Veteran-Owned • Family-Run Since 1968 • Showroom in Third Lake, IL
Veteran-Owned • Family-Run Since 1968 • Showroom in Third Lake, IL
KITCHEN, BATHROOM AND WHOLE-HOME REMODELING IN LAKE FOREST, IL
Century Kitchens & Bath designs and builds custom kitchen, bathroom, and whole-home renovations for Lake Forest homeowners across East Lake Forest, Knollwood, Conway Farms, Westleigh, and the rest of the city. Veteran-owned. Family-run since 1968. In-house licensed trades. Itemized menu-style estimates. A written limited lifetime warranty signed by the owner.
Speak directly with owner Steve Donato: (847) 395-3418
1968
The year Century opened. Twenty-five years before the next-oldest competitor in this market.
East to West
From the Sheridan Road historic district to the homes west of the tollway, we have been across this city.
HPC & BRB Familiar
We work with Lake Forest's Historic Preservation Commission and Building Review Board on projects that require their review.
$985K Median
The Lake Forest home is an investment. We treat the renovation the same way.
WHY LAKE FOREST HOMEOWNERS CHOOSE CENTURY
Lake Forest is not a typical Lake County address. The east side of the city sits inside one of five Local Historic Districts, where the Historic Preservation Commission reviews exterior changes, demolitions, and additions on properties that include homes designed by Howard Van Doren Shaw, David Adler, Henry Ives Cobb, and Frank Lloyd Wright. The west side, developed primarily after 1950, includes Knollwood, Conway Farms, and Westleigh, with HOA architectural review boards in several neighborhoods.
That regulatory layer, combined with construction stock that ranges from 1890s estates to 1990s subdivisions, demands a remodeler who has seen all of it. Plaster walls, knob-and-tube remnants, original lath, ungrounded outlets, oversized framing on the older homes. Engineered lumber, Pex plumbing, and integrated low-voltage on the newer ones. The crew that opens up a 1925 east-side kitchen needs different instincts than the crew that opens up a 2005 Conway Farms primary suite. We have both.
Steve Donato has owned Century Kitchens & Bath since taking over the family business, and he answers his own phone at (847) 395-3418. Our designers, plumbers, electricians, and carpenters are in-house. The person who walks you through your 3D rendering at our Third Lake showroom is the person who knows your project when the cabinets arrive. Every estimate is itemized line by line, like a menu. Every project we complete carries our written limited lifetime warranty on products and services we install.
Most of our Lake Forest competitors were founded in the 1990s or later. We were already remodeling Lake County kitchens when their founders were in grade school.
"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
THREE WAYS WE WORK ON LAKE FOREST HOMES
Most Lake Forest projects start with one room and grow. Our pricing, our process, and our warranty are built for that.
Custom kitchens designed in our Third Lake showroom and built by our in-house crews. We work with American-made cabinet lines including Wellborn Forest, Kith, JSI, US Cabinets, and Woodland, paired with Cambria, MSI, LG, and Vicostone surfaces. Most Lake Forest kitchens we build run six to ten weeks of on-site work after demolition begins.
Most Lake Forest kitchens: $75,000 to $150,000. Estate-scale: $200,000 or higher.
Explore Lake Forest Kitchen Remodeling
Primary suites, secondary baths, powder rooms, and accessibility-driven retrofits. Bertch vanities, Kohler, Moen, Delta, and Grohe fixtures, custom tile, glass, and stone. Our licensed in-house plumbers handle the rough-in so trade hand-offs do not break the schedule.
Secondary baths: $25,000 to $45,000. Primary suites: $80,000 to $150,000.
Explore Lake Forest Bathroom Remodeling
Multi-room renovations, full-floor remodels, basement build-outs, mudrooms, laundry rooms, and home additions. One project manager, one schedule, one written warranty across the entire scope.
Typical projects: $150,000 to $400,000 or more.
Explore Lake Forest Whole-Home RemodelingEast Lake Forest & Historic Districts
1890s estates, architect-designed homes, HPC review
Conway Farms
HOA review, newer construction, open floor plans
Knollwood
Mid-century homes, wall removals, golf course community
Westleigh & Stable Lane
Estate properties, larger lots, ancillary structures
West Lake Forest & Everett
1950s onward, faster permitting, diverse stock
WE KNOW THIS CITY
Lake Forest is not one architectural conversation. It is several. Each neighborhood has its own construction stock, its own regulatory layer, and its own unspoken expectations for what a renovation should look like when it is finished. We have built across all of them.
