Archetype Design and Construction

Lorenzo and his crew installed 4-​season glass doors, along with new tile and paint to my terrace, and from the opening bid to finished work Lorenzo was honest, prompt, knowledgeable, reliable and – when we encountered problems with an elevator – resourceful and unflappable. The finished work is impeccable, a whole new room in the clouds, surpassing my highest hopes. Can a contractor change your life? This one did mine. He’s an artist, and a purely good human to boot. I offer my highest recommendation, without reservation. Thanks, Lorenzo!

I was inquiring about a bathroom remodel and Archetype replied promptly with the services they provide. Thank you.

I’d like to thank Lorenzo and his crew for a job well done! I had my basement finished… drywall, electrical, painting and carpeting. It was a breeze working with Lorenzo. I did not have to worry about scheduling crews to work on this… or work on that. He did it all! It was like a «turn-​key» operation. I did not have the time nor the interest in working through such a project and was relieved to find a company that would manage the project efficiently, without hiccups. I saw my basement transform from a dark space to a brightly light, sleek, space ready to decorate for entertaining. I recommend Archetype Design and Construction without a doubt. This team «rocks» and takes the worry out of construction. Thanks Lorenzo!

My husband and I got a bid from Lorenzo for a bathroom gut job. He was very knowledgeable, very personable, and his bid was very clear and thorough. Through no fault of his, he went with someone else (friend of a friend)… but we would not hesitate to reach out to him again in the future.
Thanks you Lorenzo for your time, we hope to work with you at some point in the future!

Archetype just installed washer/​dryer hookups in my condo. Lorenzo (as well as every person who worked on the project) was amazingly professional, courteous, punctual, and in spite of a hiccup along the way they stuck to the established timeline for the project from start to finish. What impressed me beyond the agreed upon work was the attention to detail — from the patching and painting at the end to the «hey, that old outlet looks like crap why don’t we replace it while we are in here with a newer one» I can’t say enough about what a pleasant experience working with Archetype has been.

I spent my morning calling around to find a contractor to give me an estimate for a house I wanted to purchase (unfortunately, it’s a monday and afternoon — so it’s clearly a last minute request). Although I am still searching, I can firmly state that should I proceed with getting more than an estimate I’ll seriously consider giving Lorenzo a call. He was professional considerate and took more time out of his day than necessary given that I was merely a prospective client.

Lorenzo and his team were great to work with, any questions I had were answered promptly. The «guys» were all friendly and helpful and tried to keep dirt and dust to a minimum. They were always there when they said they would be. My kitchen is totally updated and it has made some of my neighbors jealous. GOODBYE 1990s!
Can’t wait to start on the bathroom, even though it will be dusty.

As first time homeowners, we were excited and nervous about jumping into the renovation process. With the added baggage of having an interior design background and severely picky creative mindset, the search was on for the perfect contractor to lead the brigade. We were so fortunate to have found Lorenzo and his skilled team of leaders and craftsmen. Having a basic idea of what we wanted, we really relied on Lorenzo and his team to find and offer solutions to our wish list.
Lorenzo showed up promptly and on time to our very first in-​home meeting (and every meeting after that). It was a small gesture, but it set the tone for the rest of the project. His great personality and easy-​going mentality won us over and served as an added value on top of his expertise and knowledge.
As with any renovation, we came across some bumps in the road, and Lorenzo always made us feel at ease and offered skillful solutions to keep the project on track. And, boy, it was full steam ahead! As impatient people, we were anxious to see results quickly. The amazing team of professionals worked fast without compromising integrity. In the end, we took out drywall, reconfigured spaces, painted and refinished the fireplace (Lorenzo helped us select the most gorgeous slab of marble for our fireplace and bookcases), lighting/​electrical, and refinished our floors (completely transformed the original 1920s wood flooring into fresh, stunning floors perfect for our modern day home).
Now, we begin gearing up for phase two and three, and we can’t wait to see this house continue evolving into our «home». We can’t thank Lorenzo, Tom, and the incredible team for helping us take the first step into doing just that.

