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.

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 have used Todd and his crew a few times and always very professional, I highly recommend them for…read moreany building or design work you are planning. Joe Stephens

Todd Carlson created both a long term and short term design for a church we acquired and did an…read moreoutstanding job of effectively using the space we had to create children's ministry rooms and update our worship center. His interior design expertise was an added plus as he helped us turn the remodeled space into something that was also aesthetically pleasing. He is very professional, has great expertise in design and remodeling, and always helped us find cost effective ways to accomplish our vision. I would highly recommend him for any size project you are considering.

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.

DO NOT USE!…read more TERRIBLE CONTRACTOR! NOTHING BUT LIES AND BROKEN PROMISES! We are currently 21 months in to a contracted 5 month new construction home with Evan (this is a 2500 sqft home in Bartlett). Our home is still not completed and just failed inspection. We have been paying a mortgage on the house now for 9 months even though it is uninhabitable (the first 12 months we paid interest only on the loan). Evan doesn't care. Evan doesn't answer calls, and very sporadically answers texts/emails. Evan is always late to meetings and has never met a deadline for any work to be completed. He is also a compulsive liar. He will tell you there will be various people overseeing the build - this is a lie. Jeff Woltman was supposed to be in charge of scheduling the various subs, yet he has not been involved in this project for over a year now. Evan will tell you he is using top-of-the-line materials (such as Anderson windows) but will actually use far inferior materials (such as Silverline windows). Many times weeks or even months will go by with no work being done. Evan will give you countless excuses as to why no work is being done - from his kids are sick, to his mom is in the hospital, to he got in a car accident. When they do show up - it is only one person (one person laying the floors, one person doing all the trim work, etc.). The sub contractor (MAA Remodeling) uses inexperienced, unskilled, part-time laborers to do interior work. Some of these guys literally have full-time jobs elsewhere. They did not grout/stain under our cabinets - they continually look for cheap/easy ways to do the job. They left our very expensive Quartz countertops uncovered and then proceeded to use them to store their sharp, heavy tools on top of. We have seen MAA workers drinking beer on the job on multiple occasions. There is zero supervision on the jobsite which has resulted in lots of rework due to inferior quality and craftsmanship. Mariusz Robak from MAA goes out of town frequently and during these trips he does not answer calls/texts and his workers do not show up at the job site. Evan had Tyvek exposed to the elements for 6 months and 2-3 feet of water in our basement for several months. He does not issue change orders (something standard in the industry). About 3/4 of the way into the build we learned from neighbors that the water in the area is extremely hard. Evan never once mentioned this. When we asked what it would cost to install a water softener, we were told they would have to retro fit the plumbing now to do this at an additional cost of $2,000. Would have been nice to know this upfront so they could properly rough-in the plumbing the first time. The initial 1 year building permit expired, the city then put a stop-work-order on the house for 3 weeks, then issued a permit extension and now that too has expired. We have been forced to get our attorney involved along with the head of the city's building department. None of our actions have resulted in expediting the construction process to date. We have now escalated our situation to a village trustee along with the mayor of Bartlett. We have also contacted local newspapers, the BBB and Attorney General's office. We were recently informed by State Farm that they are cancelling our homeowner's policy due to the length of construction. Back in July of 2015, Evan's lawyer told us the house would be done in 60 days. It's been over a year since then and it's still not finished. Evan told the village that we would be closing on the house in February of 2016. It's been over six months since then and it's still not finished. The village is now withholding additional permits to Evan's other 2 adjacent lots until he finishes our home. Our neighbors who also bought from Homes by Rego are having the same experience as us. We've spent probably thousands of hours babysitting this project, following up with subs & vendors, driving by the house daily and various other attempts at trying to get them to do work - basically acting as the General Contractor. It is truly like having an unpaid part-time job. Feel free to contact me if you'd like to discuss before you buy - I would hate to have someone else go through what we are going through. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

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!!!

Wold Architects & Engineering is a world class architectural design company. Matt Bickel at Wold is…read morean extraordinary processional who delivers exceptional products and customer service. My experience with Wold and Matt Bickel are the best in the industry.

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.

Steve helped me completely re-design the upstairs of a new house I was purchasing for rehab. It…read morehardly took any time at all and was exactly what I was looking for on the first try. I will definitely be using them again

From the owner: Complete Architectural Design specialize in designing custom homes in a wide range of styles and…read moresize. We also design 1 and 2 story additions to help create your dream home.