DESIGNfirst Builders LLC

It was very expensive. Actually, it didn’t go well. The final product looks good especially the people who did the tile. When they were cutting down all the walls first, they took out the insulation at the attic and didn’t cover up. They allowed the cold air to come through the house. I had flue as well as bad cold. I had to finally call them because there were here only 2 or 3 days a week. When they said they were coming, they didn’t come. I had to call them and the guy was very apologetic. That should have never happened obviously and they shouldn’t have left it. In fact the inspectors were coming in so they went over and covered it. They also said they were going to cover a certain area with plastic so that it didn’t get all dirty. That fell down and they didn’t put it back up. There was dirt all over the floor. They were inconsistent as far as coming. They would say they were coming but they would not show up. Then they did the plumbing and after all the fancy work was done they had to cut that all out. They had to redo the thing again. The woman, who designed the bathroom, actually did a very good job. I was very happy with the design work but the process was poor. My husband at one point wrote an email and asked those guys whether they expected a BMW. They had to keep redoing the electrical according to what my husband had asked for.  They said they didn’t remember that. My husband said come and check downstairs; this is what I asked for. They had to come back and do that. I thought it would have taken 4 weeks but it lasted 2 months. I expected the noise but they were yelling. My dogs in time were running away from home. Finally, I went upstairs and asked them not to yell but talk to each other. They were standing right next to each other. They were not considerate. The arctic air was freezing. Sometimes, I worry that some of the problems that they had with the electrical and plumbing but I don’t know what’s behind the walls now.  I have no idea if they were doing substandard work. These were the problems that came up. The people who did the tile work were very, very cordial. They were very wonderful and they were very good. There was a young man who came and did the sanding. I think he came on Christmas Eve. He was very, very kind and a very good worker. He was respectful. I gave him a tip. Overall, my experience was poor. I would never use them again. I am having my kitchen redone and I am using other people. They didn’t put the door in right so it scratched the new wood and floor. I had gotten money from my dad when he died and this was something special that I was creating. My room was so dark. Anybody preparing to do that major remodeling has to be prepared for a lot of noise, sand and dust. When they didn’t go back and recover the area as promised, they left it so cold, they came only 2 or 3 days a week; it just extends the whole project forever. They already know that I am unhappy. I am still waiting for some material to be delivered and some of the plates over the light switches. It’s almost March and I have been waiting for 3 weeks. It’s the last finishing touches and I have spent this much money. I had another guy come in and do all the painting and crown molding. He did everything perfect. He does a lot of construction. On price, I did not measure other vendors. Actually, I went to another vendor and I never got the price. Sometimes they were professional. They did have a map that I could go to as to when certain things would happen. The problem with the map was they didn’t tell us in advance. On the map there were big gaps in time when people were going to be there. I would just call my husband and say no one came. He would call the guy who was managing the project saying that no one was here today. There were people in there who were very professional and some not at all. It was an extremely frustrating experience. It was not explained to us in the beginning.

They finished exactly on time and a little under budget.  All of the work was to our expectations or beyond them.  They were clean, professional and superior craftsmen.  An aspect that we especially appreciated was the frequent communication.  Someone from Design First was always available to us.  If there was a day or two when no work was being done, they told us ahead of time and told us exactly when they would be out next.  My wife and I highly recommend them.

In July of 2013 Nick did a design for our kitchen and bathrooms.  We liked the design.  November 1, 2013 the demo was done
on our home.  It took about 3 days to demo the kitchen and laundry room bathroom.  They had to re-enforce a beam from the kitchen to the family room.  That took about 3 days.  The electrician came in to put canned lights in kitchen and family room.  He also did all the wiring in the laundry bathroom and kitchen.  The dry wall was put up in 3 days.  We had 3 doors replaced.  On November 11 we had new windows put in family room. On November 27 all walls were primed.  Then the hardwood floors were put in. Cabinets in kitchen were put in and the new island was put in.  December 12 all granite countertops put in.  On December 14 the backsplash was tiled.   The kitchen and family room were finished December 20, 2013.
January 7, 2014 they demoed the main bathroom. The electrician put in electrical.  Put in new vanity and tiled flooring and bathtub area. 
All the workers that came to our home were friendly and courteous.  I liked how they always cleaned up after finishing
for the day.  Mike was the supervisor of all the workers.  He did a great job of supervising and making sure I was
pleased with everything.  Mike would e-mail me everyday about what went on for that day and let me know what was
going to go on the next day. 
Design First does excellent work and is a wonderful company to do business with.  I would recommend Design First
to anyone.

