Veteran-Owned • Family-Run Since 1968 • Showroom in Third Lake, IL
Veteran-Owned • Family-Run Since 1968 • Showroom in Third Lake, IL
KITCHEN REMODELING IN LAKE FOREST, IL
Century Kitchens & Bath designs and builds custom kitchen remodels for Lake Forest homeowners across East Lake Forest, Knollwood, Conway Farms, Westleigh, and the rest of the city. Veteran-owned. Family-run since 1968. American-made cabinetry. In-house licensed plumbers, electricians, and carpenters. Itemized menu-style estimates. A written limited lifetime warranty signed by the owner.
Speak directly with owner Steve Donato: (847) 395-3418
1968
Years in Business
Twenty-five years before any other Lake Forest kitchen specialty firm opened its doors.
$75K–$250K
Typical Range
Most clients invest $100,000 to $175,000. Estate-scale projects run higher.
8–12
Weeks On Site
Plus 4–8 weeks pre-construction. HPC review can extend timeline for historic homes.
Lifetime
Warranty
Written limited warranty on every product and service. Signed by the owner.
"Steve, the owner, did a great job of working around issues and finding cost-effective ways to get things done. The crew was always on time and they did what they said they were going to do."
— Patricia P., verified Century client
LAKE FOREST IS NOT LAKE COUNTY
WHAT A LAKE FOREST KITCHEN ACTUALLY COSTS
Lake Forest kitchen remodels run higher than the Lake County average because the homes are larger, the construction stock is more complex, and the finish expectations are higher. Here is how the pricing breaks down for Lake Forest specifically.
$50,000 – $75,000
A full surface-level renovation maintaining the existing layout. Mid-grade American-made cabinetry, quartz counters, tile, new appliances, lighting, paint, and fixture upgrades. Common in newer Conway Farms and west-of-tollway homes where the existing layout works but the original 2000s finishes are dated.
$75,000 – $150,000
The most common Lake Forest kitchen we build. Full cabinet replacement with semi-custom American-made lines (Wellborn Forest, Kith), quartz or granite counters, custom tile backsplash, hardwood flooring, full lighting redesign, plumbing and electrical updates, and full appliance replacement. May include expanded islands, beverage centers, or pantry reconfiguration.
$150,000 – $250,000
A full-scope kitchen remodel including structural changes such as removing the wall between the kitchen and family room, repositioning the kitchen footprint, or expanding into adjacent space. Premium cabinet lines, quartzite or marble countertops, professional-grade appliances, custom lighting design, and full system updates. Common for East Lake Forest historic-district homes.
$250,000 and up
Full custom cabinetry, premium natural stone, professional-grade appliance packages from Wolf, Sub-Zero, and Miele, structural modifications including load-bearing wall removal, butler's pantry additions, and integration with whole-home projects. Typical for East Lake Forest historic homes and estate properties on Lake Road.
Permit costs in Lake Forest typically run $400 to $1,500 for kitchen renovations depending on scope. For projects within the city's five Local Historic Districts, Certificate of Appropriateness review through the Historic Preservation Commission may add four to eight weeks to the pre-construction timeline.
WHICH CABINET LINE FITS YOUR LAKE FOREST KITCHEN
Cabinets account for 30 to 40 percent of your total kitchen budget. The cabinet line you choose defines the look of the finished space and the construction quality you will live with for the next twenty years. Every Lake Forest kitchen we build uses American-made cabinetry.
Semi-custom to Custom • Ashland, Alabama
The line we recommend most often for traditional and transitional Lake Forest kitchens, particularly in East Lake Forest historic homes where the cabinet detail needs to match the era of the house. Wellborn's Premier and Estate lines offer furniture-grade construction with solid wood face frames, plywood box construction, dovetail drawer joinery, soft-close hardware, and a finish library that includes painted, stained, and glazed finishes appropriate in older Lake Forest interiors.
Lead time: 4–6 weeks
Semi-custom
American-made semi-custom line with strong painted-finish performance and contemporary door style options. Good fit for Conway Farms, Westleigh, and the post-1990 homes where the design direction is transitional rather than strictly traditional. Strong color flexibility and value positioning.
