Builder	Office (per its own site)	How it works	Best for
Orren Pickell Building Group	Wilmette	In-house design/build, open-book pricing	Large North Shore and Lake Forest-area custom homes
A. Perry Homes	Not stated; has a Lake County service page	Architect-led design-build	Owners who want an architect running the whole job
Vande Logt Construction (VCC)	Wauconda	Designs in-house or builds with your architect	Barrington-area and western Lake County builds
Heartstone Custom Builders	Lake Forest	Custom homes plus remodeling and additions	Buyers who want a stated warranty term up front
Hardin Builders	Barrington	Custom homes on individual home sites	Owners who already have a lot
SMART Builders	Arlington Heights	Design-build general contractor; also builds architect-designed homes	Owners pairing a named architect with a builder
Patrick A. Finn, Ltd.	Palatine	Design-build; mostly remodeling, also custom homes	Smaller custom builds in the north-west suburbs
A.M. Woodland Construction (us)	Mundelein and Long Grove	Builds from your architect’s plans or designs and builds under one contract	Central and northern Lake County builds, and remodel-or-rebuild decisions

Who wrote this, and is A.M. Woodland on the list?

We are A.M. Woodland Construction, a design-build contractor with offices in Mundelein and Long Grove, and we build new custom homes, so yes, we are on this list. We have put ourselves last on purpose. The order below is not a ranking, and we did not want our own position to read as one. Every fact about the other seven builders comes from that company’s own website, read on 20 October 2026. We have not scored their workmanship, and we quote no ratings or review counts.

If you are not sure yet whether you need a new house at all, our guide to the best home remodeling companies in Lake County covers the firms that handle additions and whole-house remodels instead.

How did we choose these builders?

A search for “best custom home builder near me” mostly returns directories and paid placements. We started instead from builders’ own websites and kept a firm only if it met all of the first three tests below. The last three are what we used to write each “Best for” line.

1. It says it builds new custom homes. Not just remodels, and not a production builder selling set plans in one subdivision.
2. It shows Lake County work on its own site. An office in the county, a Lake County service page, or named Lake County towns or projects.
3. It explains how it works. Design-build, building from your architect’s plans, or both.
4. It describes its process in public. Meetings, budgeting, how you are kept informed.
5. It helps with the lot. Lot selection, due diligence, or the remodel-versus-rebuild question.
6. It states what happens after move-in. A warranty term, maintenance service or a closing file.

That method has limits. A builder with a thin website can be excellent and still miss the cut, and a polished website proves nothing about a finished house. Treat this as a shortlist to interview, not a verdict.

Which custom home builders work in Lake County, IL?

1. Orren Pickell Building Group

Orren Pickell Building Group says it designs, builds, remodels and maintains luxury custom homes, and that it was founded by Orren Pickell nearly five decades ago. Its office is in Wilmette, and its site has community pages for Lake County towns including Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, Bannockburn, Mettawa, Libertyville, Long Grove, Lincolnshire, Highland Park and Deerfield. Its Long Grove page says the firm knows that village’s strict building ordinances.

Two things stand out in how it works. It handles design and construction in-house rather than handing drawings to another firm. And it uses open-book pricing: the site says clients can see the cost of every trade, including the firm’s exact margin, through an online portal, and that it competitively bids each project across several subcontractors. Its “Build On Your Own Lot” page covers lot suitability, siting and the remodel-or-teardown decision.

Best for: larger, design-heavy custom homes in eastern Lake County, for owners who want to see every cost line.

2. A. Perry Homes

A. Perry Homes calls itself an architect-led design-build firm, with licensed architects leading each project. Its Lake County page says it will design and build on your property anywhere in the county, names towns such as Bannockburn, Deerfield, Hawthorn Woods, Kildeer and Lake Forest, and lists properties for sale in Lincolnshire, Riverwoods and Libertyville. The firm also builds in the Chattanooga area of Tennessee.

Its process page describes a first design meeting where the architects sketch with you, a second meeting that presents the full design together with a construction budget and options, then subcontractor bidding and an online client portal during the build. It says owners receive a full project file, including specs and warranties, at handover.

Best for: owners who want one architect-led team responsible for both the design and the budget.

