Arete Renovators was completely wonderful to work with. You hear a lot of horror stories about Chicago contractors, and I can say with 100% certainty that working with Arete is the exact OPPOSITE of those horror stories. My contractor, Ned, and his team saved my sanity this year, as my initial bathroom remodel turned into a bathroom remodel PLUS gut rehab of the kitchen due to a flood in my high-rise building. More details below, but the tl;dr version is the Arete team, led by Ned, was easy to communicate with; had great systems in place for keeping track of everything that was going on; deftly navigated the challenges of working in my high-rise condo while a major riser project was under way at the same time; and gave me a fantastic finished product in exactly the time frame they had promised. I honestly cannot recommend them highly enough. I initially hired Arete just to update my small bathroom in my 1-bed, 1-bath condo in a high-rise. From the minute I met Ned, I knew he listened to me, understood what I wanted and knew which questions to ask to make sure the end result was exactly what I was hoping for. Arete's initial estimate came in a little higher than the other companies I got estimates from, but I had a good feeling about their systems and their great communication, and I am SO GLAD I went with them. When the Arete team came out for the initial walk-through of the bathroom after I hired them, Arete's owner was with them. While he was in my unit, he noticed a significant amount of damage in the kitchen from a flood a few weeks earlier, damage that had been completely missed by a vendor sent out by my insurance company. He encouraged me to contact the insurance company again and request the proper insurance vendors come out on site to investigate. Those investigators eventually discovered a huge amount of water damage and mold behind the walls, which necessitated a gut demo of the kitchen. If the Arete team had not noticed the telltale signs of this damage, I would have never known to push back on the insurance company for additional services, and I would have been living in an unsafe environment as a result. Then, when the insurance vendors gave me the runaround and claimed they couldn't rebuild the walls in my unit for at least three months, Arete agreed to step in and complete the work, and it was done within a week. Then they helped me upgrade my countertops as well. At the same time, they were diligently completing the bathroom remodel (the initial reason I hired them). Throughout that process, they effectively communicated the timeline, contacted me with any hiccups, made sure they got approval for any changes, talked me through the choices, handled all the logistics without my having to do anything (they even picked up some of the the supplies I ordered and stored them for me until they were needed!). They were just generally fantastic to work with. They finished the bathroom in the 5-week timeline they had initially anticipated in their estimate to me. I am SO happy with how the bathroom turned out. Their work was impeccable. So, so grateful for Arete, and for my beautiful new kitchen and bathroom! read more

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I tend to put off my home renovation projects just because how difficult and stressful it is, to work with contractors. Working with Arete for my bathroom renovation, was a refreshing change and a delightful experience. From start to finish, everything was delivered and executed as promised and in fact, ahead of schedule in some cases. Ivana provided excellent guidance for material selection and overall design. Marina, Luis and crew were excellent and worked really hard to finish the construction part on time. Overall, Arete will be my "Go to" company for any future renovation project. And, lastly, my dog loves their crew :) read more

We initially hired Arete for a full remodel of our Streeterville townhome. As the project was going on we had a water leak at our condo. We were having such a great experience with Arete on the remodel we hired them to fix the water damage as well. We worked with both Ivan (on our remodel) and Marina (on the condo repair) and found them fantastic to work with. Ivana also helped us design our townhouse remodel - it is absolutely beautiful! Highly recommended read more

Unfortunately our family had an underwhelming experience with Arete. We hired the company to install windows, re-shingle the roof, and build a new deck and patio. The roof was not sealed we found out from another contractor. We have tried for months to schedule a repair but keep getting pushed out. Additionally the windows were not sealed and leaked shortly after the job was completed. That issue was promptly fixed though. read more

Everyone at Arete is amazing. Had to get our wood floors done quickly so we could move in to our house, and the kind people at Arete worked with me to find the wood and install it within our time frame. Davor and Danka went above and beyond to find just the right amount of wood we needed, when I had called 10 other vendors who told me it was impossible. Creative thinkers, empathetic, thoughtful, and extremely thorough, the people at Arete (from their accounting to their project managers) are the best people in the industry I've worked with. Our Project Manager Harsh was extremely responsive, communicative, and detail oriented. We had ordered too much wood, and he helped us return it to lower the total price on the installation. The work was done with high attention to detail and our floors look amazing. Will definitely be coming back to them for our future remodeling needs. 10/10 recommend! read more

I contacted this company on 5-11-21 they responded back on 5-12-21 so the response time was great spoke with their scheduler to discuss my project and to set up a date to come and view the location. The scheduler stated she was taking notes of what I was trying to accomplish and would get back to me. Called company again on 5-18-21 to get a follow up if they could handle my job it's now 6-4-21 and no response. read more

