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!

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!

After interviewing many architectural firms, Bill was the only architect that asked us what we…read morewanted in our home and listened. That immediately impressed us. We knew what we wanted, we just did not know how to incorporate it in the existing home. We were not looking for an architect to control the entire project. We have been doing the general contracting on our own and Studio 21 was the perfect firm for us. They drew out the plans and submitted for permits once that was all approved we took off flying with it. We did run into a unforeseen bump on the road with the crawl space foundation where and an existing addition was done in the 1940's, three cinder blocks deep. Gregg was able to amend the blueprints for us to get us back up and running. We now have a 100% full basement instead of 5% crawl space for the addition that was existing. We have yet to finish our total gut rehab/addition but we could not have envisioned working with any other architect firm other than Studio 21. As busy as they are, they took the time to answer our questions and go above and beyond anything we could have imagined possible in our home. Words cannot express their attention to detail, knowledge and creative minds. Bill and Gregg did an excellent job. We cannot wait to move in and finally enjoy the home. Studio 21 can tailor the project for your needs. They can go as much as doing everything for you to letting you fly on your own. If you are looking for an architectural firm definitely add them to the list of the potential candidates. We highly recommend them.

From the owner: A one-stop-shop process led by our expert architects, from design through construction. We don't…read moreoutsource design, ever! Our architects are involved at every step of your project. One team manages your project; a team that keeps your interests in mind and one that you can trust to deliver your dream home.

He was responsive, fast, and reliable. I have already recommended him to several people I know that…read moreneeds architectural plans. So easy to work with.

We're not big spenders. Last time I redid a bathroom (in my single-girl condo) I just hired a…read morecontractor. But if you want to add a bathroom, and you live in a town with strict requirements, you're going to need an architect. We interviewed four and chose to work with Frank. It was a great experience (and he was very tolerant of me nitpicking and memorizing every last thing)--I never would have done it if not forced, but he made things run so much more smoothly. Despite paying his fee, his expertise was well worth it not only for the detailed plans, but for taking care of the permitting process, getting bids from multiple contractors and meeting with us & the contractor weekly to review progress. Not to mention the reduced stress, since if the contractor had a question or wanted to charge us extra for something (or even wanted to get paid) it went through Frank first. We ended up having him do the plans for our existing bathroom redo as well. We don't have anything else to remodel in our house, but if I did I would definitely give Frank a call.

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!!!

Perhaps the best thing that happened for me, my wife, and my Mid-Century ranch was that Mason and…read morehis wife relocated from San Francisco to the Chicago area. We could not be happier with the design and architectural assistance that Mason provided for us. Extremely professional. Strong design aesthetic but not overbearing -- i.e., respectful of client aesthetics. Great with design finish choices. Wide variety of services beyond just design layout and drawings -- extremely helpful in a variety of areas. Creative in approaches. Super easy to work with. I've got friends who have (wisely) hired him based on my recommendation, I've got others who are sad that he's not local to them. I am a horrible client - lots of changes, tendencies to micromanage, etc. By the end of our project, I had developed so much confidence in him that I stopped micromanaging and caught myself saying (repeatedly) "lets just go with what Mason recommends." In terms of what he did: Mason did design consulting and brainstorming on layout and renovation ideas. He sketched NUMEROUS alternatives for us to consider. He executed all permitting plans. He assisted with our selection of GCs. He interfaces with our GC to see that his / our vision is executed. He's shopped with me on numerous occasions for finishes (flooring, ceiling, cabinets, tile, etc.) We're nearing completion of "Phase I" as we call it. We'll have other phases and I would not hesitate at all to hire him again (if he's available). Indeed, we have every intention of hiring him for Phases II, IIII, and IV when we get to them! Having recently relocated, Mason is like your favorite "unknown band" who you secretly hope doesn't get popular because it will harder to get "tickets to his show," but who you also hope has great commercial success. To Yelp readers, please don't make him TOO popular so that he's still available to me to hire for that other work! You can see photos of what he did here: http://www.houzz.com/projects/512847/glencoe-1950s-house-remodel If you'd like to see the hideous "before" photos, check them out (as of October 27, 2015) here: http://tour.vht.com/390729074/991-edgebrook-glencoe-il-60022/photos

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.

After 2 kids, we outgrew our 2 bedroom, 1 bath ranch-style home. Knowing that we wanted to stay in…read morethe neighborhood, we decided to add a second floor. When we initially met with Mark Klancic of Klancic Architect, we were pleased with the questions he asked to get a feel for what we were looking to accomplish. Mark is such a pleasure to work with -- he has extremely creative ideas and always has an open ear. I really enjoyed that he engaged us in his design process - that made decision-making so much easier for us. He helped guide us through the whole process and worked to keep us within our budget. His attention to details impressed us so much. One of the best features in our bedroom is a gorgeous inverted open "cut out" square in the ceiling of our bedroom. (I couldn't tell you the architectural term for it so I hope my description is enough to visualize!) In the center of the cut out square is our ceiling fan and around the perimeter is some very romantic lighting. It truly is a beautiful feature and every time someone enters the room for the first time, I usually see them looking up and ALWAYS comment on it. I had never seen anything like this before and absolutely love it. It truly is our "wow" factor! When it came time to redesign our first floor, we didn't hesitate to contact Mark for this next project. We had a galley kitchen that was too small and very outdated. We blew out some walls and opened up the floorplan. Again, Mark listened to our needs and the final result is beyond what I could have imagined! We have a wonderful open space to entertain with plenty of storage. He introduced us to a wonderful cabinet-maker company to get the perfect cabinets. Our kitchen island gives me plenty of space to spread out when baking. What felt like a chore because we had no counter space, has become something I enjoy. I love that there is room enough to get the whole family involved in making meals. We totally hit the jackpot by having Mark involved in our home designs and would highly recommend Klancic Architect in a heartbeat!

