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!!!

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.

A, Perry Homes comes highly recommended. They get consistent good reviews from their clients.read more

BEWARE - THE PLANS FOR YOUR HOME MAY BE RECYLCED FOR ANOTHER HOME THAT IS BUILT WITHIN SHOUTING…read moreDISTANCE. I purchased a home in 2006 that was originally designed/built by Scott Renken / Greystone builders. The homes in our neighborhood are not part of a master planned development with a predefined set of options/models. As such, it came as a great surprise when I learned that Scott decided to recycle the plans for the home I own and with very minor modifications to the exterior, design a home which is being built 5 DOORS AWAY. I asked Scott if, as an architect, he had any professional issues with designing a house with a very similar exterior to be built 5 DOORS AWAY. Needless to say, the home is in the process of being built and unfortunately the local building code only addresses building code violations and does not prevent someone from nearly replicating the exterior of a house A CHIP SHOT AWAY. The picture of my home is advertised as a 'Completed Home' in the Gallery of Homes on Scott's website (http://www.renkenandasso...). When I asked Scott to remove the picture of my home from his website he told me he doesn't need to remove the picture and I can speak with a lawyer.

From the owner: Let us design & build your dream homeread more

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 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.

If I could have giving 10 stars I would!!! Randolph have helped us with 5 projects, his expertise…read moreis amazing! His price is super competitive! Very reliable, great communication, never caused us any delays, I definitely recommend Randolph if you looking for architect!

From the owner: For a Lake Bluff, IL Architect who will bring your vision onto paper, look no further than LA…read moreDesign. We guarantee you'll be impressed with our talented work.

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!!!