Lorenzo and his team are the absolute best! I had a great feeling about him from the first time he saw my place. He came by with his assistant and was thoughtful, kind, and attentive. He took great care to listen to my needs and to understand my design aesthetic. My insurance company and Home Owners Association gave me the run around for months but Lorenzo was available for questions and clarifications to his quotes whenever needed. He is truly the bee knees! Even though I did not go with Lorenzo and his team for my rebuild, I would totally pick him to do upgrades for my condo as he has a great eye for design. I know that in the future should I ever need any upgrades to my home, he would will be at the top of my list.

I realized I never wrote a review for the work Lorenzo did in my loft condo in September. Because I love it so much, I thought I better write one. Lorenzo remodeled my guest bathroom and totally transformed it. I had a bathtub taken out and replaced with a large walk-​in shower. His people did a great job! Lorenzo himself was accessible to me throughout the whole process and came over many times to discuss my options, show me samples, etc.
I also want to mention that he worked with Mary Garst, a bathroom and kitchen designer. She came over, measured and drew up a plan and met me at tile and lighting showrooms. Never having done a remodeling project as large as this, I would have been overwhelmed with the choices if it had not been for her expertise.

To be clear, honest and not confuse anybody: We didn’t have any work done by Archetype but only an initial consultation on a kitchen remodel that we were looking to do. Lorenzo came over and was really nice, polite and seemed to know what he was talking about. We had preliminary drawings done by a friend of ours, so we showed Lorenzo the ideas we had and that we’d welcome any feedback from him. He gave us his ideas after spending about an hour at our house and told us we’d hear from him in about a week. 10 days went by and after not hearing from him I emailed Lorenzo asking him if he was still interested on the job. He emailed back a proposal with very little details and this really high total price for the job! Part of this job requires removing a load bearing wall and he didn’t even have an architect come over our house to look at things! Neither did he provide us with any samples or drawings of what the cabinets would look like! What kind of person would sign a contract like this?

Called archetype Design and construction, because of a water/​structural issue we are having with our place. We spoke with the owner Lorenzo. He was very helpful, thourough, and honest. He quickly scheduled a date and time with my Fiancé and I, and came out out promptly. He was very down to earth and honest with us. Very good people person! I would definitely call him again, and refer others!!!

Unilocal comes through again. We were fortunate enough to purchase a new home and we wanted to do a complete gut in the kitchen. I originally had Lorenzo at our previous home to do some bathroom renovations but we decided against it. Luckily we kept his info close because shortly after, we closed. First impressions are a big indicator in my book when it comes to contractors. At both appointments, he showed up promptly. He took a look at the scope of the work and then he wanted to get a feel for what was on our wish list. My family has been through two major renos in two separate homes so we are comfortable with the idea that there has to be a general target budget for a contractor. We explained what we wanted vs. what we needed. He gave us an immediate idea as to what we should expect to spend based on the scope of the work. I did quite a bit of research to find out what a project like ours would cost and scoured the forums that were available. His numbers were very much in line with what we thought which was a plus. We had a handful of meetings to get all the details ironed out – this included meeting with a designer (from Seigle’s in Lincoln park, Mary Garst is fantastic), and a few more for measurements and to spitball any last minute ideas. They got right to work and his crew moved fast, especially with the gut.
One of the best things about Lorenzo is his ability to walk you through every stage. He explained everything in detail about what was involved, what they needed to do, any added cost and certainly how to get around any problems they encountered. The biggest issue we had was when we took out a wall separating the dining/​kitchen area. We had two of our forced air feeds that led to the upstairs in that wall and it was a pain to get around. I will tell you that Lorenzo has «a guy» for everything. They came in, looked at it and sewed it up the next day. Added cost yes but to avoid a delay on the finished product was worth it – also, we went into the reno knowing that you have to assume an added 10% for the unexpected. He also gave me a great referral for carpeting for two floors in our house (I had three quotes and it wasn’t close as far as quality and price). We also threw a wrench into the plan about a week in – we wanted to gut a second floor bathroom. So now we are knee deep in two huge projects. He had half his crew work on the bathroom specifically so we could start moving things into the 2^nd floor earlier. The other half obviously worked the kitchen.
The best (and worst part for me mentally) was tile choice: My wife and I wanted to get tile from Tile Outlet to save because we had done it before and it worked out. The problem is that my wife teaches and is also a student so she had no time to sit in a store and browse for hours. I had to relay everything and take pictures which never does any justice to actuality. We (Lorenzo and I) made five trips to three different places to look, and over the course of two weeks. We couldn’t make up our mind and each time Lorenzo told me not to choose until we knew it was right. He took all the pressure off and we are really grateful because we got a finished product that we wanted, knowing we will be living with it for a long time. He never rushed me and always told me the most important thing was to make wifey happy. Truer words have never been spoken.
We finished both projects in a little over eight weeks, that is after two cabinets were the wrong fit so we had to wait for those to finish. In the end, we have our dream kitchen and an amazing bathroom complete with rain shower and floating vanity. Our kitchen is higher end but not crazy (before and afters provided). We are thankful to have found Archetype design on Unilocal.There is a clear reason why they have perfect ratings. We would recommend to anyone looking to do reno, regardless of what the scope is. Reliability and quality is what they provide and you can’t do much better than that when it comes to your home.
Pics are on the Archetype link for Unilocal

