Ambrose Builders LLC

Mike and his crew did a great job rebuilding our house. He is patient, honorable and has great ideas! He is very communicative, knowledgable and uses a website sharing platform which helps tremendously with getting the vision across. After having a home fire, we were on an emotional journey, and Mike was more than qualified to create a home that still felt like our home even with Chicago code requirements.

With a need to redo our wood floors, we decided to do a complete renovation of the first floor of our single family home. We opened up an enclosed small dining area and did a full update of the kitchen, including a new lighting plan for the entire level. We can't be happier with the end result. With an old building and any renovation, you can always expect a surprise or two, Mike works very hard to provide options and solutions and stay on top of his trades. This was not the first time I worked with Mike but certainly the largest project and he, as always, was a pleasure to work with.

Really blown away by the amazing first floor remodel that Mike's crew completed - feels like something right out of a magazine. We had several companies quote on the work and Mike was the only one who fully captured our vision - new and modern while maintaining the character of our older home. I was totally blown away by the custom mudroom his carpenter built for us - even better than any of the pictures I had shared as ideas. Laid back, responsive, flexible, easy to do business with and very quality work product.

Ambrose Builders took my flooded basement that was unlivable for 2 years and turned it into an oasis for my whole family. Complete with custom built-in shelves, learning center for the kids with blackboard walls, a fully custom wood-brick wall that had my appraiser asking for their number. They did a great job. Not only that, they took a dingy utility room and turned into crisp, clean area to do laundry and installed a wash sink under the stairs. Great use of space, and great value add to my house.

I utilized Ambrose Builders with a two phase renovation of my townhouse. The first phase included a gut rehab of a first floor kitchen and living area. This rehab include ripping out dropped ceiling in kitchen where a wood beamed ceiling was present that needed staining to match the remainder of the first floor. The renovation beside the normal demolition and installation of new cabinets, counter tops, sink, tile back splash, etc, included installation of new overall track lighting, installation of hardwood floors from living area to kitchen area, removal of walls, updating plumbing and electrical work and gas stove pipe lines. And, the renovation of a 3rd floor bathroom, which included vanity area replacement from a single sink to double sink, tile floor and bath area, and lighting fixtures. This phase included painting the bathroom and first floor. The second phase included remodeling occurred about two years later. I renovated the second floor bathroom to include removal of tub and installation of shower area,carpentry work to alleviate plumbing issues surrounding shower installation, reinforcing wall that were structurally inadequate to hold shower doors, tile work, plumbing and vanity, toilet, lighting installation. This renovation included the installation of a new custom made iron banister that is used for the three floors. This involved demolition of existing drywall banisters, installing structural elements on floor with new hardwood floor to support the banisters. Remediation was also made when mold was found on the walls of the stairwells and needed to be repaired. Cheap hollow interior doors of the townhouse that were falling apart were also replaced with more solid ones and new hardware. We lived in our townhouse during both renovation project and were pleased with the overall outcome. All laborers were very respectful of our home and the fact that we didn't move out. They were clean and prompt. Mike Ambrose was very transparent regarding the costs of the project. He used licensed laborers and let me know immediately when issues arose that needed attention. The project did not go over budget with the exception of the additional items I requested or when unforeseen problems arose that were safety issues that needed to be addressed. I was very pleased with the work of both phases of the renovation. I would hire Ambrose Builders again should additional work need to be completed on the property.

I hired Mike based on good reviews from Yelp and a positive first impression when we met. The project was to redo a kitchen and bathroom that had basically been thrown together with minimal effort when the building was renovated 15 years earlier. He led me through all the necessary steps in a way that a novice like myself could understand easily. His Basecamp site was set up nicely and it became a good way to pass information back and forth. There was a lot of preparation, but once the work started, I think it went smoothly. I spent much of the time on vacation, but his crew kept my place in great shape while I was there and it looked grand when I returned from the holiday. A project of that size is going to have a few headaches along the way, but nothing that couldn't be improved upon with good communication.