Mark was recommended to me by a trusted friend. We contracted with him to create plans for a…read morekitchen remodel and a new deck with a pricetag roughly half the value of our house. Weird, right? I think Mark was amused but he is a complete professional. I came to the table with some very strong ideas (translation: tough customer). Mark came up with far better ideas, staying focused on our goals of high functionality, easy to clean and a great space for entertaining. We now huge, functional kitchen that is the envy of all our friends and neighbors. Everything is nicely at hand and even though our house and kitchen are small, there's counter space for miles and more pantry and storage than we have stuff. There is no way we could have navigated the whole process without Mark's plans, insight and guidance. Pretty sure we'd have ended up with the back half of our house falling into the yard if Mark hadn't shown us the necessary structural amendments. Best of all? Mark helped us maintain marital harmony.

Our project was a 3 unit residence so I am assuming that's considered kinda medium project…read more From the moment we met John we liked him and even though we didn't have any experience into building condos in the city, he guided us through everything with a lot of patience and put us through permits and everything. I am surprised with the negative reviews because for as popular of a guy as he is, he is very prompt and even answers the phone most of the time. Yeah I think his employees are probably very busy, being a busy firm and all, but if we had a problem we just contacted John and he always took care of it. He's a very funny guy too. Our case wasn't easy at all, so many limitations because smaller lot, yet he managed to get us the most square footage out of it, he also has got all the right connections with engineers and all. Everything was done within the right amount of time even though we were going through the most stressful period since we had to sell our home of 20 years, so we weren't very helpful. He also understood exactly what I wanted, since I don't like modern buildings and gave us a beautiful design. I didn't have the same experience with even just getting estimates from other architects, I'd work in a second with him again and I'd highly recommend him to anyone.

Hanna Architects will not stand behind the end result of their work, choosing to take the side of a…read moredeveloper that deviated from the permitted plans provided by John Hanna. They would rather ignore the issue, removing themselves from the situation than assist in what is right.

I was very happy with the job they did on my deck. They were good communicators through the process…read moreand the crew was very efficient. I felt they explained the job well and met their timeline commitments. I would recommend them.

From the owner: At AAA Construction Group, LLC, we're your one-stop shop from concept to completion for remodeling,…read moreconstruction, storm damage repairs, and insurance restoration throughout Chicagoland. Our experienced team can help coordinate every stage of your project, including design, architectural and engineering services, permits, structural repairs, roofing, siding, remodeling, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, additions, and complete property renovations. When storms or unexpected property damage occur, AAA can also assist with emergency repairs, damage documentation, detailed restoration estimates, roofing and exterior repairs, water-damaged areas, and complete insurance restoration construction. We work with homeowners and their insurance carriers by providing the construction documentation needed to help properly identify and restore covered damage. What makes AAA different is our commitment to quality workmanship, honest communication, transparency, and personalized service. We listen to your needs, understand your goals and budget, and develop practical solutions for your property. Whether you're remodeling your home, repairing structural damage, restoring a property after a storm, or completing a major renovation, our goal is to make the process as smooth as possible. Design. Build. Remodel. Restore. One trusted team from start to finish.

How many words are we allowed in a Yelp review? I don't know where to start. I had the good…read morefortune of having Matt Nardella referred to me by a mutual friend when I was desperately looking for an architect to turn the sow's ear of a building I bought on Milwaukee to turn into artist live/work space (Basa Building, 2912 N. Milwaukee). I will spare you the gory details, but we worked together for over a year and a half. He turned the most disgusting dump into a solid, clean, sleek, innovative, inspiring, energy-efficient, light-filled floor of studio spaces. Directly because of Matt's design, I'm having no problem renting the spaces. Matt's not a prima donna designer, either. He would go get in line at the Building Department at 6 AM -- and he did this as many times as it took -- so that he could personally shepherd my unusual project through the wringer of the City's approval process. We had some tricky stuff pulled on us by Zoning that ended up involving the Alderman's intervention, but through it all Matt told me exactly what I needed to do -- and it worked. When my first contractor got put in jail (another story), he found me another one who is outstanding, Helios Design. They saved my butt. It's because of Matt that I didn't have a nervous breakdown and lose my shirt with this project.

The Dill Pickle Food Co-op has Moss Design to thank for transforming a dark and dingy disaster of a…read moreformer printshop into the beautiful, eco-friendly, food-filled community haven it is today. From planning the store's layout to navigating the city's byzantine zoning and permitting processes to finding all kinds of creative ways to use reclaimed materials and fulfill the Co-op's commitment to environmental sustainability, Matt's expertise, professionalism, flexibility and attention to detail were essential to moving our project forward. He immediately grasped what we were going for and did a great job of working around our needs, to the extent that it felt more like he was a part of our team than merely an outside service we had hired. It was a great joy to work with somebody whose reliability and capabilities were never in question--highly recommended! Billy Burdett Board of Directors Dill Pickle Food Co-op dillpickle.coop

Great vibe from Chris he is very organized with clear vision and expectations, highly recommendread more

Amazing intuitive design by Chris Bremer on our attic renovation. I sent him a Pinterest image and…read morehis work made it come true and more. He also helped us sift through contractor offers and was with us all the way to the end (12 plus weeks). We were blown away so we hired him again to design our tree house. Thank you Chris!