (opens in a new tab)
THE GROUND
The Steep Slope Zone.
Along the bluff and the ravines, Highland Park restricts what can be built and how the ground can be moved.
- Earth moving and new structures are generally prohibited inside the Steep Slope Zone
- Work near it calls for a geotechnical report and engineer-sealed plans
- Decks and patios are held back from bluff and ravine edges
- Trees above a set size need a permit; the largest oaks are heritage trees, decided by the Zoning Board of Appeals
- A Lake County watershed permit may also apply
On a ravine lot, the ground decides where an addition can go before anyone decides what it looks like.
WHAT WE BUILD HERE
What We Build in Highland Park.
- Home Additions. Additions placed where the slope allows, and engineered where it comes close.
- Whole-Home Renovations. Renovating instead of replacing: often the path with the least review in front of it.
- Kitchen & Bath Remodeling. Interior work on houses too good to replace.
- Modern Home Construction. Contemporary houses on wooded and ravine lots, built to the architect's drawing set.
- Design-Build with Your Architect. Steep slope and landmark work runs on drawings and engineering. We work with your architect from the set onward.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Questions About Building in Highland Park.
Does Highland Park review every demolition?
Every residential demolition application goes to the Historic Preservation Commission. If the commission finds that a house meets two or three of the city's landmark criteria and keeps its historic integrity, a 180-day review period applies; four or more criteria means 365 days. Nothing can be demolished while it runs.
Can we still renovate a landmark house?
Yes. The commission's review covers exterior work. Interior work isn't reviewed unless it affects the exterior or the interior itself is landmarked · the rest is a building-permit matter. In Highland Park, nominating a house for landmark designation requires the owner's consent.
We're on a ravine lot. What can we build?
Less than on a flat lot, and in different places. The Steep Slope Zone generally rules out new structures and earth moving, and work near it needs a geotechnical report and engineer-sealed plans. The buildable part of the lot is worth mapping before anything is designed.
Do we need a permit to take down a tree?
Often. Highland Park requires a permit for trees above a set size, and a building permit comes with a tree preservation plan. The largest oaks are protected as heritage trees, and removing one goes to the Zoning Board of Appeals.
08 / 08
Before You Decide to Replace It.
Send the address and whether you're thinking of renovating or replacing. We'll tell you which path the city will review and what each one involves.