Custom Build Home Professionals in East Grand Rapids, MI

“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.”

“Our experience with Lucid Architecture has been 100% spectacular from start to finish. Eric possesses every ideal quality a client would seek in an architect: honesty, intellect, ingenuity, and humor. He excels in the ability to take what is conceptual and transform it to actual. If there were 6 stars to allocate, we would do so for Lucid.”

“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!”

“Patti and Jerry were very detailed and timely. They had great patience with the design process. I would recommend them to anyone looking to build a customer home.”

“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.”

“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.”

“We are the owners of the Lowell Barn House depicted in the drawings and photos. Jeff was fabulous on our project and we couldn't be happier with the outcome. Jeff has a great deal of talent, has a perfect eye for the completed project and works to forge a relationship with his client where respect travels in both directions - architect to client and vice versa. Jeff was able to work quickly through the concept phase, was most adept at working with us in Sketchup and then on to drawings. We ended up with a fabulous product and a lifelong friend who couldn't have been easier to work with. Take a look at the drawings and the photos and I think you will agree that we have a unique but most comfortable place we call home. Thanks Jeff.”