I read so many good reviews about this guy, however, I called him and informed him that I had a big rehab project, he stated he was busy and would have to go grab a pen and paper to take down my info and would call me back, I am STILL wanting for the call back. I feel that if a company wants to do business with a potential customer, the customer should not have to run after them and constantly call. No business here!

I high recommend Archetype design and construction! We got our walls painted and installed backsplash in our kitchen. They totally rocked it! Everything looks so good and perfect. We would totally work with them again!

Lorenzo and his crew were great guys to work with. I had them do bathroom remodel, drywall repair, and general painting throughout my condo.
What really impressed me:
–They showed up on time to start the job. Lorenzo showed up on time for the initial estimate and was really friendly, didn’t try to push for anything I didn’t need, but pointed out some damage I hadn’t noticed before. When I opted to have them start, they showed up right when they said they would.
–They wanted to complete the job ASAP so I could get my place back to normal. Lorenzo’s crew had estimated 2 – 3 days for the work, at at the end of the 2^nd day they asked if they could stay late to finish it up. Which was awesome.
–The work was top-​notch, cleanup was thorough, Lorenzo came by to check it the next day to make sure it was done right.
I would definitely use these guys again.

We needed some work done to improve the soundproofing and smoke-​proofing of our condo, which included building an entirely new wall to close-​off a a loft bedroom. Lorenzo quickly identified the most cost-​effective way to achieve what we wanted, and then delivered exactly what we were looking for.
This was a pretty major project, and while Lorenzo and his team wouldn’t sacrifice quality for speed, they took down and replaced two walls, built a third wall, painted all those walls, repaired and repainted a two story cathedral ceiling, and painted two other rooms all in less than two weeks, and at a price that did not break the bank.
Obviously I’m glad to give Lorenzo a very positive recommendation, and will use him again the next time we need work done.

I hired Archetype Design to repair some water damaged drywall & paint a level of my house. Lorenzo & his guys were great! I was most concerned about the drywall since it was in a weird corner of my kitchen. Needless to say I was more then impressed with the patch/​paint job that was done. It looks like new & I couldn’t be happier. I also have oak molding, cabinets & hard wood floors. The guys were very tidy when doing corners & edges and did not splatter paint any where (i had this problem in the past with other contractors).
Overall I couldn’t be happier & will definitely be hiring Archetype Design for my next home renovation project.

When our Old Town condo needed a plethora of work done — shaving down doors, putting in new carpet, patching and painting, roofing rework from the previous contractor — a friend recommended Lorenzo and Archetype.
Reluctant to try yet another different contractor, we requested they first take a look at our half-​completed roof project from the previous team. Not only did Lorenzo immediately identify, without prompting, what needed rework and what was still outstanding, but his team was there the next day. Within two weeks, the job that had previously take three months was done and done correctly.
Archetype has been great on every nook and cranny we’ve thrown at them, consistently over-​delivering and impressing at every turn.
It’s nice to finally have a «go-​to guy» in the city. Highly recommended.

I contracted Archetype Design and Construction to do painting on several rooms of my condo, both upstairs and down. They did a very high quality job and the end result was amazing. They also did an excellent job in working with my very tight timeline. The crew was prompt, polite, and well-​skilled. They always left a neat work site every night over the few days it took to complete. All the workers were professional to deal with and I had no issues what so ever.
They even went above and beyond doing the contacted job. One of the evenings I was late to get home and they even walked my dogs for me!!! Talk about full service. I plan to use them in the future.