Also check our review on Pella Windows as Pella introduced us to Designfirst and coordinated start to finish.

Matt from Designfirst was our Job manager and was the best!

We could not be more satisfied.

For the upper bed room and guest room we are planning to have Designfirst do the re-hab this coming spring.  Shawn is the designer we are working with.

We were kept informed of the expected completion dates of all aspect of the remodel.  The supervisor stopped by several times to check on the progress of our project.  We received email updates several times a week and were very pleased with the level of communication.

It was awesome. We met with Tony and he got to know us, our lifestyle and what we were dreaming to do. He walked through the house and he came up with creative ideas, many we would NEVER have come up with ourselves. He warned us that the things we were most apprechensive about would probably be our favorite things, and he was right! He has a great vision. I also like his honesty. If he thinks one of our ideas would look hideous or wouldn't fit with the overall plan, he let us know it. He would also tell us if what we were thinking wasn't worth the money ( from his experience). He's not a "yes" man... he just tells it like it is. I think this is one of the qualities and benefits that set Design First apart from other companies.It puts them on an entirely different level.
 After we decided upon the overall vision, we worked with Carrie and she helped us with the details of the design. What could have been an overwhelming process, she helped guide us while still letting our vision come through. Our project manager, Matt, was the BEST! I can't imagine getting though a remodeling project without him. If something comes up, he was just a phone call away and fixed any problem. Were there delays? Here and there. Of course!  When you are dealing with a project this big, that happens with whoever you hire. Nothing big and no big deal. What I love about Design First is that they truely care about quality. If something wasn't up to their expectations, they would do it again, or fix it until it was... even if it came out of THIER pocket. I like their integrity. 
Bottom line, you will find design/remodeling firms out there that are cheaper. I can tell you from experience, Design First is the way to go. They are honest, creative, and will give you something even better than you dreamed
p.s. Design First worked on a few other houses in the neighborhood, and each one is better than the next. I especially love what they did to a friends master bath. I have no idea how Tony dreamed up the unique layout... I'm saving my pennies so he can do something special to mine!

Design First took the bathroom to the studs and redid our entire bathroom…making it more efficient and looking great.

DESIGNfirst met or exceeded all of our expectations in every facet of the project.  Here is what my wife and I liked.
1) First, a DESIGNfirst architect created what looked like a "three dimensional" color drawing of their design for our first floor. 
2) Once the design for our renovation was agreed upon and references were visited, only then was a contract signed.
3) Then a personal portal for our project on the DESIGNfirst website was created for all communications.  All emails, contracts, architectural drawings, photographs, and the project plan were stored  and maintained within our personal, password protected portal. 
4) The project plan created for our renovation was completed on time per the plan.  DESIGNfirst never fell more than a day or two behind plan and in most cases was  ahead of plan... which more than amazed us.
5) Payments were made prior to the start of each new phase of the project.  This made me feel very good about writing a check.  I knew before I ever put pen to checkbook that one phase of our project was completed and another phase was about to begin.
6) Different skilled craftsmen were brought in for each phase of the project, e.g. design, demolition, framing, electrical, drywall, flooring, cabinetry, siding, roofing, painting.   I was amazed at how many different individuals worked on our home.
7) Yet, what impressed me the most about the entire project was that a project manager was assigned to our project. That was not unique.   However, when I asked our project manager what his responsibilities were as our project manager his answer was unique. His response was one simple sentence... "To make your wife and you happy!" (note the order priority).. and that was exactly what he did throughout the project!
One last, but maybe the most important point to be made...   every DESIGNfirst craftsman treated our home like a residence and not like a new construction site. Plastic walls were put in place, with zippers, to catch the dust but not us. Floors were covered throughout the first floor.  And everyday the entire area, inside and out, was swept clean and tools and materials were stored so we could live our lives with minimal mess.

