Additions
Northbrook home additions
Family rooms, primary suites, kitchen expansions, garage and living. Most families remain in the house.
Northbrook · Chicago’s North Shore
Northbrook home additions, and the rest of Chicago’s North Shore.
A Northbrook general contractor for occupied residences. We plan, permit, and build the next rooms of the house you already own — in Northbrook and from here through Lake Forest.
License
GC 18-0590
Office
Northbrook
Construction
Occupied residences
Territory
North Shore
Work we do
Interior additions, and the joint that has to match.
The rooms a North Shore house usually needs next. Shown as types of work, not a finished job.
Interior
Primary suite addition
Bedroom, bath, and a closet that can close.
Interior
Family room / rear addition
A room the lot already had room for.
Interior
Kitchen expansion
Structure and light — not new cabinets in the same envelope.
Exterior
Matching-roofline addition
The joint has to read as if it had always been there.
Addition
Garage and living
Attached garage, or a suite where the village allows it.
Practice
Home additions, combined remodels, and custom new construction.
Combined work
Remodel plus a home addition
When the interiors and the addition share one season, one contract, and one point of contact.
New homes
Custom new homes on the same lot
Teardown-rebuild on the lot you already own, with your architect or a North Shore firm we introduce.
Custom new homesOccupied-home additions on the North Shore.
Village review, stormwater, and setbacks are scoped before we bid. Electrical service, lighting, and generation are coordinated in-house — not as a later subcontract. Most families remain in the house.
How we work
How Oak & Shore builds on occupied North Shore homes.
Occupied residences
Most families remain in the house. Site protection, sequenced trades, and a weekly written update are part of the contract.
Village first
We register as contractor of record before we bid. Design review, stormwater, and setbacks are scoped in the feasibility letter.
Principal on the job
The principal remains the point of contact from the first site visit through closeout. You will not be handed to a dispatcher.
Electrical in-house
A licensed electrician on staff means service, lighting, and generation are designed with the addition, not as a later subcontract.
Process
The North Shore home addition process
01
Site visit
The principal walks the house with you: structure, electrical service, drainage, setbacks, and how the family lives in the rooms. We will say whether the addition belongs on the lot.
02
Feasibility
A short letter covering what the lot and the village will allow, with an indicative planning range. There is no obligation to sign a construction contract at the site visit.
03
Design team
Your architect, or an introduction to a North Shore firm. Schematic design, structure, and a budget with allowances.
04
Village review
Permits, design review, stormwater, and variations if required. We pull them as contractor of record. Design and permitting often take longer than framing.
Northbrook office
Northbrook general contractor since 2015.
Licensed general contractor. The principal remains on the job. A standing trade bench, and a licensed electrician on staff so service, lighting, and generation are designed with the addition.
We build home additions in Northbrook, Glenview, Winnetka, Glencoe, Highland Park, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Lake Forest, Northfield, and Deerfield.
Questions
Questions about North Shore home additions
- Can we remain in the house during a North Shore addition?
- On most additions, yes. Occupied-residence protocol is the default: site protection, a weekly written update, and a single point of contact. You will know in advance the day water or power must be interrupted.
- How much does a home addition cost on Chicago’s North Shore?
- Indicative ranges, not bids: family rooms often $200,000–$350,000+, primary suites $250,000–$450,000+, second stories $350,000–$600,000+. A written proposal follows the complimentary site visit.
- Do you have an architect on staff?
- Not at present. We build with your architect, or we introduce a North Shore firm we already work with. Sealed drawings are required for second-story work.
- What does a project review cost?
- The site visit is complimentary. If the project belongs with this practice, a short feasibility letter follows. There is no obligation to sign a construction contract at the walk.
- Which North Shore villages do you serve?
- The office is in Northbrook. The practice is limited to North Shore villages — Northbrook through Lake Forest, including Winnetka, Glencoe, Highland Park, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Glenview, Northfield, and Deerfield. We do not work in the City of Chicago.
- How long does a North Shore home addition take?
- Design and permitting often take longer than framing. Construction is typically four to eight months after permits are issued. A second story promised for the coming season, without drawings, is not a schedule we will sign.
Begin with a site visit
Share the village, the type of work, and an indicative budget. We review the house before we discuss numbers.