Lead time: 4–6 weeks
Full Custom • Regional Partners
For estate-scale Lake Forest projects requiring non-standard sizes, integrated millwork that ties the kitchen to surrounding rooms, or specific historical detail (raised-panel doors with bead detail, specific paneled refrigerator surrounds, library-style pantry doors), we work with regional custom cabinet builders.
Adds $15,000–$40,000 to cabinet budget • Lead time: 8–14 weeks
Woodland, JSI, US Cabinet Depot
These value-tier lines serve a smaller portion of the Lake Forest market and are most commonly selected for finished basement bars, butler's pantries, or secondary spaces where the primary kitchen cabinetry is in another room. We do not typically recommend stock-tier lines for primary kitchens in Lake Forest.
Countertops
Cambria quartz, MSI quartz, Vicostone, and natural stone (marble, quartzite, granite) through our fabricator partners.
Plumbing Fixtures
Kohler, Moen, Delta, and Grohe for sinks, faucets, and accessories.
Appliances
Clients typically purchase Wolf, Sub-Zero, Miele, and Thermador through North Shore appliance retailers. We coordinate installation timing.
HPC AND BUILDING REVIEW BOARD COORDINATION
Lake Forest's Historic Preservation Ordinance, adopted in 1998, protects five Local Historic Districts plus Local Landmark properties. The five districts are the Lake Forest Historic District in East Lake Forest, the Vine-Oakwood-Green Bay Road Historic District, the Green Bay Road Historic District, the Meadowood Dairy Historic District, and the Grove School Historic District.
For most Lake Forest kitchen remodels, HPC review is not required because the work is interior-only and does not affect any exterior elements visible from the public way. We confirm this with City planning staff before you commit to design work.
For kitchen remodels that involve any exterior change (window replacement, door replacement, dormer additions, expansion of the kitchen footprint into the home's exterior envelope), HPC review may apply if the home is inside a Local Historic District or carries Landmark designation. In those cases, we coordinate with City staff, prepare the Certificate of Appropriateness submission package on your behalf, and walk you through what to expect from the Commission's review.
The submission package typically includes scaled drawings of existing and proposed conditions, material samples, photographs, and documentation of how the proposed work meets the Lake Forest Historic Preservation Ordinance. The Commission's review timeline typically runs four to eight weeks from submission to approval.
City of Lake Forest Planning: Luis Prado, (847) 810-3520
If your home is a Contributing Structure to one of the Historic Districts or was designed by a significant architect, hire a kitchen remodeler who has been through this process before. We have.
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN EVERY LAKE FOREST KITCHEN PROJECT
We stack the items most Lake Forest kitchen contractors charge for separately into your project, then hand you a written limited lifetime warranty on top. Every Century Lake Forest kitchen project includes:
Free in-home or in-showroom consultation
We come to Lake Forest. You do not need to drive to Third Lake unless you want to.
Custom 3D rendering at no charge
You walk the finished space before any deposit clears.
Itemized menu-style estimate
Every line, every dollar, broken out across every scope element.
In-house licensed plumbers, electricians, and carpenters
No outside trade subs on critical trades.
One designated project manager from start to finish
The same person who walked you through your 3D rendering knows your kitchen on day one.
Historic Preservation Commission coordination
We prepare and submit the Certificate of Appropriateness paperwork on your behalf.
City of Lake Forest permits and inspections coordinated
We pull them. We meet them. You do not lose a workday.
Daily site protection and end-of-day cleanup
Drop cloths, dust containment, and swept floors before the crew leaves.
Written limited lifetime warranty
Covers all products and services purchased through Century, signed by the owner.
Direct line to Steve Donato
Not a service desk. His actual number: (847) 395-3418
Lake Forest has a healthy roster of kitchen design firms. Some of them are excellent. Most of them opened their doors decades after we opened ours. We are the family company that has been on Lake Forest streets longer than most of the boutique competitors have been in business. The kitchen we design for you will reflect the home you actually live in, the budget you actually have, and the warranty we have been signing since 1968.
HOW A LAKE FOREST KITCHEN PROJECT WORKS
Free consultation at your Lake Forest home or at our Third Lake showroom. We measure, listen, and discuss the regulatory path if your home is in a Historic District. No deposit, no pressure, no obligation.
Your designer builds a 3D rendering of your finished kitchen at no charge. You walk the finished space before any deposit clears.
