Less than a year ago we moved to Chicago and purchased a 2 bed/2 bath condo that needed full renovation. After interviewing various contractors, we decided to go with Arete Renovators who was recommended by our realtor. Their experience and knowledge shone through, and though theirs was not the least expensive estimate we received, we knew we’d be getting quality work. There were a variety of pre-construction meetings, and after our condo board approved our project we were set to go. The actual work took 3 ½ months to complete which seemed appropriate for the scope of work involved. We also made quite a few change orders to have things done that were not initially planned on, so this added time and cost to our project as well. Arete handled these additions with professionalism and flexibility. They also took care of all the building requirements and city permits, and worked hard to meet all deadlines (building as well as personal).
The overall workmanship of the carpenters, electricians, designers, painters, tilers etc. was excellent, and if any mistakes were made, they were promptly corrected. Arete worked with us to re-mediate any problems and the overall level of responsiveness and communication was high. I was in constant direct contact with the project manager, who was also on-site doing much of the work (in addition to handling all the details of the project). For me, this was preferable to dealing with a third party or “middle-man” because I think communication is best when you can speak one with the workers themselves.
Our condo came out beautiful and is truly the “dream home” we had hoped it would be. It wasn’t an easy process, but now that we’ve come through to the other side we can finally say it was worth it. I definitely recommend Arete for whatever renovation you have in mind- just keep communication open and be explicit about what you want them to do.