Roofing in Long Grove's Historic District: What's Allowed
If your home is in or near Long Grove's historic district, the roof you can put on isn't entirely your call. Here's how the review works and which materials clear it.
Why Long Grove is different
Long Grove has worked hard to preserve the character that makes it Long Grove — the covered bridge, the historic downtown, and a residential fabric that leans intentionally toward traditional materials and forms. For homes in or near the historic district, that means roofing isn't purely a homeowner's free choice the way it is on a standard suburban lot. Visible roofing material and how a roof reads from the street can fall under design expectations, and getting ahead of that before you order materials saves real time and money.
What the review actually looks at
Design review for roofing is generally about what's visible and how it fits — the material, the color, and the profile — not the structural or waterproofing details underneath, which are governed by building code. In practice that means the questions are: does this material read as appropriate for a historic home, is the color in keeping, and does the profile look right from the street. The underlayment, ventilation, ice-and-water coverage, and flashing details are still ours to get right; they just aren't what review is focused on.
Cedar shake — the traditional fit
Cedar shake is the material most at home on a historic Long Grove property. It reads as period-correct, it's been a roofing material on Chicagoland homes for over a century, and it carries the texture and warmth that fits the district. On a wooded lot, Class A fire-treated cedar is worth discussing — it preserves the look while improving the fire rating. Cedar's one rule is ventilation: it has to dry from below to reach its full lifespan. Our cedar shake roofing page covers grade and detailing.
Synthetic slate and shake — the approved alternative
When a homeowner wants the historic look with a longer service life or less maintenance, high-end synthetic slate and synthetic shake (DaVinci, Brava, EcoStar) are frequently the answer — and they often read as period-appropriate to a reviewer because the profiles are molded from real slate and shake. They carry roughly 50-year warranties and handle Chicagoland's freeze-thaw well. If you're weighing natural versus synthetic, our slate roofing page lays out the tradeoffs.
What usually doesn't clear review
The materials and details that tend to draw objections are the ones that read as modern or out of character on a historic home: high-contrast or unusually bright colors, low-texture profiles that look obviously synthetic in the wrong way, and certain exposed metals in prominent visible areas. None of this means those materials are bad — it means they're the wrong fit for this particular district. The practical takeaway is to choose a material that's been approved on comparable homes rather than fighting an uphill review.
The approval process — plan before you order
The sequence that avoids trouble is straightforward: confirm whether your project needs review, submit the proposed material and color (samples help), get the approval, and then order. The mistake we see is homeowners ordering premium material before approval, only to face a delay or a change. Because cedar and synthetic slate both carry lead times, building the review step into the schedule from the start keeps the whole project on track. We handle this kind of submittal regularly and can prepare what's needed as part of the proposal.
Cost and timeline
Cedar and synthetic slate are premium materials, and we quote total project cost — never by the square foot — after walking the roof. Beyond the material, build in time for both review and material lead times. A historic-district roof is not a same-week job, and it shouldn't be: the right outcome is a roof that's correct for the home, approved without drama, and built to last decades. Planning the timeline early is most of what makes it go smoothly.
Homes and historic commercial alike
Long Grove's historic character extends to its commercial buildings too, and Leaders Roofing works on both residential and commercial roofs across Lake County and the northwest suburbs. We've navigated review and architectural expectations on North Shore and Lake County projects for three decades. If your Long Grove home or building needs a roof that has to clear review and last, call (708) 847-5418 or reach us through our contact form. License #104.010248.