Honest answers to honest questions.

We serve the North Shore of Chicago, including Highwood, Highland Park, Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, Glencoe, Winnetka, Deerfield, Northbrook, Bannockburn and Riverwoods. We typically work within a 25-mile radius of our Highwood studio.

Yes. Neth Built & Co. holds an active Illinois general contractor license and carries $2,000,000 in general liability coverage plus full workers' compensation insurance. Certificates are provided to every client before work begins.

After an initial site visit, we issue a detailed line-item proposal that breaks down labor, materials, allowances and contingency. The number you sign is the number you pay. We do not use cost-plus billing.

Yes — our in-house design team works on roughly 70% of our projects. For complex structural work, we partner with licensed architects and structural engineers we have collaborated with for over a decade. We pull all permits ourselves.

From signed contract to your first dinner: 14–18 weeks total. That includes 4–6 weeks of design and material lead time and 8–14 weeks of on-site construction.

For most projects, yes. We dust-wall the work area, protect floors with red rosin paper and ram board, and keep at least one full bathroom and one cooking facility operational at all times. For whole-home projects, temporary relocation is sometimes wiser.

10% deposit at contract signing, then milestone-based payments tied to completed work (rough framing, mechanicals, drywall, finish). Final 10% holdback is released only after your final walkthrough and punch-list completion.

We carry a documented contingency in every contract for unforeseen conditions (typically 5–10% of project value). If something genuinely surprising surfaces — old knob-and-tube wiring, undisclosed water damage — we walk you through options before any change order is issued.

Two-year comprehensive workmanship warranty on all labor, plus full pass-through of manufacturer warranties on cabinetry, appliances, fixtures and finishes. We schedule a 30-day, 6-month and 12-month walkthrough automatically.

Yes — historic restoration is one of our specialties. We have completed projects on homes listed on local historic registries in Highwood, Highland Park and Lake Forest, and our team understands the review process.

Absolutely. About a third of our projects come to us with the design package already complete. We've collaborated with most of the established North Shore design firms.

All change orders are written, priced and signed before work proceeds — no exceptions. If a request adds a single hour of labor, you'll see it on paper first.

Our carpenters, project managers and finish team are full W-2 employees. We use trusted long-term subcontractors for licensed trades like electrical, plumbing and HVAC — most have worked with us for 8+ years.

We don't offer financing directly, but we partner with two North Shore lenders who specialize in renovation loans and construction-to-permanent financing. We're happy to make introductions.

Call us at +1 (518) 845-6668 or use our contact form. We'll schedule a complimentary 60-minute consultation at your home — typically within two weeks of your first call.

We publish honest 'starting at' price ranges by project type — they're on each service page. Real numbers depend on scope, finish level and the specific home, which is why we never quote by phone without seeing the space.