LIBERTYVILLE, ILLINOIS · LAKE COUNTY
Whole-Home Renovations in Libertyville.
Libertyville's oldest houses stand close to its downtown, and many are worth keeping · once everything behind the walls is replaced. We take those houses back to structure and rebuild them, from Lake Forest.
THE HOUSES
Older Than It Looks.
After a fire in 1895, Libertyville rebuilt its downtown in brick, and the houses around it date from the decades on either side. Farther out, the estates of David Adler and Samuel Insull shaped the land, and the Des Plaines River forms much of the village's eastern edge.
- Turn-of-the-century houses near downtown
- Designated landmarks, including the David Adler Estate
- Postwar and later neighborhoods farther out
- Lots along the Des Plaines on the village's eastern edge
WHO REVIEWS IT
Landmarks Are Reviewed. Most Houses Aren't.
Libertyville's Historic Preservation Commission reviews local landmarks and the downtown historic district. For most houses, a renovation goes through a building permit and the village's tree rules.
- A certificate of appropriateness for exterior changes, new construction and demolition in the downtown historic district and on local landmarks
- The commission reviews, and the Village Board of Trustees gives final approval
- A building permit through Community Development's Building Division for everything else
- The Appearance Review Commission covers commercial and industrial properties, not houses
A house can be old without being designated. It's worth knowing which yours is before planning the exterior.
Rules change. Checked against the Village of Libertyville's published code and commission materials, October 2026. Village of Libertyville · Community Development (opens in a new tab)
THE GROUND
Trees, and the River.
Libertyville protects its trees by species, and with the Des Plaines along its eastern edge, it regulates water too.
- Protected trees are set by species and size, with protection fencing at the dripline during work
- A removed tree is replaced, or a fee is paid for each one that isn't
- Floodplain and stormwater rules come from Lake County's Watershed Development Ordinance, which the village enforces with its own amendment
- In areas the village designates, its stormwater rules apply from four hundred square feet of new hard surface
The dripline fence goes up before the work starts, and it decides where the trucks can't go.
WHAT WE BUILD HERE
What We Build in Libertyville.
- Home Additions. Additions to older houses, tied into frames built to another era's standard.
- Whole-Home Renovations. Older houses taken back to structure, with everything behind the walls replaced.
- Kitchen & Bath Remodeling. Kitchens and baths rebuilt in houses where the plumbing is as old as the house.
- Modern Home Construction. Ground-up houses, built to the architect's drawing set.
- Design-Build with Your Architect. Landmark and older-house work runs on drawings. We build to them.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Questions About Renovating in Libertyville.
Is our house a landmark?
Only if the village designated it. Libertyville's Historic Preservation Commission oversees its local landmarks and the downtown historic district, and a house can be old without being either. The village can tell you, and we'll check before any planning starts.
What does the Historic Preservation Commission review?
Exterior design. Exterior changes, new construction and demolition in the downtown historic district and on local landmarks need a certificate of appropriateness: the commission reviews the proposal and the Village Board gives final approval. A whole-home renovation still needs a building permit, and the inspections that come with it.
Can we add on to a landmark house?
Yes, with a certificate of appropriateness for the exterior design: the Historic Preservation Commission reviews it and the Village Board gives final approval, before the building permit. Planning for that review from the first drawing is easier than revising after it.
Do we need a permit to remove trees?
Often. Libertyville protects trees by species and size, requires protection fencing at the dripline during construction, and requires replacement · or a fee for each tree not replaced.
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Keep the House. Replace the Rest.
Send the address and what isn't working. We'll tell you what a whole-home renovation involves for a house of its age.