Architecturally Speaking

Jim did a very large built in for or living room. He was extremely thorough in his planning and execution of the project. We were given the opportunity to contribute to all major decisions and the end result was not only stunning, but exactly in line with our expectations. Would highly recommend for any built in or home renovation projects.

I have worked with Jim Butz on two different projects. I have done two "office built ins" and a "bathroom built in" over the past 10 years. Jim came to my meetings with ideas on design, effective storage ideas and gave me good options regarding the design. He was on budget and on time and I would highly recommend Jim for any project. Jim Butz is a very skilled custom cabinet maker and craftsman and I would use him again and would recommend him for any home improvement project.

ASI designed and installed an entire wall (25 feet wide and 12 feet high) of very complex built in cabinetry, window seats, drawers, lights and shades. We had a lot of requests and we were so lucky to find Architecturally Speaking. The owner and architect, Jim Butz, is extremely talented, detail oriented and met our every need. He drew out plans and made an incredible design and then tweaked it as we thought up new things we wanted to add to it. The result is astonishing and high quality beautiful wood cabinetry and paneling. At every need or whim, Jim was able to design and install exactly what we needed. For example, when we also wanted to put a concealed refrigerator into the cabinets, he said no problem and though it was a complicated task because of where we wanted the placement of the refrigerator, he made it happen. The paneling that he created was so beautiful and every detail so incredible that we can’t stop looking at this beautiful piece. I’m placing the photo of this into our review, though it still doesn’t have the window bench seat cushions, because I’m just so thrilled that something this beautiful is in my home. It created the necessary storage we need and a beautiful design that we are happy to look at every day. Some extra bonuses about this company are that they were timely, courteous, clean and respectful of my time and space. I can say with every bit of confidence that I recommend this company and Jim’s beautiful work.

I loved working with Jim on my client's TV cabinet. He was truly professional and I knew that my clients were in great hands! They are thrilled with his work and the fact that he got their cabinet done prior to his leaving for vacation! Thanks, Jim. Always great to work with others who treat clients as I do.

We worked with Architecturally Speaking (Jim) in March/April, 2020. We had a large, first floor room in a 140+ year old vintage home converted to a library. The project consisted of floor to ceiling built in bookshelves along two complete walls and above french doors and above a bathroom door. We are extremely pleased with the work, particularly the craftsmanship. matching of the crown molding and baseboards was particularly challenging and it is as if the work done has been here for the 140 years.

We wanted a TV cabinet that included a lift mechanism made to match our current furniture. Jim did an amazing job matching the style of the furniture as well as the color. He is very detail oriented and met with us several times to make sure he knew exactly what we wanted. He is a highly skilled woodworker; the quality of the cabinet he made for us is remarkable. Jim is a pleasure to work with. We will use him again if the need arises.

I had two front porch posts that were starting to shift off my front porch slab and needed some ideas on how to fix it. I called one remodeling firm in Arlington Hts. and they said the project was too small from them. Getting a recommendation from a friend, I called Jim Butz, who is the owner of Architecturally Speaking. Jim reviewed the options with me and ultimately recommended the option that was the lowest price. Jim is very thorough and made sure all details were addressed. My project wasn't a large project but I appreciated that time and thought he put into it and ultimately the repair looked great. He also gave me some great ideas on how he could remodel my basement at a price much lower than I expected.

Architecturally Speaking and owner Jim Butz did a fantastic job with a small project to build a closet in our basement. Very responsive and superior quality of work!

Jim did a great job with my custom closet and laundry room. He was very inventive coming up with solutions for tricky spaces.

On a recommendation, we hired Jim Butz to finish off our fireplace wall and add a mantel. We had a few pictures of things that we liked but were not sure exactly what we wanted. Jim patiently met with us several times and gave many suggestions and price options before we finally made a decision. We could not be happier with the outcome! The design, workmanship, and attention to detail were all topnotch!! Jim was not finished with the job until it met his high standard (he noticed and fixed things that we didn't even notice!). He stuck to our budget, listened to what we wanted, and delivered in a very timely manner. He was always on time and left our place neat and tidy. We would and probably will use him again for other projects. We highly recommend his services!! ------------------------------------- Follow up to the above original review....we had Jim come back this past April to finish off the project with floating shelves on the wall adjacent to the fireplace wall. (see the before and after pictures of the floating shelf project he has posted). Jim was great about breaking this total project into two parts. Again, he was great to work with! We met a couple of times to come up with the exact design and placement of these shelves as well as the design of the metal shelf. He took my thoughts and ideas and made them a reality! WE LOVE the way our room now looks and get complements every time someone walks in our front door! Jim installed everything in only a couple of days...he did as much as he could off site so the time in our house was minimal. I could not believe how quickly it all came together and that included hanging the t.v and running all the wiring behind the wall. He is very detail oriented and it shows in his work. Everything is such high quality! Again, when he left our house, everything was cleaned up and ready for us to decorate. I wish we had other things we wanted done in this house because I would love to hire him again!!

Replaced wood porch railings with custom fabricated PVC railings. Jim provided detailed options with cost estimates. He communicated and updated me regularly via phone/email. Great professionalism throughout the project.

Jim, Architecturally Speaking's proprieter, brings the perspective of a former home inspector to his work. I cannot stress how valuable this was for me and it will be for any of his client's. He approached my many projects with a creative eye, gave helpful suggestions and design ideas and was expedient in getting my jobs done on time. He even gave helpful advice for general home maintenance issues I was not aware of. I felt confident enough in his services that he will be my go-to handyman for little things around the house going forward. I interviewed 3 contractors for my jobs and have worked with others on my house. I felt the most at ease with Jim and his personality of any of the trades I've had in my 6-figure home renovation.