3. Vande Logt Construction (VCC)

Vande Logt Construction says it was founded in 1986 by Jim Vande Logt and builds custom homes and renovations. Its office is on Brown Street in Wauconda, in western Lake County, and its site lists the greater Barrington area, Inverness, Palatine, Arlington Heights, the North Shore and Lake Geneva, Wisconsin as service areas.

VCC says it can design in-house or work with your architect, keeps owners updated through an app with real-time photos, and has an in-house realtor who can help find land. Its custom homes FAQ is also one of the few in this group that publishes a starting per-square-foot figure, so read it there if you want a first benchmark.

Best for: Barrington-area and western Lake County families, especially those still looking for a lot.

4. Heartstone Custom Builders

Heartstone Custom Builders has its office on Saunders Road in Lake Forest and says it serves Lake, Cook and McHenry counties and southern Wisconsin. Its service-area page names Lake County communities including Green Oaks, Hawthorn Woods, Kildeer, Lake Barrington, Libertyville, Lincolnshire, Long Grove, Mettawa and Vernon Hills.

The firm builds custom homes and also does kitchen and bath remodeling and additions. Its About page says it works with design partners through the architectural phase and manages the project during construction, and that it warranties its homes for two years.

Best for: buyers who want a written warranty term stated before the first meeting.

5. Hardin Builders

Hardin Builders says it was established in Barrington in 2003 by its principal, Neil Hardin, and builds in Chicago’s north-west and North Shore suburbs and Wisconsin. The towns it names include Lake Forest and Lake Bluff, as well as Barrington and Inverness. It says it has built its reputation among clients who build on individual home sites, and it also remodels.

The site does not spell out whether design is in-house or done with an outside architect, so ask that in your first call.

Best for: owners who already have a lot and want a builder used to one-off sites.

6. SMART Builders

SMART Builders is an Arlington Heights general contractor that describes itself as a design-build firm for new custom homes and remodeling across the north-west suburbs and North Shore. Its Lake Forest page shows custom homes it built in Lake Forest, including one on a three-acre lot designed by an outside architecture firm, and says its principal, Richard Bondarowicz, has been building custom homes for more than 25 years.

Best for: owners who have chosen, or want to choose, their own architect and need a builder used to working alongside one.

7. Patrick A. Finn, Ltd.

Patrick A. Finn is a Palatine design-build general contractor serving Cook and Lake counties. Most of its site is about remodeling, but it lists custom home building as a service and describes a five-phase design-build process. Its town pages include Lake County communities such as Hawthorn Woods, Kildeer, Lake Barrington, Long Grove, Deer Park and North Barrington. Its home page says it won a 2025 Remodeler of the Year award from the Greater Chicagoland chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, in a whole-house category.

Best for: owners in the Barrington and Long Grove corridor who want a remodeling-minded firm, or who are weighing a full remodel against a new build.

8. A.M. Woodland Construction (us)

We build new homes from the ground up as well as remodel. Our custom home builder page explains the two ways we work: we build from your architect’s plans, which we do often, or we design and build under one contract. One project manager coordinates every trade, and drawings and a written scope are agreed before materials are ordered. Our offices are in Mundelein and Long Grove, and we work across Lake, Cook and Kenosha counties. Our project examples include a custom home build in Kildeer and new construction in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin.

Because we also remodel kitchens, bathrooms and whole homes and build additions, we will tell you plainly whether your existing house is worth keeping before any drawings start.

Best for: central and northern Lake County owners who are not yet sure whether to remodel, add on or rebuild, or who want one team for both the house and the landscape.

Design-build or your own architect: which route is right?

Every builder above falls into one of two camps, and several do both.

• Design-build. One firm designs and builds under one contract. You get one point of accountability, and the budget is checked against the design as it develops, so you are less likely to fall in love with plans you cannot afford. The trade-off is that you are choosing your designer and your builder in one decision.
• Architect first, then builder. You hire an independent architect, then bid the drawings to builders or bring one in early. You get an advocate who does not profit from the construction contract, and a wider choice of design styles. The trade-off is a second contract, a second fee and the risk that bids come in above the design budget.

