Custom Home Builders in McBride

“Curt and the Team at Sketchpad were a pleasure to deal with starting Day 1. The 1st house we did turned out better than expected and is a huge hit on the vacation rental program. We have since done multiple projects and looking forward to many more!”

“Gifted home designer. Understands the role of sustainability in affordability and personalized function. Eric has set a new standard in home design, delivering LEED-Platinum certification at entry level through custom price points. My role as a third-party auditor for a variety of national performance building programs affords me a unique opportunity to see hundreds of architects, designers and builders. Eric Hughes stands out in a very crowded field.”

“Sears Architect designed a 3100 sq house for us in East Grand Rapids, MI. We have never built a home previously. We found the design process to be very efficient which resulted in a home that matches our needs and wants. The Sears project manager was very responsive and Rob Sears seemed to be full informed and involved at all times. Having said this there were many heartaches that occurred that could in part be mitigated with up front client education. In talking with another friend who build a house with Sears last year, our experience was similar to theirs. 1. Architectural costs - designing a custom build house is more expensive and has more components than one would expect. Multiple site surveys, structural engineers, each set of more detailed plans add to the final cost. We spent $xxxxx for plans - which were the refinement of a plan presented to us in a design build proposal by the builder. In addition we used an interior designer recommended by the architect another $xxxx. We would have been happier if we had a fixed predefined budget as the builder led us to believe the costs would be about $25,000. Having said this, Rob Sears was very responsive to financial questions and happily and promptly provided the billing records that justified their billings. In addition I felt Rob made a strong effort to follow the project to completion and did quite a bit after delivery of the plans, uncompensated, to finish the job. In the end we are very happy with Sears Architects - but wiser for the experience. 2. Cost of building. We learned that there was essentially no communication between our builder and the architect regarding the building allowances and the costs of the developed plan. Our home ended up xx% over budget, despite most components falling within allowances - the builder just underbid to get the work. What I learned from the process is that is not the architects job, rather the home owners sole responsibility, to verify all components are accuately costed prior to contracting a builder. 3. Interior designer. We did not expect how important the interior designer would be in implementing the design of the home - guiding interior and exterior materials, designing lighting schemes, plumbing, etc as well as planning for furniture layout. Sears recommended Christine DiMaria. We separately retained her. My wife and I thought she did a great job - design, providing perspective from other project, helping sort priorities, communicating with the architect and in general holding our hands through the up and downs of the 10 month process. We were glad we used a designer who had worked with the architect before. 4. Landscape design. This was a separate contract and budget through a landscape architect. Sears coordinated well re the placement of the house on the lot, grade decisions needed so proper retention walls could be planned and built by the Landscape team. So overall, I feel that Sears Architecture is a terrific firm that does good work. We are very happy with the completed product of our home. We would recommend them to other home buyers.”

“I have worked with Via Design as an Owner Representative and have referred them to multiple shared clients who have had very good experiences with Via Design.”

“The team at AMDG Architects is who have an understanding of the client's needs. They bring a wealth of experience and insight into how spaces can best perform and they're a great team to work with!”

“Jim is an extremely talented architect and we had a great experience working with him. We could not have been more satisfied with his design and what I was expecting to be a much more difficult process. Jim tailored every detail of our plan to our lifestyle. From the master closet, to the dog wash. He is obviously experienced and it was a pleasure working with him on the design of our custom home! HIGHLY recommend Create 3.”

“My wife and I got Tom's name from neighbors in Rogers City where we own a cottage that needed renovating. It has always been our desire to retire up north and we needed to do a major "overhaul" to make the cottage into more of a HOME. We met with Tom several times and provided him with our ideas (our wants and dreams) and our "budget", and we started working from there. Tom has an uncanny ability to visualize things that are not even in the normal person's "realm of possibility". We originally thought our only option would be to tear the cottage down and start completely over - but it didn't take Tom long to develop a plan that allows us to keep the majority of the cottage as is - adding on and giving it a facelift to make it all work together. Amazing results! Not only did we get a home better than we dreamed possible, but this allowed us to stay within our budget as well. We are now in the process of putting the plans out for bids, and hopefully we can get started on our "dream home" either late in 2013 or sometime in 2014. We would highly recommend Tom Parker to anyone who has a renovation project, or a new build, as he definitely thinks "outside the box" and can make your home or vacation spot truly something tailored specifically to YOU. He is extremely accessible, willing to listen to any option, and full of great ideas. He stays current with all of the newest "trends" and has completed a lot of spectacular renovations which gave us a chance to see his work first-hand. Can't say enough good things - but Tom's at the top of our list for any work we will do in the future.”

“I worked with Sean to design my exercise studio in Birmingham, Mi. To say he is wonderful at what he does is an understatement. The entire experience blew my expectations away.... And I have high expectations. Sean listened carefully to my vision and then he went to work. He consulted me on most everything but also took initiative so I did not have to think about every little detail. When I had concerns, he addressed them calmly and professionally. Best of all? My space is beautiful and clients are regularly "wowed."”

“I really like the bathroom design. The walk in shower w/seat is something that I am looking for. I think the corner toilet is very unique idea & could be utilized in my remodeling project. I really like Ms. Gascho's ideas for the kitchen tile. Very original for a rustic cabin or outdoorsman.”

“We went to Mark with a design. He adapted it perfectly to our needs. He saw our vision perfectly. We would work with Mark again.”