Was referred to Davor at Arete from our realtor friend and they helped us within our requested short timeframe to move into our new home. Very professional and knowledgeable from the beginning and Marina, our project manager kept us updated throughout the process on daily progress. Really pleased with the work which included installation of real wood flooring/staining, crown/baseboards, backsplash, powder room installation and various other smaller items all within a tight timeframe. Highly recommend and would definitely work with Arete again. read more

Areté Renovators - General Contractors Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Arete Renovators are amazing! From the very beginning, my wife and I, knew that they were the best option to remodel our place. We had to remodel most of our newly bought condo (almost a gut rehab), so we interviewed 5-6 different contractors. From the very beginning when Davor came to look at our place, we knew he was different. Most contractors we spoke with just took notes and gave us a quote, so them didn't even give us a quote saying our budget wasn't doable for what we were looking for. Davor gave us suggestions and new ideas. He definitely seemed like he knew what he was talking about and really cared about his job. He also was willing to work with our budget and helped us figure out how to get closer to our budget. He was one of the most reasonable when it came to price. His team was also extensive. They were the only ones that had a store where we came in for a design consultation where they also have fixtures and samples they can show you. They gave us a very detailed write up and a project manager (Marina who was a pleasure to work with) who communicated with us almost daily. They sent us regular updates and photos. The job they did was neat clean and very professional. They worked with us every step of the way and accommodated every one of our requests. We are very happy with the end result. We now recommend them to everyone. I can't imagine working with anyone else. read more

Splendid experience!! My original goal for the project was to remodel  the unit as minimally as possible. That meant looking for modest materials which were  immediately  available locally, without ordering internationally.  I wanted a high level of taste and design, using the  quality craftsmanship of ARETÉ. ​As a senior couple we needed  elements in place for  continued independence with increased birthdays.. Thus  somedoors were widened to accommodate any possible needed  assists, eg installing a  zero entry shower to accommodate possible walker or wheelchair. ​Without exception, everything communicated to ARETÉ was carried out with flair, and inventiveness, using a collaborative,problem solving approach.  They are creative, realistic and they listen. The whole approach of ARETÉ, is that anything is fixable,  possible or it is doable. They, make you aware of what's out there, they anticipate, and, most importantly,  they execute. Of note,  if needed, the collaboration with architects and designers is possible. In our case, I had very specific design ideas of how I wanted the space to be. Whilst I appreciated design availability, the attraction of the firm ARETÉ  to me was the fact that the principals have a strong background in construction and finance. With Igor and Davor having been trained in construction  by their father JOVO,  I thought it to be  similar to RENZO PIANO: the architect of the Art Institute Modern Wing having been  born into a family of builders. Having the construction background  on which to build ideas appealed to me. Further, their knowledge of high rise construction and an ability to communicate with condo building engineers made the project proceed smoothly. Additionally, with their background  in finance, I felt confident that their  business was being run soundly with a keen eye on costs. ie I was confident they would still be a solid company at the end of the project. ​All associated or outsourced craftsmen were of high quality indeed.  With steering, ideas, advice, coordination, the elements were sequenced  to complete as timely as predicted.  All  work of course was done to code. For these craftsmen, safety equals code. (This is not always the case:  just ask a few friends......one needs to verify). ​ ​Overseeing the whole endeavor was the project manager who was simply wonderful with daily communication to me with  photosand consultation. At every step I knew what was to happen next. ​We are absolutely delighted with the whole project. What has surprised us is the quality of cabinetry and what an absolute delight it is to use every day.  I have to say, I was urging more " gardenvariety" cabinetry and I was urged/ advised  by ARETÉ to use better quality for the application. Thank goodness  I listened. There is no one room which is our favorite- - the whole unit is a compete delight and such a pleasure to be in, especially in this time of COVID. Suffice it to say we absolutely love living here. THANK YOU  very much ARETÉ Warm regards, Jill Low read more

I used Arete for refreshing the look of my rental unit. Living on the other side of the globe - it is sometimes difficult to find and hire the right contractor for the job. Arete came highly recommended by my agent. It was truly a pleasure working with the group. Very professional and organized. Price was fair and job scope clearly specified. I will definilty use their services in the future. Beautiful work and a great company to work with. read more

