LAKE FOREST, IL · LAKE COUNTY
Renovating and Building in Lake Forest.
We're based here. In Lake Forest, much of the work you can see from the street is reviewed before it's permitted · by one of two boards, depending on the address · and a house's maximum size is set by formula before anyone draws it. This is what that means for an addition, a renovation or a new home.
THE HOUSES
Two Towns Inside One.
The oldest part of Lake Forest still follows its 1857 plan, its streets curving with the ravines, its houses by Howard Van Doren Shaw, David Adler, Charles Frost and their contemporaries. West of Green Bay Road, the great estates of the 1920s were divided over the century that followed into neighborhoods of every era since. Work on either side of that line asks different things of a builder.
- Estate houses and their outbuildings, many inside the city's historic districts
- Early-1900s homes on smaller east-side lots, often with detached rear garages
- 1950s–70s ranches, split-levels and contemporary houses on the west side
- 1980s–90s neighborhoods built to an earlier generation's idea of space
WHO REVIEWS IT
Inside a District, or Outside One.
Lake Forest has five local historic districts. Which side of their boundary a house sits on decides which board reviews the work.
INSIDE A HISTORIC DISTRICT
- The Historic Preservation Commission reviews new homes, demolitions, exterior alterations, and additions visible from the street or a neighbor
- A Certificate of Appropriateness comes before the building permit
- A demolition application includes a preservation consultant's report and an independent structural engineer's evaluation
- The footprint is staked on site ahead of the meeting
OUTSIDE ONE
- The Building Review Board reviews demolitions, new homes, and many additions and exterior changes
- Small work that can't be seen from the street is often left to staff review
- Submittals include a building scale calculation, a tree survey and streetscape elevations
- The footprint is staked on site, and neighbors are notified by mail
The address decides the board, not the project. It's the first thing we check, before anything is drawn.
Rules change. Checked against the City of Lake Forest's published code and board materials, October 2026. City of Lake Forest · Community Development (opens in a new tab)
THE GROUND
What the Lot Allows.
Lake Forest limits how much house a lot can carry, and how close anything can come to a ravine or the bluff.
- Building scale: the maximum floor area for everything on a lot is calculated from the lot's size
- Lot coverage is capped, with the house and accessory buildings counted together
- Along ravines and the Lake Michigan bluff, a setback where no structure, grading or tree removal is allowed
- Tree removal above a set size needs a permit, and board submittals include a full tree survey
- Stormwater is reviewed under Lake County's watershed rules, which the city adopts
Building past the scale limit or into a slope setback takes a variance · a separate, slower path.
WHAT WE BUILD HERE
What We Build in Lake Forest.
- Home Additions. Additions sized to the building scale limit and, inside a district, built to read as part of the original house.
- Whole-Home Renovations. Older houses opened up and rebuilt behind the exteriors the city wants kept.
- Kitchen & Bath Remodeling. The work in a Lake Forest house least touched by review, and the most crowded with trades.
- Modern Home Construction. The city's own guidelines call each building a product of its own time. A contemporary house is reviewed like any other.
- Design-Build with Your Architect. Review in Lake Forest runs on drawings. We work with your architect from the set onward.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Questions About Building in Lake Forest.
Is our house in a historic district?
Lake Forest has five local historic districts and a list of individually designated landmarks, and the city publishes both. National Register listing on its own generally doesn't trigger local review; local designation does. If you're not sure, it's the first thing we'll check.
Can we build a modern house in Lake Forest?
Yes. The city's residential design guidelines don't require traditional styles; they describe each building as a product of its own time. A contemporary house goes through the same review as any other, for scale, massing and how it sits on its street.
How much can we add to our house?
That's set by the lot. Lake Forest calculates the maximum floor area for everything on a property from the lot's size, with allowances for garages and certain design elements. It's worth calculating before an addition is designed, so the design starts inside the limit instead of being cut back to it.
How long does board review add?
It depends on the board's calendar and how complete the application is. Both boards meet monthly, filing deadlines fall weeks ahead of each meeting, and projects are often continued for revisions. We plan the schedule around the review rather than hoping it's quick.
What if our lot backs onto a ravine?
Then part of it is protected. The city prohibits structures, grading and tree removal within a setback from the ravine and bluff edges on its steep slopes map, and building into the setback takes a variance. The edge also limits where a project can be staged during construction, not just where the house sits.
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Start With the Address.
Send the address and what you're planning. We'll tell you which board reviews it, what the lot allows, and what the project involves.