A useful middle path is to hire your architect and invite a builder in during design, not after it. Ask each builder on your shortlist which route it prefers and how often it works the other way.

What drives the cost of a custom home in Lake County?

We do not publish prices here, because a figure without your lot, plans and finishes would mislead you. These are the things that move a custom home budget most, and the ones to ask every builder about.

• The lot. A vacant lot, a teardown and a lakefront or sloped lot are three very different starting points. Demolition, tree removal, soil conditions, drainage, grading and fill can all add cost before the foundation starts.
• Utilities. Whether the lot is on village water and sewer or needs a well and septic system changes both cost and schedule. Ask early which one your lot has.
• Soil and foundation. Lake County’s heavy soils hold water, which is why foundation drainage and waterproofing deserve a line of their own in any bid. A full basement, deep footings or soil corrections all add up.
• Size, shape and roof. Corners, rooflines, vaulted ceilings and long spans cost more than the floor area alone suggests.
• Design route. Design-build folds design into one contract; an independent architect is a separate fee. Compare the totals, not just the build price.
• Allowances. Cabinets, tile, lighting, appliances and fixtures are often carried as allowances. Low allowances make a bid look cheaper than the house you actually want.
• Village rules. Each municipality runs its own permit and inspection process, and some add design review, tree preservation or setback limits that shape the house.
• Pricing method. A fixed bid builds a cushion in for unknowns. Cost-plus or open-book pricing shows you the real costs but leaves the final number open. Ask which one you are signing and how changes are priced.

What should you ask a custom home builder before you sign?

Bring the same list to every interview so the answers can be compared. Our full list of questions to ask a general contractor covers licensing, insurance and contracts in more detail. For a new custom home, add these:

1. Which homes have you completed in my village, and can I talk to those owners?
2. Do you design in-house, build from an outside architect’s plans, or both?
3. Is this a fixed price, cost-plus or open book, and what is your fee or margin?
4. What is in each allowance, and what did past clients actually spend against it?
5. Who runs the job day to day, and how will I hear about progress and problems?
6. How are changes priced and approved, in writing and before the work?
7. What warranty do you give, in writing, and who do I call after move-in?
8. Will you walk my lot before I buy it, and what would worry you about it?

What are the warning signs when choosing a builder?

• A firm price before anyone has seen your lot or plans.
• Allowances that are vague or far below what you have told the builder you want.
• No written change-order process.
• Reluctance to put you in touch with recent clients or show a finished home.
• Pressure to sign quickly to “hold” a start date or a price.
• A builder whose portfolio is all one subdivision’s plans when you want a one-off house.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find the best custom home builder near me in Lake County?

Start with builders who show finished homes in your village or a neighboring one, then interview three. Compare how each one works, how it prices, and what its recent clients say when you call them. A builder’s own portfolio and references tell you more than a directory badge.

Is a custom home builder the same as a general contractor?

Not quite. Every custom home builder acts as a general contractor, but many general contractors only remodel. Ask how many new homes a firm has built from the ground up, and where.

Should I buy the lot before I choose a builder?

It helps to have a builder look at the lot first. Soil, drainage, utilities, setbacks and village rules can change what you can build and what it costs. Several builders on this list, including us, will help you assess a lot before you buy.

Is it better to remodel or tear down and rebuild?

It depends on what the existing house can carry. A sound foundation and frame often make a remodel or addition the better route; when the structure, layout and systems all need replacing, rebuilding can be cleaner. Ask a builder who does both to walk the house before drawings start.

Do custom home builders in Lake County work with my own architect?

Many do. On this list, Vande Logt Construction, SMART Builders and A.M. Woodland Construction all say or show on their sites that they build from outside architects’ plans. Design-build firms such as A. Perry Homes prefer to lead the design themselves.

How long does it take to build a custom home?

It depends on size, complexity, the lot and permit review in your village, and design time comes before any of that. Ask each builder for a written schedule that shows design, permits and construction as separate phases.

Talk to us about your new home

If you are planning a custom home in Lake County, or deciding whether to rebuild or remodel the one you have, we would be glad to walk the site with you. Call A.M. Woodland Construction at (847) 224-2167 or start your consultation online.