We were in London when Martins did the rennovations on our home. We didn't know exactly what we…read morewere coming back to. We opened the door . . . and walked into paradise. We felt like we were in someone else's home. Someone who had a lot more money than us! Martins isn't just a builder, or a designer. He's an artist. When you bring someone into your home to change it forever, you have to trust that person. When Martins came by for our first free consultation (something other people had charged us for), he stayed for two hours. He wanted to get to know us, and figure out exactly what kind of home we wanted. To say he cares about his work is an understatement! Other people we looked at charged us for that first visit, came in, took measurements, were out in 30 minutes, and then provided some cookie-cutter recommendations. Besides his off-the-charts talent, he is honest, flexible, responsive and easy and fun to work with... not to mention reasonable. He even provided us with guidance and recommendations to bring the overall costs down. If you're looking to do renovations on your home, that not only are beautiful, but also unique and specific to you and your family, your search is over. Martins Buka will not only deliver, but exceed your expectations!

My family hired the Martin family to do some work on my aunt's house in the suburbs. They were a…read morepleasure to deal with. Reliable and honest. Phone calls were returned and we always felt we were in the best hands. We remodeled our aunt's basement down to the studs and when the job was done, it was AMAZING. Highly recommended for remodeling jobs!

I'm looking for the 6-star choice because we are so lucky we found Doug for our project, and so…read morehappy with the effort he put forth for our project.  Our experience with him has been wonderful and he is even a nicer guy than he is a great architect. We got to Doug through a reference after being run-around for months by a previous recommendation who decided he was too busy, after stringing us along for too long.  Doug (and everyone) was backed up with Covid renovation, but when he heard my frustration in the delay he found a creative way to work us in. He made several visits to our apartment and dug through some walls to be certain what was possible and what the limits were. He looked at our idea which started as a shower expansion and showed us how we could do so much more if we removed the bathtub which we never use, resulting in a much larger footprint for the shower and a new vanity/makeup/cabinet area where the enlarged shower was originally going to go. He came up with a wonderful venting solution that we weren't focused on, and then noticing that with the new plan that we'd have to re-tile the floor, made a great suggestion to heat the new tile floor. Something we hadn't thought about.  We are so excited for the new design and features of the new space he's defined. He mocked up a cardboard replica of the steam generator for the shower so that we could work in 3-space to position it in the adjacent closet, and he's made trips here throughout the project and has been available to answer our questions.  We were having problems visualizing some details in discussions with our contractor and he emailed an isometric 3-D drawing shortly after our clarification phone discussion. After Doug finished the drawings, we weren't happy with the 2 contractor quotes we received and Doug connected us with a wonderful contractor who came in with a much better price and has been an absolute joy to work with. All of this was done for the reasonable price of his original quote, even though the calls, visits, emails drawings and interacting with our contractor was extra work.

Doug did a wonderful job for us in designing the new look for our front porch. We were amazed by…read morehis attention to detail and commitment to our satisfaction. He communicated well, set our expectations up front, and was very reasonable throughout. In particular, we loved how Doug provided so many ideas we would never have thought of ourselves. Our concept for the new porch was simplistic, but by the end of it, we had exactly the look we wanted (but couldn't necessarily articulate) and one that perfectly complemented the existing charms of the house in ways we wouldn't have imagined. Our neighbors keep complimenting us on the new look, which is also a testament to our contractor (Hilman Construction, reviewed separately on Yelp.) Doug worked well with the contractor, and that cohesiveness kept the project moving along nicely. On the permitting front, I am sure we saved many hours of effort and weeks/months of waiting by using Doug's extensive experience in how to cut through the red tape as quickly as possible. He took the initiative to call the reviewers at the permit office ahead of time just to anticipate the issues we would face, and he coached us in how to approach our permitting meeting so that we knew what to expect. An otherwise frustrating and hopelessly complex process became quite manageable. We would not hesitate to work with Doug again!

My husband and I hired Nate Kipnis and his firm after interviewing several architects about the…read moredesign of our vacation property. Our wish was to build a second home with green features, and the Kipnis firm was without question up to the task. He educated us about the options for building materials, helped us select a contractor, then worked closely with the contractor to make sure he understood all of the innovative design features. Other members of his staff were equally professional. Nate was highly knowledgable, yet he listened to our input and designed a home that remains today a huge source of pride for our family. He was a pleasure to work with every step of the way!

I have been working with Nate for years. I first met him when I bought an office building and…read morewanted it completely redone. Nate is beyond creative and has to be top 3 green architect in the state. Since our meeting I have done several projects with Nate and couldnt be more pleased. I am very picky who I send people to but would recommend Nate to anyone. He really is excellent!!!

