Oak & Shore is a Northbrook general contractor. Home additions and remodeling that includes an addition are the usual work. This note is how the Village of Northbrook reviews that work — not a substitute for the current packet on the Village website.
When Northbrook requires an addition permit
When any part of the exterior walls or the roof moves, Northbrook requires an addition permit. A rear family room, a primary suite, a second story, or a kitchen that grows the envelope all sit on that path. A cabinet replacement inside the same walls is a different permit, when it needs one at all.
What the Village asks for
The usual packet is a building application, a residential zoning worksheet, site and utility data, a water-service worksheet, a fire-protection letter of understanding, and a contractor-of-record form. The contractor-of-record form must be complete before the permit is issued. We hold a current Village general-contractor license and register before we bid.
Drawings have to be complete. Design review in Northbrook is more direct than Winnetka or Kenilworth when the elevation matches. Incomplete drawings are what stall the counter.
Sprinklers and major renovations
A large addition can be classified as a major renovation when the added habitable area, excluding basement, exceeds 115 percent of the existing house. That classification requires a residential sprinkler system for the entire residence. Smaller additions to an unsprinklered house often do not. If the house is already sprinklered, the system is extended under a separate fire protection permit. We say which path applies in the feasibility letter.
Occupied-house construction
Most Northbrook additions are occupied residences. Site protection, sequenced trades, and a weekly written update are part of the contract. You will know in advance the day water or power must be interrupted. The village treats a lived-in site differently from an empty one. We plan for the family to stay.
What this practice is not
This is not a punch-list shop. Year one is additions and occupied-house remodeling that includes an addition. A teardown-rebuild is a later conversation, and only when the lot and the village belong with this practice.
Planning ranges on this site are indicative, not bids. A written proposal follows the complimentary site visit.
- Family rooms and bump-outs
- Primary suite additions
- Kitchen expansions
- Second-story additions
- Garage and living
Village forms: Northbrook single-family addition. Confirm the current packet with Development & Planning Services.