In the design stage we were impressed with Tony's ideas that we had not thought of, even after extensive research on our own. We were able to get our double oven and cooktop, in addition to the huge buffet for entertaining.  His finishing touches made our kitchen look and feel custom.
Tony took full responsibility of the project from begining to end which took the edge off of us.  We were able to communicate what we really wanted and he delivered. 
During installation, when small issues or changes came up, Tony was calm and diffused the situation quickly.  Every issue was solved in a timely manner to our liking.  We were able to trust his decision making.
Both during and after the installation, Tony made several visits to check on the work personally.  He made sure that the installation was completed accurately and at the same time, respected our time constraints.  
The kitchen is our favorite spot to hang out and entertain! It turned out better than we expected.  Not only do we love the end result, but it was affordable and fun!
If I had to do it all over, I would do everything the same.  We love the design which was a significant upgrade from our original kitchen,  the quality of the products (cabinets / flooring) are high-end (both attractive and durable) and it was completed before our deadline.

Great experience. They really worked to accommodate our special situation of having an elderly parent in home. Work was professionally done and turned out beautifully.

They are good, but they are expensive. They did everything they said they would do. They were very up front with everything.

They have great ideas and decent pricing with fantastic work. Matt, the project manager, comes when he is called and is very reliable.

Good coomunication system via phone from project manager and email system.  A few minor glitches on timing based on some issues with availability of carpeting and countertops, and some faulty switches had to be replaced, but end result exceeded expectations.

I like that they have designers to help you figure out what will work best for you. The designer was able to come up with solutions to problems that we could not have foreseen. They were very responsive to any issues that came up or concerns we had and took care of things very promptly. The guy they had out doing the work was fast and efficient, but also very thorough. He often arrived early to work. The project manager was generally here when he said he would be, but there was the occasional tardiness. It wasn’t that that big of a deal though. We liked them so much that after the bathroom remodel that we hired them for the kitchen. I also like that they have a web-based tool that allows you to see everything that is going on with your project. You can see the schedule and kind of work ahead. You can see all of your selections and prices. They were flexible with us not using them for some of their materials. We ordered some materials (e.g. faucets) on our own which saved us some money.

We wanted a ?wow? kitchen design and got one- that was good.  D1 ?toothed? in the new flooring we added in the family room.  It had not been listed in the contract specs but they did it anyway.  There were times when the sequencing of project left too many gaps so it did not move along in a timely manner.  Problems were identified,even up to the level of the president of the company, but follow-up did not assure to make sure it was resolved.  We were told that D1 would make things right and, by and large, they did.  But, if it is done right the first time, a redo is not necessary.
 The wrong cabinet line was entered in the contract specs, costing 45% more.  The wrong display cabinets were sent out and installed. The crown molding did not butt up to the ceiling- only measured the ceiling height in one place.  Old houses
are never plumb or level.  This should have taken into account in the project development.  Electric to the display cabinet lights was installed wrong.
The exterior railing was under measured by 50%.  The exterior doors were sent out with the wrong size jambs- twice.  The repair work on my bay window was done three times- twice how they wanted to do it and finally how we wanted it.  The hardwood kitchen floor was installed.  We suggested cutting the floor vent first.  It was cut after the installation- into the conduit.
There were costs issues with these problems.  We adjusted the project scope and/or product selection to accommodate this problem. We really wanted to stay on budget. Some of the issues we encountered are indicative of the industry, some not.
Would we use them again?'Yes" was marked since an answer is required but we don't really know.  We were very involved in the project so these issues were very disappointing . We'd be happy to talk to interested parties.