We liked Mike from the start because he wanted to help us make good decisions, was very organized, and very personable. We had gotten another estimate from another contractor where they were a little less expensive in their estimate but they questioned our judgement on what we wanted to do to the point where we thought we'd have to fight them to get what we wanted. As far as we were concerned, the contractor had to be the right one more than the estimate because we knew what we wanted and were willing to spend extra to get it. Mike was willing to accommodate that. Mike uses a site called BaseCamp to organize everything that needs to be done. Even before we hired him for the job he had set up the site, listed the tasks that we would need to get done as far as purchasing items, and posted websites and ideas that we could use to help. We found him very responsive to BaseCamp posts, text messages, and voicemails, so really had no issues with getting in contact with him. He didn't have a preference whether he purchased the items and was reimbursed later or we purchased them, so we chose to purchase the items to get credit card points. While we picked everything out, Mike was very helpful coming up with solutions when what we wanted seemed to hit a snag. The items we purchased all had different waits before delivery, some as long as 6 weeks, which can make things difficult on a project for both the homeowner and the contractor. We ordered a custom vanity through the Kohler Store that was very expensive but exactly what we wanted, and that took the longest between trying to get the d*** Kohler Store lady (who really couldn't care less about customer service) understand exactly what we wanted and the delivery wait time. Other items had other waits, but we wanted to get things started with what we had, so we got Mike to start the work before everything was in. As far as the work getting done, Mike was able to get people to our house to do the work pretty quickly. Sometimes the times at which they would show up was a little erratic as the electricians and plumbers worked around other jobs. Because the items came in at different times, we had to have them come multiple times to do multiple things rather than being able to just get everything done at once. Toward the end of the project we just left a key with the project lead or leave the back door open for others rather than wait around to see if people would show up when we were expecting them. This never caused any issues and we never worried about them being in the house without us there. At the end of the project, there were a few issues we had with the quality of some of the work that was done. We had Mike come over and take a look and within one workday he had everyone there to fix all of the issues. We now have bathrooms that we consider to be exactly what we wanted at a price that we expected to pay, so we couldn't be happier with the results.

We had Mike and his team redo our kitchen and bathrooms based on a recommendation from a friend (and his good reviews on Angie's List). Our house is an old one, and so the project took a little longer and was more expensive than expected because of some unexpected contingencies. Mike managed the contingencies well and handled the expanded scope of work fairly. His subs were all very hard working and personable as well, which was key since my wife and kids were at home for much of the renovations. Ambrose Builders is at the top of our shortlist the next time that we need to do some renovations.

I wrote this review of Mike a few months ago, and it holds true even moreso today after he and his crew expertly installed a new kitchen floor with radiant heating (which, not surprisingly in Chicago, we were forced to use in September): We bought a house built in the 1890s that had fallen into a state of disarray by the previous owner. Mike Ambrose accompanied us on our inspection to not only plan future work, but provide insight into various repairs that might need to be done as well as whether we should even buy the house. We had plans set to redo the electricity, paint the interior, refurbish the floors, install air conditioning (SpacePak), and - most importantly - convert the unfinished and largely unusable attic into a child's playroom. Even before closing on the house, Mike's company began drawing up architectural plans and getting the necessary permits so that they could hit the ground running (which was especially important to us as we were 6 months pregnant and therefore on a very definite timeline to move in). After the closing, Mike went to work right away, providing us with an estimate and timeline that ended up being nearly spot-on. In addition to the above listed work, Mike's company also rebuilt our back outdoor stairs, installed a garage door, installed tiles and a sump pump in the basement (and removed the mold in the basement, putting on anti-mold paint as well), built an outdoor fence, installed ceiling fans and lights in each room, as well as other various tasks. It's hard to express how good of a job we think Mike did. Starting with the attic (see the before picture accompanying this review), it went from a horror show to a beautiful playroom that gets compliments from every person who visits it (see the after picture). Our two-year-old son spent the first 15 minutes up there running around in circles, collapsing on the floor and giggling uncontrollably with joy. It was a smashing hit. The other work was all equally impressive and continues to get rave reviews from those who see it for the first time. Despite the fact that we added many projects along the way, Mike handled all of them in a timely and efficient manner. Perhaps most importantly for us, Mike kept us apprised on a regular basis about what was going on, how much it was going to cost and when it would be done. He did this by creating a project management webpage on which he would send us pictures, post updates and ask questions. This proved to be a very effective tool and allowed us to follow along without actually having to drive out to the new house. When it was said and done, it went from a house that had good potential that needed a lot of work to a place that we are happy to call home and can see ourselves living in for decades to come.

Recently, I purchased my 55 year old family home. Through Mike's personal attention to detail and his crew's master skills in custom work, within four months we gutted the home to its studs and rebuilt a modern custom home with all new systems. I could not be more pleased to see my dream come true...gourmet kitchen, spa bathroom, master suite, and open communal spaces that are warm and inviting to family and friends. Mike and his crew do exceptional custom work. If you can imagine it, they can build it. From the demolition through the final touches on paint, Mike and his crew worked diligently with me to rehab this extraordinary family home that will see many more years of family, friends and fun. Thanks Mike! Karen B. - Oak Lawn

We contracted for a second story addition. Our overall experience with Ambrose builders was very positive. We did have some unexpected challenges along the way but Mike was always able to be reached by phone or text and base camp (no matter what time of day or night). He was responsive and always fair. We felt that the subs were polite and friendly and of quality. It is also important to note he really does stand behind the work after the project is complete and will address any problems that arise unlike builders who almost seem to disappear after final payment.