Landscape Design & Build in Lincolnwood, IL

What we build in Lincolnwood

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 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 built-out village, and what that does to a build

The Village is 2.69 square miles and classified entirely as built-up urban land. There is no undeveloped edge to work from, so nearly every project is an insertion into an established block: narrower side yards, closer neighbors, alleys and driveways that decide whether a skid steer can reach the rear yard at all. On a tight Lincolnwood lot, access planning is a design constraint on the same level as proportion.

About 77 percent of the housing is single-family detached and 84 percent owner-occupied, with roughly 53 percent built before 1960 and about half of it in the 1940s and 1950s. Teardowns happen — roughly four residential demolitions a year since 2021 — but at a modest pace, which means most work here is a new landscape around an older house rather than a blank site.

Stormwater is the governing rule, not a detail

The rule that shapes most hardscape work here is the impervious threshold. Adding 500 square feet or more of impervious surface requires either a conveyance system to the street or on-site detention: 400 gallons for 500 to 749 square feet added, 500 gallons for 750 square feet or more. A grading permit is separately triggered by more than 500 square feet of flatwork, in-ground pools, accessory structures of 500 square feet or more, and any landscaping that changes site grade.

That is not a formality on this ground. Parts of the Village are on combined sewers and basement flooding is an acknowledged Village-wide issue — the Village runs a Street Storage Program using street berms and catch-basin restrictors, piloted in the southeast corner. A patio designed without detention or conveyance moves someone's problem rather than solving your own.

So we size the impervious area, the detention volume and the conveyance route while the layout is still on paper. Sometimes that means holding paving under a threshold on purpose; sometimes it means the detention is designed in and the patio gets built the size you actually wanted. Either way it is decided at the drawing, not on site.

Zoning limits, the parkway, and permits

Single-family zoning caps building coverage at thirty-five percent and impervious coverage at sixty percent, and the front yard must be at least fifty percent landscaped. On lots this size those three numbers interact quickly, so we test a plan against all of them together instead of one at a time.

The parkway belongs to the Village and is treated that way. Impervious ground cover is prohibited there except sidewalks, driveway aprons and approved parking, and brick pavers, retaining walls, irrigation and low-voltage lighting in the parkway require Village approval. The Village maintains more than 7,000 parkway trees and only Public Works may trim them — a private contractor is not permitted to touch a parkway tree. That surprises homeowners regularly, and it is worth knowing before anyone is asked to.

Permits are required for a long list of what people think of as landscaping: wood decks, driveways and aprons, patios including fire pits, flame features, outdoor kitchens and anything needing electrical, pergolas and gazebos, fences, dog runs, sheds, sidewalks and steps, pools, tree removal over eight inches, and re-grading of all or part of a lot. Requirements do change, so we confirm the current set with the Village for each project before work starts.

Local conditions and village requirements

Tree removal permit

A permit is required to remove any private tree eight inches in diameter or larger. Trees over eight inches removed outside the building envelope require replacement planting on site or a payment to the Village. Unauthorized removal carries fines plus a per-diameter-inch replacement fee.

Parkway trees are Public Works only

The Village maintains more than 7,000 parkway trees and only Public Works may trim them. Private contractors are not permitted to trim a parkway tree.

The parkway itself

Impervious ground cover is prohibited in the parkway except sidewalks, driveway aprons and approved parking. Brick pavers, retaining walls, irrigation and low-voltage lighting in the parkway require Village approval.

Stormwater threshold

Adding 500 square feet or more of impervious surface requires either a conveyance system to the street or on-site detention — 400 gallons for 500 to 749 square feet added, 500 gallons for 750 square feet or more.

Grading permit triggers

More than 500 square feet of flatwork, in-ground pools, accessory structures of 500 square feet or more, and any landscaping that changes site grade.

Zoning coverage limits

Single-family zoning allows a maximum thirty-five percent building coverage and sixty percent impervious coverage, and the front yard must be at least fifty percent landscaped.

Combined sewers and flooding

Parts of the Village are on combined sewers and basement flooding is an acknowledged Village-wide issue. The Village runs a Street Storage Program using street berms and catch-basin restrictors, piloted in the southeast corner.

A fully built-out village

2.69 square miles of built-up urban land with the North Shore Channel forming the eastern border. Lots are tighter than the North Shore villages and access is often the limiting factor on a build.

Frequently asked in Lincolnwood

Do I need a permit to build a patio in Lincolnwood?

Yes. Patios require a permit, including fire pits, flame features, outdoor kitchens and anything needing electrical. So do wood decks, driveways and aprons, pergolas and gazebos, fences, dog runs, sheds, sidewalks and steps, pools, tree removal over eight inches, and re-grading of all or part of a lot. We confirm the current requirements with the Village for each project before work starts.

Will my new patio trigger a detention requirement?

If it adds 500 square feet or more of impervious surface, it needs either a conveyance system to the street or on-site detention — 400 gallons for 500 to 749 square feet added, 500 gallons for 750 or more. We calculate the added impervious area during layout, so the decision to hold under the threshold or design the detention in is made deliberately.

Do I need a permit to remove a tree?

A permit is required for any private tree eight inches in diameter or larger. Trees over eight inches removed outside the building envelope require replacement planting on site or a payment to the Village, and unauthorized removal carries fines plus a per-diameter-inch replacement fee. We handle that as part of the scope rather than leaving it to you.

Can you trim the tree in my parkway while you are here?

No. Only Public Works may trim parkway trees in Lincolnwood — the Village maintains more than 7,000 of them and private contractors are not permitted to touch them. We can design around one, protect it during construction and ask the Village about anything at the street edge, including pavers, walls, irrigation or lighting in the parkway, which all require Village approval.

My basement takes water. Will landscaping help or make it worse?

Either, depending on whether it was designed. Basement flooding is an acknowledged Village-wide issue and parts of the Village are on combined sewers, which is why the impervious and grading rules exist. Done properly, the work moves water away from the foundation through grading, downspout routing, drain tile, dry wells and permeable surfaces. Done as paving without a drainage plan, it adds runoff and points it at the house.

My lot is tight. Is there room to build anything real?

Usually yes, and the constraint is often access rather than area. Getting equipment and material into a rear yard through a narrow side yard or a shared drive shapes both the method and the sequence, and we plan it before the design is fixed. Small yards also benefit more from built-in structure — seating, screening, a right-sized pergola — because built-ins remove clutter and define the space instead of filling it.

How does the Chicago season affect the schedule?

Design, Village review and permitting are winter work. Excavation, masonry and carpentry want workable ground and above-freezing temperatures, and planting is timed to the season rather than the calendar. Starting drawings in the cold months is how a build lands in the good weather instead of waiting on it.

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Landscape Design & Build in Lincolnwood, Illinois