Mason has done multiple projects for us including our master bed/bath/closet, master 2nd floor…read morepatio, total gut reno of coach house, warehouse reno into fitness center with sauna and more to come! He had us at hello (actually he first won over our Grandma who is now living in the coach house that he designed for her). Since that first project for Grandma, he's proceeded to win the rest of us over including my husband - who is not an easy sell.

I lived in my house for 8 years dreaming of all the ways I would make it perfect one day. After…read moreinterviewing more than 10 architects, design build firms, and hobbyist renovation addicts turned "designer & GC", I was introduced to Mason via a builder who had worked with him. The builder spoke very highly of his work, and after spending some time with Mason, understanding his vision and even touring some of his other projects, it was clear he was the right fit to finally help me reach the aspirations I had for my home. The job was huge - a full gut on the first floor, two full baths and a raised ceiling on the second, and a total makeover on the exterior. Aside from the great ideas that enhanced my vision as we discussed design concepts, I knew he was the right guy when a high level builder looked at his plans and said "who did these? These are some of the best architectural drawings and directions I have ever seen". While I ended up using the builder who introduced me to Mason, the two of them worked very well together, respecting the ideas and challenges that crept up throughout the 8-month long project. I have referred Mason to a number of friends and family who have all seen and admire my project, and I would highly recommend him for anyone looking to do a major renovation as he has the knowledge, skills and vision to achieve an outstanding finished product.

We contracted with Veseli Design to remodel our bathroom, which included fixing some poorly done…read moreplumbing and adding a ventilation fan, along with complete replacement of fixtures, tile, etc. Goran from Veseli Design was great to work with! He promptly responded to all phone calls and emails. He referred us to quality vendors and I've been pleased with all the vendors he recommended. The guy who laid the tile for the shower and the floor was amazingly detailed, and the bathroom looks fantastic. We couldn't be happier with the end result! The project was finished on time and within the budget... you don't hear that very often with home improvement projects! In addition to doing general contracting, Goran is an architect, so he can help you take your plan from idea to completion. We'll definitely be working with Veseli Design for the rest of our home improvement needs.

As a general contractor who is also an architect, Goran Veselinovic of Veseli Design and Build was…read moreamazing to work with. His attention to our wishes was impressive, always coming up with ideas that fit our financial and aesthetic needs. Goran knew that we were working within a budget, and to that end, he gave us options that allowed us to stay on track financially while producing a beautiful living space for us. Overall, we were extremely pleased with the outcome of our total gut and redo which transformed our 1980s era unit into a modern and comfortable space. We will definitely work with Veseli Design and Build on future projects.

We fell into a family owned 75 year old house after my husband's great uncle passed away and…read morecouldn't pass up the good deal. COULD do without the pink kitchen and yellow and black bathroom tiles. Aesthetics aside, there were some serious layout issues with the house that made it seem smaller than it actually was. Before just hiring a general contractor, we talked to Jereme to see if he had some design ideas that would be more interesting than just "knock down some walls and put new drywall up." Jereme worked really hard to keep within budget while still adding some fun touches that everyone comments on, like a reclaimed wood soffit that defines the kitchen area. He also used every square inch of the home to make sure we didn't have any wasted spaces. We used barn doors to make old bathrooms feel bigger and built ins to make the most of slanted attic walls. Overall, everything was on time and any extras were clearly laid out. Communication over email was great and he was very organized as we went along with the to do list and keeping all of the contractors on task. I would highly recommend Design Insight and will definitely use them again if we buy another house.

When we moved into our home we knew it had potential, but the out-dated kitchen and flow wasn't…read moremeeting our day-to-day needs five years later. Jereme / DII Architecture renovated and completely transformed our main living spaces, including kitchen, living room, family room and dining room. Jereme listened to our needs and ideas, and came back with a design that exceeded our expectations. We opened up walls and ceilings to make the spaces feel modern, bigger and MUCH more functional. He was with us throughout the entire process, in constant communication and even made last minute changes when requested. The result is a completely custom, beautiful space that not only accommodates our family of 5, but makes hosting large gatherings so much more seamless. We get so many compliments on the space, and would be happy to recommend Jereme and DII Architecture to others.

I highly recommend this architect! We did a project with him a few years ago and he did a fantastic…read morejob. He saw ways for us to achieve our goals and brought ideas to us. We are now in the process of a second project. Once again, he did an amazing job with the plans and working together with our contractor to make this project smooth and enjoyable. We would not have even looked for another architect. I would recommend him to anyone needing quality architect. And as a bonus, he just a dang good guy! :)

I was in touch with Robert for a small renovation project. The job ended up being too small for…read moretheir scale, but both Jeremy and Robert were extremely responsive, respectful, and professional. Having talked to many general contractors during my research, I was very impressed by their attitude and candor. If I did have a larger project, I would definitely go with them and I would recommend anyone looking for a general contractor to reach out to them.

From the owner: A family owned and operated architecture and construction firm based in Northbrook, IL specializing…read morein both residential and commercial projects since 1988.