We used Arete for a project that included completely renovating our kitchen and bathroom, in addition to replacing all flooring (with wood and tile), adding walls, adding built-in bookshelves, some electrical work, and hanging a set of French doors. It was a lot of work and some of it we added on the fly. Arete worked with us patiently throughout the whole process from planning to completion. We had contacted other remodelers, and our conversations seemed to be about what they couldn't or wouldn't do. Arete focused more on what was possible and offered many suggestions. We had been picking out materials at numerous stores before contacting Arete, but we liked the materials at their associated renovation store better than most everything else we had found. Ivana worked with us to select materials and fixtures. After only a few questions and samples, she homed in on our style. After that, everything she showed us was better than what we were imagining. In the kitchen we knew exactly what we wanted, or so we thought. It seemed the closer we got to completing our plan, the more problems we had making everything work together. Fortunately, Arete designer Violeta helped tame all our ideas into a cohesive whole. She also came up with several ideas that turned out to be our favorites. Once we had the plan and all the materials, Ivan led the construction work and kept us updated with daily reports and photos. Our condo threw us some curves with plumbing in unexpected places and some shockingly bad electrical work from prior owners. Arete was able to quickly resolve these unexpected issues. The workmanship of Arete is of high quality. One time Ivan felt something wasn't of suitable quality, so he had it redone, without any prompting from us! I also want to praise Sasha, whose work went above and beyond. When the kitchen backsplash tile arrived and the pattern wasn't quite what we expected, Sasha resorted to piecing most of the backsplash together tile by tile to create a result we liked. We love our renovated condo, and that's largely due to the input and the work of the entire Arete team. We highly recommend Arete. read more

Our family recently relocated from Charlotte, NC, to Chicago, where we bought an 1100 sqft Lincoln Park condo that was in need of complete renovation. We hired Arete based on the fact that they were very familiar with our condo building and its many rules/requirements, having completed 10+ projects for other residents. In addition, they had excellent reviews on other websites and were known and trusted by our building's management. It is unnerving to put such a large project in the hands of someone you don't really know, but thankfully it turned out to be a good decision. Arete's flexibility, responsiveness, customer service and workmanship were excellent throughout the time we worked with them. They helped us select all of our bathroom and lighting fixtures at a substantial discount over retail price. They provided good advice and recommendations for suppliers of flooring and lighting. We added extra projects along the way which they were able to complete very quickly. We were out of town for a month during the renovation and it was nice to be able to relax knowing that our project was moving forward smoothly -- they sent us photos and kept us updated on the progress while we were away. The end result is stunning and we are thoroughly enjoying our new home. We will choose Arete again if we ever have the chance to renovate another home in the Chicago area. read more

I commissioned a tile job in my entrance and kitchen, They were the most expensive offer and I along with my landlord decided to go with them hoping they would do a professional job. We have given extremely detailed instructions, drawings, we laid down the tiles and showed pictures to them. They asked to be paid in large part before completing the job then they did the opposite layout compared to what was commissioned. Apparently their team decided our designer scheme wasn't nice, Their official explanation was: "Sorry not to have followed the plans, the workers tried it and decide it didn't look good so they changed without asking permission. The brutal part is that Arête Renovators refused to fix the job and offered a $170.00 credit (such a low compensation was to say the least offensive) We now have to deal with an ugly job or request to another company to fix it (at least $2k) We will never suggest any of our friends to work with them read more

The Arete Team jumped through hoops to expedite a master bath gut rehab complete with walk-in shower and fold down teak bench. Ivana worked diligently with my wife for the design and I would not change a thing. Branko and his team executed a great project and resolved everyone of my concerns. Definitely recommend Arete and I will not hesitate to use them again. read more

We use Arete for our wall skim coating project at a condo in Lincoln Park. I got 10 quotes and they were the lowest quote but also provided quality work. I was happy with how quickly they did the job and the job they did itself. I like the professionalism of the project manager and the person that came to quote the project. The project manager had excellent communication. We noticed a little bit of waving and one wall a few weeks after the project was complete. We called project manager and she was out within days to redo the wall. I would recommend them to anyone. read more

This is an incredible company at all levels. These guys carefully supervise every detail of the work to insure quality at every step. Working with Arete is such a breath of fresh air! You know your home will be taken care of. We refinished our hard wood floors; removed walls, added walls, removed appliances, installed gas appliances and everything was done right. They communicated with us at every step, answered all our questions and provided clear, accurate estimates of the costs involved. The result is a sense of confidence in the work product and a very positive review. For any home renovation done in Chicago, you can rely on the Arete team to do it right. read more

We hired Arete Renovators to re-paint our walls. They were courteous, professional, and on time. Their prices were reasonable. There was some initial miscommunication of the actual job tasks between the painter and the owner, however, it was resolved after explaining what was initially agreed upon. The job was completed on time however with some inadequate work. Igor was happy to resolve immediately. Despite some bumps on the road, I would recommend this company for renovations as the owner stands behind his work, is professional, and the prices are reasonable. read more

They did very nice job with a complicated condo. We did a full gut rehab of a two bedroom, two bathroom condo. The floors and ceiling were not level and the team did a nice job managing that complication and the end product looked great. read more

