Topo d'Oro Landscape Design
(847) 387-9509
Chicagoland

Landscape Design & Build in Glenview, Illinois

Call (847) 387-9509Request a Design Consultation
Landscape design and build project by Topo d'Oro in Glenview, Illinois

Glenview is really three landscape markets in one village. There is the 1894 oval at The Park, designed by landscape gardener Swain Nelson as a community centered on a common park. There is the postwar body of the village — 1950s through 1970s ranch, split-level and colonial on generous lots with sixty years of canopy on them. And there is The Glen, the 1,121-acre redevelopment of the former Glenview Naval Air Station, about 15 percent of the village, where the landscapes are young and the stormwater infrastructure is engineered in. Topo d'Oro works across all three.

Services

What we build in Glenview

  • Landscape Design

    Custom landscape design for Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka and Chicago's North Shore. AutoCAD site plans, 3D renderings, planting design and full build documentation.

  • Hardscaping

    Natural stone patios, walkways, driveways, retaining walls and stone fireplaces built for Chicago freeze-thaw. Serving Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka and Chicagoland.

  • Decks & Pergolas

    Custom cedar and ipe decks, pergolas, railings, fences and privacy screens built in-house. Iron and woodwork for Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka and Chicagoland.

  • Outdoor Living

    Custom outdoor kitchens, fireplaces, fire pits and rooftop terraces designed and built for Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka and Chicago's North Shore.

  • Lighting & Water

    Low-voltage LED landscape lighting, color-changing systems, fountains and ponds designed and installed for Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka and Chicago's North Shore.

  • Artificial Turf

    Professional artificial turf installation for lawns, pet areas, putting greens and rooftops in Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka and Chicagoland. Built on a drained base.

  • Commercial Landscaping

    Commercial and association landscaping across Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka and Chicago's North Shore. Grounds care, hardscape restoration, drainage and entrance work for property managers and condo boards. Call (847) 387-9509.

  • Snow & Ice Management

    Snow plowing, sidewalk clearing and ice management for residential and commercial property across Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka and Chicago's North Shore. Seasonal contracts. Call (847) 387-9509.

A village with a designed landscape in its origin story

The Park was established in 1894 by first village president Hugh Burnham and designed by landscape gardener Swain Nelson as an oval community centered on a common park, originally for New Church members. It is a genuine historic designed landscape and it is worth knowing about if you own near it — the geometry of that oval is the reason those streets feel the way they do.

Everything else came later. Developers converted farmland after the war and gave the township its current suburban appearance, producing the 1950s to 1970s ranch, split-level and colonial stock that makes up most of the village's 18,933 housing units. Median resident age is 46.3 and density is low at about 1,348 housing units per square mile, which is a polite way of saying the lots are big.

The Glen is a different design problem

The Glen was converted starting in 1995 from the former Glenview Naval Air Station, and its landscapes are young by definition. There is no sixty-year canopy to work around and no clay-compacted 1950s base to fight. What there is instead is engineered stormwater infrastructure, planned-development lot geometry and a set of design expectations that came with the master plan.

On a Glen property the work tends toward structure and definition — pergolas, screening, built-in seating, outdoor kitchens, layered lighting, and planting that gives a young landscape vertical presence faster than waiting twenty years for it. Air Station Prairie sits inside the development as a reminder of what the site was.

Trees here are protected by species, not just size

Glenview's landmark tree rules are more nuanced than most. High-quality species — oaks, hickories and maples — are protected at eight inches DBH or more. Lower-quality species such as cottonwood and box elder are protected at ten inches or more. Diameter is measured four and a half feet above ground, and a permit from the Inspectional Services Division is required before removing any landmark tree on private property. The Village maintains a tree replacement list.

That species tiering rewards knowing what you actually have in the yard. A homeowner who assumes everything over eight inches is protected will over-plan; one who assumes nothing is protected will get stopped. We inventory the trees at site analysis so the design is built on the real constraint.

Local detail

Local conditions and village requirements

Species-tiered landmark tree thresholds
High-quality species — oaks, hickories and maples — are protected at eight inches DBH or greater. Lower-quality species such as cottonwood and box elder are protected at ten inches or greater.
How diameter is measured
Four and a half feet above ground.
Permit authority
A permit from the Inspectional Services Division is required before removing any landmark tree on private property. The Village maintains a tree replacement list.
Three distinct landscape contexts
The 1894 Park oval, the postwar body of the village with mature canopy, and The Glen's young engineered landscapes.
Drainage
Glenview Creek drains the southeastern corner into the Middle Fork of the North Branch of the Chicago River.
Where we work

Neighborhoods and areas we serve

  • The Glen
  • The Park
  • central Glenview
  • the Glenview Creek corridor
  • the Willow and Lake corridors
Questions

Frequently asked in Glenview

Which trees are protected in Glenview?

Glenview protects landmark trees by size and species. High-quality species — oaks, hickories and maples — are protected at eight inches DBH or greater; lower-quality species such as cottonwood and box elder at ten inches or greater. Diameter is measured four and a half feet above ground, and a permit from the Inspectional Services Division is required before removing a landmark tree on private property.

Is landscaping different at The Glen?

Yes. The Glen was redeveloped from the former Naval Air Station starting in 1995, so the landscapes are young, the stormwater infrastructure is engineered in, and the lot geometry came from a master plan rather than from a 1950s subdivision. The design emphasis shifts toward structure, screening and lighting that give a young landscape presence now rather than in twenty years.

How much does a landscape project cost in Glenview?

It tracks scope, not zip code. A pergola and a properly built patio is a different number than a full master plan with grading, walls, an outdoor kitchen and a lighting system. We walk the property and quote in writing. Call (847) 387-9509.

Can you fix drainage problems?

Yes. Glenview Creek drains the southeastern corner of the village into the Middle Fork of the North Branch of the Chicago River, and the usual Chicagoland clay conditions apply elsewhere. Grading, drain tile, French drains, dry wells and permeable surfaces are the toolkit; which one is right depends on where the water is coming from.

Do you work on the older Park neighborhood?

Yes. The Park was laid out in 1894 as an oval centered on a common park, designed by landscape gardener Swain Nelson. Working near a historic designed landscape means designing with its geometry rather than ignoring it.

Nearby communities

We also work in

  • Deerfield

    Landscape design, hardscaping, decks, outdoor living and lighting in Deerfield, IL — designed for flat postwar lots, heavy silty clay soils and the Village's tree and drainage requirements.

  • Northbrook

    Landscape design, hardscaping, decks, outdoor living and lighting in Northbrook, IL — designed for postwar lots, mature canopy and the Village's tree protection rules.

  • Skokie

    Landscape design, hardscaping, decks, outdoor living, lighting and turf in Skokie, IL — built for bungalow lots, postwar yards and heavy clay drainage.

  • Wilmette

    Landscape design, hardscaping, decks, outdoor living and lighting for Wilmette, IL — from Indian Hill Estates to the lakefront and the postwar streets west of Ridge.

Begin your golden sanctuary.

Tell us about the property and how you want to use it. We will walk the site, scope the work and put it in writing.

Call (847) 387-9509Request a Design Consultation