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Lake Forest, IL

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Renken Architects & Builders

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Architectural design

Architectural project management

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13 years ago

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DII Architecture - Chef's Kitchen w/ custom island & storage bench

DII Architecture

(10 reviews)

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.

As a dedicated Yelp fan, we scoured the reviews to find an architect to renovate our 1950's ranch…read morehome. Our main goals were an open floor plan and a larger kitchen. We got so much more! A gorgeous, spacious, cook's kitchen, open floor plan, open curved staircase to basement, mud room and outdoor BBQ station. Jereme is a creative architect with a keen eye for details...not to mention a great, easy-going guy! We had a couple of initial meetings to discuss our wants and needs and then Jereme dove into the design and ultimately presented a few design concepts. We quickly zeroed in on the one that seemed best and collectively tweaked the design and components to best suit our needs. Jereme hired the construction crew and personally directed and supervised their work. He was on the site every day and in frequent contact with us. The end result is FABULOUS and more than we hoped for!! Jereme was great to work with. Very responsive to all of our questions, concerns and ideas...and he never showed any ego. He was also extremely budget conscious and economical. The project took longer than quoted, but the end result is a 10!! Highly recommended!!!

A. Perry Homes

A. Perry Homes

(20 reviews)

We used A. Perry to find a lot, design and build our home. From the beginning, we appreciated their…read morefocus on quality, integrity and family. Everyone who works at the firm is either related or has worked there forever and they take extreme pride in their work. It shows when you visit one of their homes- they feel solid and you can tell the home is exceptional quality. Building a custom home is difficult and challenging but the team made it as seamless as possible. They were communicative, thoughtful and kind throughout the process. It's not cheap but you get what you pay for- which we appreciate greatly having come from a home where the builder cut corners. The team, software and tradespeople were best in class. The vendors they use are excellent and they are open to clients using their own. Our site superintendent was absolutely fantastic and ran the site like a tight ship- helping us deliver on our timeline even in the middle of a pandemic. We have been in our home for about a month and could not be more happy. A Perry has been over to fix any outstanding issues quickly. It's been a long process but well worth it. Happy to chat with anyone considering A Perry. I recommend them to everyone I know who is considering building a custom home.

After a pretty lengthy search we finally decided on A. Perry to build our forever home. From the…read moreinitial meeting with Anthony to the preliminary design to the build and the ultimate move-in we were very happy with the entire experience. They were very responsive, had every base covered, made sure we were kept current on progress and, most importantly, provided us with peace-of-mind. We were so happy with A. Perry we contracted with them to finish our basement shortly after we moved in. The basement is now complete and we love it. Would highly recommend them for your build/renovation and would definitely use them again.

D.Clark Architects, Inc - Chicago complete interior remodel

D.Clark Architects, Inc

(3 reviews)

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!

Mason Miller Architect - 991 Edgebrook Kitchen BEFORE Mason.

Mason Miller Architect

(14 reviews)

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.

Renken Architects & Builders - architects - Updated October 2026

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