Less than a year ago we moved to Chicago and purchased a 2 bed/2 bath condo that needed full renovation. After interviewing various contractors, we decided to go with Arete Renovators who was recommended by our realtor. Their experience and knowledge shone through, and though theirs was not the least expensive estimate we received, we knew we'd be getting quality work. There were a variety of pre-construction meetings, and after our condo board approved our project we were set to go. The actual work took 3 1/2 months to complete which seemed appropriate for the scope of work involved. We also made quite a few change orders to have things done that were not initially planned on, so this added time and cost to our project as well. Arete handled these additions with professionalism and flexibility. They also took care of all the building requirements and city permits, and worked hard to meet all deadlines (building as well as personal). The overall workmanship of the carpenters, electricians, designers, painters, tilers etc. was excellent, and if any mistakes were made, they were promptly corrected. Arete worked with us to re-mediate any problems and the overall level of responsiveness and communication was high. I was in constant direct contact with the project manager, who was also on-site doing much of the work (in addition to handling all the details of the project). For me, this was preferable to dealing with a third party or "middle-man" because I think communication is best when you can speak one:one with the workers themselves. Our condo came out beautiful and is truly the "dream home" we had hoped it would be. It wasn't an easy process, but now that we've come through to the other side we can finally say it was worth it. I definitely recommend Arete for whatever renovation you have in mind- just keep communication open and be explicit about what you want them to do. read more

My renovation experience with Arete Renovators and particularly working with their president Igor Jokanovic was quite pleasant. My project was a complete remodeling of a condo in North Chicago which was in a very poor shape, meaning that the project was quite challenging. The project was completed on time, in frame of the budget and following almost perfectly the design that I prepared in the way I envisioned it. On several occasions Igor made valuable practical suggestions and offered solutions to challenging situations like replacing radiator covers no longer manufactured and not available on the market. On another occasion Igor and his crew discovered a potential problem with a rotten pipe which was not problematic yet but could become a problem in the future. He insisted that the pipe is replaced even though this delayed the project with about two weeks. One advice I would like to give to future clients of Arete Renovators is to take their time and prepare precise design of their project paying attention to details. This will guarantee smooth delivery of the final product which will be exactly as they liked it. Another point to Igor's credit is the excellent communication throughout the execution of the project. I would like to say that I would rehire Igor and his company for my future projects without any reservations. read more

I used Arete for some recent water damage in my condo and they did a great job!! The plaster walls look much better (more smooth and even), even before the water damage occurred. The ceiling was peeling / discolored and the walls were bubbling out due to the water. They removed the damaged areas, applied skim coating over the plaster, sanded, primered, and painted. I would recommend them for any construction or renovation job. See my earlier post about my bathroom renovation last year - they did an excellent job! read more

Arete remodeled my home living areas with all new porcelain floors, new recessed lighting and painting throughout. In the kitchen they replaced my large island counter top and its sink, faucet and stovetop. They also gutted and redid a small bathroom. I got multiple quotes and their pricing was very competitive. The project coordinator, Marina, was wonderful to work with. She provided daily updates and was quick to respond if I had questions. Vlado was also great. He oversaw and did much of the work. I appreciated that he solved unforeseen issues. Arete also assigned a designer, Violeta, to help with the selection of products for the installs. She was great to work with and always available as we needed. read more

I worked with Arete Renovators on couple of different projects at my loft and wanted to give them a shout out for consistent work well done. These guys have a versatile team and did a bunch of work at my place: knocked down walls, laid new hardwood floors, sanded and finished old hardwood floors, painted the loft, and installed new kitchen. They are professional, on time, very neat a and very organized. They completed the work on time and on budget, which I hear is unusual in this industry! I would definitely recommend them for any type of house remodeling work (they also have an extensive network for specialist work) and will continue to use them in the future. read more

I had this company do renovations in my kitchen and two bathrooms. I was extremely pleased with the finished project. The staff were very courteous, taking the time to walk me through each step of the process. Additionally, they were significantly cheaper than the other estimates I had obtained, and completed the work on time. I have had great interactions with everyone on the team and definitely plan to use them again in the future! read more

Arete renovated both our bath rooms a few years back and did an excellent job from breaking down the old bath rooms to the last speck of paint. The crew was careful, respectful, trust worthy, clean, and absolutely committed to doing a great job. We had very high demands, using top end material and appliances that we purchased from different supplier. Despite the supplier being a nightmare, not having things on time and lying about it, Arete got everything done with only minor delays. Davor worked with us where ever he could to make sure things would get done. The job was done excellent, on time (as much as was possible due to the bad supplier), and the bathrooms are awesome. Everyone who visits our condo admires the bath rooms. Even in the years after, Arete helped with some minor problems whenever needed w/o charge and is extremely responsive if we need anything. read more