Initially DesignFirst seemed the best choice for our project. We needed to have a feature wall build over the existing half-wall in our loft condo. This half-wall opened up to the lower level and for the safety of our new child it needed to have an addition build on to it. The initial consultation with Sean was great, he originally quoted us that we could get this done for around $3000, which was cheaper than every other designer we had met with. (Full disclosure we had just prior to this been burned by another design firm who created designs way over our budget). So it seemed that this was the best option. We were told that this project was rather "small" for this firm but that they would do it anyway.
Once we had actually gotten the design the total estimate had jumped up to $6000. Not a big surprise since, from our experience, designers always low ball the estimate and then jump it way up, but that's not just our experience here, that seems prevalent throughout the design industry. But as we were on a time crunch we signed off on it, needing this project completed before our daughter's birthday.
There were further design changes that were discussed and implemented which I was told would lower the cost and that they would be able to design a custom baby gate for our stairs, as the place I wanted to have it was not a straight shot from wall to wall. We then had to play phone tag with the designer so that he would come and pick up our check to allow the woodworking / fabrication step to begin. I had 2 mornings where I was told by Sean that he would come and pick up the check, but those were both no-call-no-shows. I received no notification from him that he would not be there and had to call / e-mail him to attempt another pick up. He finally showed up on the third attempt and the construction began. 
The installers that they sent were wonderful. I did find it odd though, that in accordance to the contract there should have been a check written at the beginning of  work. No one asked for any check, so I thought nothing off it. The wall installation went great, the installers worked diligently and cleaned up every bit of mess. But when it came time for them to install the gate (which wasn't actually assembled yet), they discovered that they had the incorrect hardware for the job. They were sent with a simple slide bolt for a door and 90 degree hinges. This after I had only asked them to design the gate because it wasn't a 90 degree applicable space. So I discussed what I had originally thought was the design for the gate with the installers and they immediately went out to try and find the correct hardware for it. When they couldn't find the hardware they told me that they could easily order it and finish the install the following Monday. That seemed reasonable to me, so I agreed. I then asked about payment (having actually read the contract and knowing that some payment should have been made at this point). But they told me they didn't take money, just did installs. I assumed this meant that it would be taken care of when they returned for the gate install. I also asked them to have the carpenter or designer call me when they got back to the office. 
Two weeks later, I receive an e-mail from Sean, with some links to hardware websites and he asked that I pick new hardware for the gate. These websites were predominantly drawer knobs / door handles and had nothing to do with my issues. I asked why it took so long to get back to me and told him that these websites didn't really have anything to do with my problems. I also asked for an estimate of final payment without the gate included. I received no response from Sean as to the time delay. I was only sent invoices from here on out. Nor did the company even seem to express any interest in finishing the gate, they just assumed that I had chosen to entirely omit it. 
The first invoice sent to me was for the Original quote, which did not even include the design changes we had discussed a week before the install. So I sent them another e-mail saying that this was the incorrect price, told them the date I was quoted the new price and again would like the quote to reflect a deduction in cost for the gate not being used. They then sent me the corrected statement for the total with the new design changes, but not the deduction for not having the gate, yet again. I replied that I needed a statement with a deduction for the gate as I will not be paying for something I did not receive. Almost a week later, I received the final statement with a deduction for the gate. 
Overall, this company does good work, but it seems unless your project is well over $10,000 or so in worth, don't expect to have good customer service. Expect that you will have to track them down and hound them with most things. Also if you do seem to have any complaints, apparently don't expect any sort of real reply from the company to attempt to rectify them. I still have not received any sort of apology or explanation as to why it took them 2 weeks to respond to my issues. And none of the e-mails I did receive with the invoices actually included any text or explanation as to the continued mis-quoting. 
Now I will say that I would work with the installation team, any day of the week. They were great. But the overall communication of this project left me rather disappointed.

We have a porch which runs along the entire front of our home.  For multiple reasons, the concrete porch was breaking up and sinking.  DesignFirst came in and identified the problems, which was an important factor because several other contractors were unwilling or unable to take on the job.  They proposed a new porch be built after tearing out the old porch and some landscaping adjacent to the porch.  The real value added by DesignFirst was when their designer envisioned several upgrades to the porch which have left our home looking much nicer than before.  Changes include widening the porch, replacing the wood posts with new posts which sit on top of stone piers, and adding a gable over the front door.
During the demolition phase, they discovered multiple underlying conditions which they repaired at additional cost (but a fair cost since we quoted out for these repairs separately).  These included holes in the roof above the porch, and unstable ground beneath the poured concrete primarily from a cracked sewer line.
The most important part of this review is discussing that we had a problem with the finished carpentry work which was possibly a result of wrapping up the work when it was very cold in January.  When spring came around some of the wood flexed and we had large gaps in our porch ceiling.  Tony and Jon both came out to inspect and despite the project having been completed month earlier, they stood behind their work and fixed the ceiling.
The original design called for additional features which we asked them to carve our into a "Phase II" project, which we hope will be completed this summer.  It will be mostly new features added to our home instead of being primarily repair/upgrade work.  We are happy with our relationship with DesignFirst and look forward to using them again in the future.

From the inception of our Bathroom remodeling project, the senior designer, interior designer and the project manager all worked with us to ensure our total satisfaction. Design 1st advertises " The get it right attitude you deserve" and they certainly followed thru from beginning to end. Would highly recommend them for any remodeling project.

