Thomas Shafer Architects LLC

Tom and his team designed our dream home in 2014, however, I have been too busy to post. First of all let us start by saying we have lived in many homes in our 28 years of marriage and have done two new constructions and one total rehab. The home Tom designed for us transcends a building, it is a work of living art. Without describing how the home looks we would like to express how it makes us feel, totally liberated, free and inspired. Living in this home is like no other experience we have ever had. Tom is brilliant, kind, warm and caring. His partner Kathy is amazing, smart, attentive and skilled. They understand how to pull out from their clients exactly what the feel and create a reality. Tom has a unique genius that intersects taste and engineering. From start to finish the experience is white glove, and totally enjoyable.

The quality of work performed by Shafer Architects is evident to anyone who has seen one of their homes. They are both striking and functional. The best compliment we can give is that with each Shafer home, unanimously our team agrees, “I would love to live in this home.” It is also worth noting their professionalism and collaborative style. They foster an innovative spirit on projects, with considerable input from homeowners, designers, contractors and subcontractors – delivering a fantastic final product. Simply put, we enjoy working with Shafer Architects because they allow us to do our best work, which leads to highly satisfied customers.

Tom Shafer is a first class architect and consummate professional. We acquired an apartment giving us the entire floor 4,000 sq. ft. in a 100 year old building in Chicago, and Tom's firm provided the design for combining the unites and redesigning substantially of the apartment. Because of difficulties with the contractor (which we chose, not Tom), this was a very difficult project. Tom was not only creative in his design but also invaluable in dealing with the many difficulties we encountered. I give him the highest possible rating on many levels and have come to regard him as a friend.

We have been working with Thomas Shafer Architects for the past four years on design for the remodel of our 1965 mid-century modern home (going to construction in October 2016) as well as for the new build of our "modern barn" guest house/workshop/storage building (completed in May 2015). We couldn't have asked for a better partner in these endeavors than TSA. Tom has carefully listened to us, coached us, respected our budget, and creatively expanded our vision of our projects' potential. We appreciate his keen attention to detail and his honest and forthright opinions.

Thomas Shafer Architects provided us with a thoughtful, highly detailed and professional level of design that not only incorporated our goals for the project but elevated the concept and exceeded our expectations.

Tom Shafer and his firm worked with us to extensively remodel a 1950s ranch house in Evanston. The house had evolved over time in a hodgepodge of design, and we wanted to unify the design and update the elements. We had worked with several architects before and knew the importance of the vision that a talented architect could bring. We could not have been happier with our choice of Shafer Architects (then GSA). Tom Shafer did full design work to understand what needed to be corrected and what design possibilities were within budget. We worked together very pleasurably to choose a design. He worked with us to choose a contractor and develop the contract. He and his team provided oversight of the construction so that it was carried out to his and our standards. The firm is client oriented and provides great service. Tom listens closely to what *you* want and is highly responsive, organized, and communicative. We found his aesthetic and design sense to be exquisite. He has a realistic sense of time and cost (and he is budget conscious). Although we were doing a remodel rather than building an entire house, and not as large as his typical project, he understood that the project was major *for us* and he always treated us as important clients. He is willing to pay attention to every aspect of the design and building process. For example, he did a wonderful job in designing lighting. His team's oversight of the construction was invaluable in having the construction work performed to his and our standards. Photos are at http://www.houzz.com/projects/575608/ranch-remodel

From the first time Tom walked our property with us to help us imagine what it could turn into, we knew we had found our architect. Every step along the way towards the completion of our new home confirmed that we had made the right decision. This was the first house that we had built from scratch and we had no idea exactly how important the decision of which architect to use really was, but now that we've been through the process I can confidently say that there is no person on whom we depended more than on Tom and his team. Their service goes well beyond the typical drawings and space design offered by other architects. When you choose Tom and his team, they are in your corner throughout the whole process,- checking every detail, making sure everything is turning out exactly as it was designed, and checking in with you to make sure you aren't overwhelmed by the process. We also chose to partner with Kathy Shafer on the interior design choices and she made our life very easy by narrowing down the endless number of choices available at ever stage and presenting us with the subset that made the most sense for us. She also introduced us to stores and designers that we never would have found on our own and greatly facilitated the process of manifesting the home that we envisioned. I couldn't possibly recommend Thomas Shafer Architects more strongly and now that we're happily living in our new home, not a day goes by that we don't appreciate their vision and their commitment to excellence.

Shafer Architects provided full service, from drawings to modernize and open up space, design to perfectly balancing function and aesthetic considerations, including beautiful material choices, to construction oversight, making sure that all specifications were met by the contractor, to their exacting standards. The lead architect, Thomas Shafer, has high expectations of himself and his team, and this shows in the quality of their work, and in what they expect of the contractor and hold the contractor to.

Tom Shafer is smart, creative, and detailed oriented. He designed a beautiful and functional one story house for us on a ravine. He is professional in every way and made a concerted effort to provide us a pleasant experience. In addition, his firm performed contract administration to ensure the builder was meeting all the specs. This was very helpful to a couple building their first home. We highly recommend Thomas Shafer Architects.

We have used Thomas Shafer Architects as our architect on a very large residential project and several smaller ones. Their services are world class. They are extraordinarily responsive, sensitive to every design need (in particular the consistency of the design with the overall setting), timely and conscious of construction costs. Having worked with other architects, we have not found anyone who comes close. We have nothing negative to say about the firm or its professionals, but rather only lavish praise. We strongly recommend that everyone consider them when residential architectural services are needed.

GSA/Shafer Architects designed our home remodel job, which included revamping our entire HVAC system and installing new windows to creating an addition with a beautiful kitchen, den and upstairs bedroom. They created a gorgeous design, and oversaw the project as our GC with a fine toothed comb. They have impeccable taste and distinct attention to detail. We are proud to have a home designed by Shafer Architects. They are nothing but the best!

Thomas Shafer Architects designed our beautiful modern home for us. From start to finish, Tom and his team focused on every detail from the doors knob to the landscaping. They took into account our tastes and expectations while creating an incredible space that feels modern and warm at the same time. It was a pleasure to spend many hours working with them in a project that resulted in our dream home. Throughout the process, Tom demanded the highest quality, and our house truly reflects their high standards. When the windows and wood panels did not come out exactly right, they were there to make sure the problems were corrected. We were most impressed by the way they combined the materials and designed the house to fit into the natural lakefront setting. I do not believe this partnership could be replicated with other firms.