I loved working with Big Yellow Dog for my home renovation. We did not need much but just wanted to…read morekeep our home functional. Kathleen did exactly that. Her work was clean, professional, and timely. She listened to our wants and helped us get there with her design expertise. We had met with other architects for our project and Kathleen was the only one who seemed able to blend functionality with beauty which is so important to us. I think spending money on Big Yellow Dog's work was the best money we spent during our project.

From the owner: Lead by Kathleen Glynn, AIA, Big Yellow Dog Architecture & Design creates spaces that exemplify the…read moreoptimism and joy of making a home.

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!!!

We highly recommend Kevin Sherman for building and home remodeling projects. Kevin was in charge of…read moreour a total tear-out of 2 baths, installation of 2 pocket doors, 2 regular doors, baseboard, electrical outlets on our terraces, several ceiling light fixtures, sound-proofing to some walls, reclaiming lost space in a closet wall, plastering, customized electrical and wall frame out for our flat screen TV, and assuring proper installation of all fixtures including a floor-to-ceiling framed mirror on a wall. He is a top-notch project planner and detailed architect providing drawings and able to incorporate changes and revisions while being vigilant on how one change would impact the rest of the job. He exceeded our expectations and wowed us with his attention to detail and preciseness. We had worked with Kevin a few years back on a smaller job in our 1960's high-rise condominium. Our project was complex and the bathroom construction very precise as we wanted our large horizontal tile to align with our vanities, mirrored cabinet, plumbing, etc. Kevin had excellent top-of-mind knowledge of Chicago building codes, understood the dynamics of a condominium building (and became friends with all our maintenance staff which was quite helpful throughout the project). At times when we were introducing the use of new products to Kevin he was very open to using them and researching them on-line to better understand the science. Kevin is respected and respects fellow craftsman. He was an excellent collaborator with our tile installer and decorator and other sub-contractors (flooring, customized vanities, and painters) that we brought in based on prior relationships, but Kevin can provide these services through his company. Since the completion of the main phase we've had Kevin back to our home for several additional mini-projects. His work continues to be stellar in execution. We can not imagine how our major project would have went without Kevin's involvement.

From the owner: Illinois licensed architect & general contractor specializing in design and construction of…read moreresidential and commercial remodeling and renovations since 1990.

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!!!

The crew did an amazing job with total bathroom remodel, new flooring, driveway and other repairs…read more Highly recommend!

We had a small fire on Father's Day and we were in search of a contractor for weeks. Tommy was the…read moreproject manager and came by the next day for the initial consultation. He was very responsive and great to work with. Mike was assigned to our project and did a phenomenal job! He was very professional and kept us in the loop with progress every step of the way. We were very happy with the final result.

When my husband's job relocated us to the Chicago area from California, we were under a tight…read moretimeframe to find and buy a new home. Quite by accident we found the community of Hawthorn Place by Icon Building Group located in Hawthorn Woods. Right from the start, we were impressed with the quality of the homes built by Icon. We looked at three different homes that were available at that time and fell in love with the first one that we originally walked through. We met Charlie Murphy, the owner of Icon that first day. Lucky for us, his office just happened to be located in the model home in our new neighborhood. We did our research on Icon, and discovered they have at least 10 new home communities throughout the Chicagoland area and also specialize in new custom homes and remodeling. Their homes are hands down gorgeous - whether new builds or remodels. From start to finish, Charlie was super to work with. What really made our experience great was his availability. He would answer all of our calls, texts, or e-mails no matter what time of the day. The whole process felt very personal. While our new home was near perfect to what we were looking for, there were a few things on our wish list that we wanted. Right from the start, Charlie put us in touch with his Design Center manager, Angela, who started the process while we were still back in California preparing for our move. Our project included adding a basement bar/kitchen with an island, a feature wall w/floating shelves (Charlie's idea) and a built-in electric fireplace in the great room, crown molding throughout the downstairs, and extra cabinets in the laundry room. What we liked most about working with Angela is that she helped us make decisions that kept the rooms in harmony overall - especially the finished basement. Sometimes it was hard to visual the finished look, and she helped us by showing us pictures and different samples as we decided on tile, cabinets, backsplash etc. She was also very patient when we had a few changes along the way. Rachel, our lead project manager, was invaluable during the entire project. She was always courteous, on time, helpful and above all resourceful. Rachel did an excellent job of communicating exactly what was going on the entire time. She stayed in constant communication with all of the contractors, and addressed any issues that came up regarding scheduling, materials, etc. What we liked the most was that she would stop by nearly every day that work was being done, to make sure everything was on track and give us updates. We know we weren't her only project, but we sure felt like it. As with any projects, a few hiccups came up along the way, but anytime this happened the Icon team was quick to respond and resolve the issue. We would like to especially thank Joe, Icon's VP of Purchasing & Design who came to the rescue several times when we needed to make some last-minute changes on a few design choices and clear up some miscommunication. He was very fair and reasonable with his solutions, and we were happy with the outcome. Lastly, we want to give a shout out to Sandy, our Service/Warranty manager. While all of the exciting upgrades were happening, she was available to resolve any issues we identified during the original walkthrough. She was responsive and professional. Everything on our list was followed up on and resolved to our satisfaction. We love our new Icon home, and the upgrades we had done turned out better than we even imagined. If you are thinking of buying a new home, building a custom one or remodeling we highly recommend Charlie and his team at Icon Building Group. We promise you won't be disappointed.

We considered ICON but upon viewing their very cookie cutter type homes, elected to go a different…read moredirection. Also, ICON was advertising homes for just under $1M in one of their communities. However, once we expressed interest, we were told that the build would be about $200k higher. Be sure to do your homework before getting to far along with ICON / Charlie. There are a lot of other, very reputable builders out there.

We hired Richard Chuk of Richlind Architects to design our deck and provide plans for permit…read more Richlind did a great job. Richard provided us with several design ideas, from simple to complex. He worked closely with us to ensure that we were happy with the final design and that it would meet our budget. He visited the site, took comprehensive notes and planned a deck that would work well in the allotted space. Once we selected a design, Richard drew up plans, which were accepted by the village for permit with no hitches. In addition to the plans, Richard did extensive research for building materials and made several recommendations. All in all the experience was excellent, the deck was built and everything passed final inspection. I found Rich's approach professional and thorough, and his designs were creative yet functional.

From the owner: We are driven by a single focus. From your private residence to places of work; from interior…read morerenovations to your multi-level facilities. Our dedication is to achieve the best architectural experience for our clients and their community through the use of design excellence.