It's a pretty large company and they have their own showroom and everything. They still have to come back and finish a couple of things, but we are very happy with the things they did. They are one of those places that helps you design and pick out the tile and stuff, but it was what we wanted and they did a nice job. They started the project in February, but we went out of town for a while which meant they couldn't work on it. The price was mid-range and we are thrilled with the job that they did. We actually checked like four different places, but they have a really good rating on Angie's List which is why I joined. They're very good and whenever there was any work the project manager wasn't happy with he had them redo it. He was very concerned with the work being virtually perfect. We certainly feel like we paid for it although they let us know the price of the material, so if the price was really high it was probably our own fault. They were really upfront with us. I wouldn't say that they were cheap in terms of the workers work, but they also were very high caliber. They were responsive, but it would sometimes take awhile before the action was actually completed. They always called back like the same day or within a day of my inquiries. They were also pretty close to being there when they said, but not every time. They would usually call up and apologize if they didn't make it. They have a website system that allows you to track the progress of your work and also to send messages back and forth.

See above

They were great! They were punctual and always arrived on time. They also finished the project within the time frame and I was very happy them and the results.

The process took a long time from start of getting proposal to completion. 4 months. The contractors they use were good but I really had to pin them down to start times. I was able to select my own products to use, (other than those available in their showroom) and I felt I had more experience than their designers, but overall my bathroom is beautiful and it was a quality job.
They also built my vanity to my specs. It turned out beautiful.

It was excellent.  The design was something that really surprised us, made us feel uncomfortable and something we would have never designed ourselves.  That is part of their process.  In the end we couldn't be happier.  Now the truth is any home remodeling project has bumps in the road.  Does everything go perfect.  Are there challenges and come up and delays you didn't expect.  Yes.  If you don't expect this coming in to something like this you're just fooling yourself.  When things went wrong they addressed it in a timely fashion to our satisfaction.  Lastly, they aren't the most expensive and they aren't the cheapest.   They are a mid to upper premium alternative but like all things in life you get what you pay for.  There are so many horror stories out there.  If you're going to spend that type of money, you need someone that is reliable, stands by their work and does fantastic work.  Designfirst is that type of company.  I would recommend them to friends, neighbors and colleagues.  One of the best builders to work with in Chicago.

We were very satisfied with the end result; we were very unsatisfied with the process. Let us review the positives first. The design was quite good - responsive, good ideas. The design did not change the kitchen's footprint much, but the company made suggestions that created space, improved storage, & dressed things up. The person who helped us choose cabinets, tile, and other design elements was excellent. The end result was very good, and the company's 5-year guarantee on everything is hard to beat.
The process, however, was painful for us. We've been through a complete kitchen remodel before, so we know things go wrong and a construction project is never without problems. In our prior remodel, the job manager was there every day working with us through various issues that came and involving us in the decisions. So we felt like we knew at all times how the project was going, and that someone had ownership (the project manager). D1st used subcontractors extensively, and often they were not adequately supervised. This resulted in some significant mistakes being made, and--after we pointed out these mistakes--at least a couple of weeks of additional time coming back to fix them. We never felt that anyone had ownership of our project. We needed to contact the project manager several times, both to point out issues, and in some cases simply to find out how far along things were (we were not living in the house). Communication was poor, until just before the project was completed and our final payment was due.
We generally give high ratings on this site, and we would like to give D1st a higher rating. As we say, the end result was good, and the design was good. We feel that they would be well-served by having an onsite job manager, versus a roaming project manager who is probably over-worked. Communication during a project is critical - we generally did get responses from the project manager, but it was very re-active, not pro-active. The company does have an online 'Project Status' scheduling tool and timeline -- which was very attractive when we signed on. However, the scheduling portion of this tool was rarely updated, and was sometimes a couple of weeks out-of-date.

Everything worked out well and we are very pleased with the results. We have taken every opportunity to show off our new addition, master bath, laundry room and deck to friends and relatives.
DesignFirst was very cooperative at every stage of the project and our "team" was always helpful along the way, even when we asked for little "tweaks" as the project progressed. 
The original plans did not include a deck or patio, but we were so pleased with  the other remodeling we added that project on to the end after the remodeling was complete.
We will definitely use them again in the future.