Cabinets, countertops, tile, fixtures, hardware, and lighting in our Third Lake showroom with real samples in your hand.
Every line itemized. Materials, labor, fixtures, permits, and HPC submission costs if applicable. Nothing buried.
Our in-house licensed crews execute on schedule. Eight to twelve weeks of on-site work, with weekly progress updates. Written limited lifetime warranty filed at completion.
LAKE FOREST PROJECTS GO BEYOND THE KITCHEN
Primary suite, secondary bath, and powder room renovations across Lake Forest. Same in-house team, same written warranty.
Explore Lake Forest Bathroom Remodeling
Multi-room, full-floor, and addition projects across Lake Forest, including HPC and BRB coordination.
Explore Lake Forest Whole-Home Services
The full Century service offering in Lake Forest, including basements, mudrooms, laundry rooms, and fireplaces.
See All Lake Forest ServicesWHAT LAKE FOREST KITCHEN CLIENTS SAY
The same designers and crew, project after project.
"Excellent. Love it. Our designers, Mary and Kelsey, were great to work with. Their design was well thought out and professionally done. We will definitely refer Century to friends and give references upon request. Very honest, fair, and a collaborative effort."
— Mark and Laura B.
Kitchen renovation, screened porch addition, bathroom and laundry remodel
"One word. Excellent. Andrew and Randi were on top of all the aspects. Demolition, electrician, construction, and finishing. All was done perfectly. We highly recommend Century Kitchens & Bath. The quality of work and attention to details are outstanding."
— Robert and Ingrid D.
Complete kitchen, two bathrooms, three closets, partial bedroom remodel
"Steve, the owner, did a great job of working around issues and finding cost-effective ways to get things done. The crew was always on time and they did what they said they were going to do. I have recommended Steve to a number of friends who have used him and have been happy also."
— Patricia P.
Complete kitchen design and remodel
LAKE FOREST KITCHEN QUESTIONS
Most kitchen remodels in Lake Forest run $75,000 to $150,000. The lower end covers a full renovation with semi-custom American-made cabinetry, quartz counters, tile, and a designer-led build. The upper end covers larger projects with premium cabinet lines, structural changes, and high-end finishes. Estate-scale Lake Forest kitchens with full custom cabinetry can exceed $250,000.
Most Century kitchen projects in Lake Forest take eight to twelve weeks of on-site work after demolition begins, with an additional four to eight weeks of pre-construction design and selections. Projects requiring Historic Preservation Commission review may add four to eight weeks to the design phase.
Yes. Century works on kitchen remodels in homes throughout Lake Forest's five Local Historic Districts. For interior-only kitchen work that does not affect exterior elements, HPC review typically is not required. For kitchen projects involving exterior changes, we coordinate Certificate of Appropriateness submissions with the Historic Preservation Commission and Building Review Board.
For traditional and transitional Lake Forest kitchens, Wellborn Forest is the cabinet line we recommend most often. For Conway Farms and post-1990 Lake Forest homes with more contemporary design direction, Kith Kitchens offers strong semi-custom flexibility. For estate-scale projects requiring integrated millwork, custom local cabinet builders are appropriate.
Whether to remove the wall between the kitchen and family room depends on the wall's structural role, the original floor plan, and the era of the home. For Knollwood and Westleigh mid-century homes, opening the wall is the most common request and typically requires structural engineering. For East Lake Forest historic homes, the decision is more nuanced. We discuss the trade-offs during the design phase.
Yes. Century employs licensed plumbers, electricians, and carpenters directly. We do not subcontract these critical trades to outside companies.
Yes. Century pulls all required permits with the City of Lake Forest Community Development Department, coordinates inspections, and meets inspectors on site. For projects involving Historic Preservation Commission review, we coordinate the Certificate of Appropriateness submission separately.
Century Kitchens & Bath provides a written limited lifetime warranty on all products and services purchased through us, signed by the owner.
READY WHEN YOU ARE
Spend an hour with a Century designer at your Lake Forest home or at our Third Lake showroom. We will walk through your space, talk through the design direction, the cabinet line, the realistic budget, and the regulatory path if your home is in a Historic District. No deposit. No pressure. No obligation.
Showroom: 33978 N. Hwy 45, Unit C, Third Lake, IL 60030 • Open Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm • In-home consultations available throughout Lake Forest
