Energy-Efficient Home Builders in Detroit

“When our family had the privilege to build our dream home, we were driven by two core values: environmental sustainability and energy efficiency. We were immediately drawn to Architectural Resource who are recognized as award winning architects and genuine thought leaders on how to build responsibly, creatively, and cost effectively to harness the natural benefits of the earth and to be responsible to our shared planet and natural resources. From solar power generation, to geothermal cooling, to bird safe glass, every step of the process was guided by their expertise in environmental sustainability. The team at AR also took our family on an amazing learning adventure from the importance of “aging in place” design to the importance of new wall structures and interior/exterior insulation technologies to maximize cooling in summer and heating in winter, while also maximizing our financial investment over the long term. From the founding principal, to the entire professional team and interns, that culture of thought leadership and educational collaboration with their clients shines through in every interaction. They are simply brilliant, patient, and kind people to work with and I would highly recommend Architectural Resource as a true partner in any project, whether smaller scale renovations to bring out the true potential of your existing home or pursuing your dream to build from the ground up to reach the sky and fill your soul in new and inspiring ways. Jeff Parness and Sandy Hauser The Sanctuary at Hope Farms Ann Arbor, Michigan”

“I approached Meadowlark with the need for a significant renovation to transform a poorly laid out bathroom/spa into a safe, first floor accessible bathroom suite for an elderly client/friend following a fall and broken hip. I laid out an aggressive goal of compressing the design/build schedule as my friend would need to remain in a rehab center while the project was completed. The following business day Meadowlark’s President Melissa Kennedy met me on site and brought their head of construction, and project manager ready to get to work. (I was impressed). I provided them with a clear scope of work and challenged them on how much they could compress the schedule as we needed the project finished yesterday. Eight weeks later we brought my friend home from rehab to a much safer, redesigned home. The eight weeks included both the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. At the top of the list of Meadowlark’s strengths are their people and leadership, and willingness to challenge themselves. Most contractors would have politely explained that my goals were unachievable. Second would be their handling of inevitable issues that arise in any remodeling project. I can’t say enough about Sarah Petersen, our Project Manager, who was key. A firm is only as good as their employees and pool of contractors, especially in our circumstances, and Meadowlark has a pool of high quality contractors. As we neared the completion concerns arose about everything being ready for a safe return home, and Melissa and Sarah met me onsite on a Sunday morning to review remaining work. The relationships Meadowlark has with their contractors became clear by how contractors responded to insure final details were completed. Meadowlark was also able to include refinishing the home’s wood floors and incorporate a new powder room and laundry facilities to the project scope without delaying the schedule. Due to the circumstances the project was structured on a time and materials basis. There are few contractors I would trust with this arrangement on something this size. While transparency could have been improved I am satisfied with the resulting total costs and Meadowlark deserved every penny of the margin earned on this project. Overall A+.”

“We hired Main Street Design Build inin 2019 and all the had a full home completion in early 2021 (thanks, pandemic)! Main Street planned our remodel (kitchen, basement, mudroom, bedrooms, and more) into 3 phases in order to allow our family to live in the home through construction! MSDB took a whole day for each phase where they “prepped” the home with plastic protectors to ensure our living space was clean and safe from debris for our 4 kids and dogs. Not once in a year was a nail left out for my barefoot family. Truly, the attention to detail was top-notch. What could have easily been a horrible year was still an enjoyable process. MSDB communicated with us EVERY DAY so we knew who would be in our home and when. For a larger project, we were assigned project manager Dwain, and we saw him at our home every day to ensure everything was going as planned. We even had daily task notifications along with pictures daily via their communication software. This communication software was one of their selling points for us. Steve, Christine, and their team’s combined experience has lead them to be so knowledgable and have a great network of other expert professionals in the area. Lastly and importantly, MSDB was concsious of our budget throughout and providing the right rom the beginning of the project all the way to picking out finishing touches. If you are looking for a one-stop company to help oversee any size project (our home is nearly 8000 square feet with basement) look no further. The combination of professionalism, experience, creativity, and trustworthiness is unmatched. If we ever have any future work needed to be done, we plan to continue working with our new Main Street family!”