East Lake Forest and the Historic Districts. The east side of the city includes the Lake Forest Historic District. Properties here were originally roofed with slate, framed with old-growth lumber, and detailed in plaster. Renovation work in this district typically requires Historic Preservation Commission review for exterior changes, demolitions, and additions.
Conway Farms. A planned community west of the tollway with HOA architectural review on exterior modifications. Conway Farms homes are typically newer construction, with open floor plans and primary suites that respond well to thoughtful updates.
Knollwood. Mid-twentieth-century construction surrounding the Knollwood Club golf course, with a mix of mid-century ranches and traditional two-stories. Many Knollwood kitchens we work on involve removing walls between original kitchens and family rooms.
If your home is on a Lake Forest street and we have not named it, call (847) 395-3418 and we will tell you exactly what to expect from the permitting and review process before you sign anything.
HISTORIC HOME EXPERIENCE
Lake Forest's Historic Preservation Ordinance, adopted in 1998, protects five Local Historic Districts plus a separate list of individually designated Local Landmark properties. If your home falls inside one of these districts or carries a Local Landmark designation, exterior changes, additions, demolitions, and certain renovation work require review by the Historic Preservation Commission and, in some cases, the Building Review Board.
This is not a checkbox on a permit application. The HPC reviews proposals against the Lake Forest Historic Preservation Ordinance and the City's Residential Design Guidelines. They evaluate proportions, materials, the rhythm of solids to voids on the front facade, and the compatibility of new construction with the surrounding streetscape.
We have been through this process. We know how to prepare a submission that anticipates the questions the Commission will ask. We know how to coordinate with City planning staff and we know what materials and methods are likely to draw concern.
If your address is in or near any of these districts, ask us about the review process during your consultation.
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN EVERY LAKE FOREST PROJECT
We stack the items most contractors charge for separately into your project, then hand you a written limited lifetime warranty on top.
We come to Lake Forest. You do not need to drive to Third Lake unless you want to.
You walk the finished space before any deposit clears.
Every line, every dollar. Nothing buried.
No outside trade subs. Our schedules hold because the trades work for us.
The same person who walked you through your 3D rendering knows your project on day one.
For homes inside a Historic District, we prepare and submit the Certificate of Appropriateness paperwork.
For homes in Conway Farms and other neighborhoods with HOA review.
We pull them. We meet them. You do not lose a workday.
Drop cloths, dust containment, swept floors before the crew leaves.
In writing, signed by the owner.
Not a service desk. His actual number: (847) 395-3418
The Lake Forest market does not need another remodeler with a long city list and short patience. It needs one that has been here long enough to know what your house was, careful enough to plan for what it could be, and accountable enough to stand behind the work in writing. That is the bet we have been making since 1968.
HOW A LAKE FOREST PROJECT WORKS
Free consultation at your Lake Forest home or at our Third Lake showroom. We measure, listen, and learn what you actually want from the space.
Your designer builds a 3D rendering of the finished room at no charge. You walk it before any deposit clears.
Cabinets, countertops, tile, fixtures, hardware, lighting, and finishes. You pick in our Third Lake showroom with real samples in your hand.
Every line itemized. Materials, labor, fixtures, permits. Nothing buried. Nothing vague. You sign once.
Our in-house licensed crews execute on the schedule we promised. Your written limited lifetime warranty goes in the file.
LAKE FOREST AND THE NEIGHBORING NORTH SHORE
Our showroom in Third Lake is approximately 25 to 30 minutes from most Lake Forest addresses, with no need to fight Edens or Tri-State traffic to get there. We regularly work in Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, Highland Park, Highwood, Lincolnshire, Mettawa, and Bannockburn.
For Lake Forest clients who would prefer not to drive to Third Lake, we offer in-home consultations and can deliver sample boards directly to your home.
Lake Forest, IL
Third Lake Showroom
WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY
Our reviews are not anonymous testimonials. The designers, crew managers, and the owner our clients name in their reviews are still here.
"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
THE QUESTIONS LAKE FOREST HOMEOWNERS ASK
We answer these questions directly because we want you to make an informed decision. If you have more after reading, we are one call away.
Get Your Free ConsultationREADY WHEN YOU ARE
Spend an hour with a Century designer at your Lake Forest home or at our Third Lake showroom. We will talk through your space, measure what matters, and walk you through the regulatory path if your home is in a Historic District or under HOA review. 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
