Mason Miller Architect

Mason has done multiple projects for us including our master bed/bath/closet, master 2nd floor patio, total gut reno of coach house, warehouse reno into fitness center with sauna and more to come! He had us at hello (actually he first won over our Grandma who is now living in the coach house that he designed for her). Since that first project for Grandma, he's proceeded to win the rest of us over including my husband - who is not an easy sell.

I lived in my house for 8 years dreaming of all the ways I would make it perfect one day. After interviewing more than 10 architects, design build firms, and hobbyist renovation addicts turned "designer & GC", I was introduced to Mason via a builder who had worked with him. The builder spoke very highly of his work, and after spending some time with Mason, understanding his vision and even touring some of his other projects, it was clear he was the right fit to finally help me reach the aspirations I had for my home.

The job was huge - a full gut on the first floor, two full baths and a raised ceiling on the second, and a total makeover on the exterior. Aside from the great ideas that enhanced my vision as we discussed design concepts, I knew he was the right guy when a high level builder looked at his plans and said "who did these? These are some of the best architectural drawings and directions I have ever seen".

While I ended up using the builder who introduced me to Mason, the two of them worked very well together, respecting the ideas and challenges that crept up throughout the 8-month long project.

I have referred Mason to a number of friends and family who have all seen and admire my project, and I would highly recommend him for anyone looking to do a major renovation as he has the knowledge, skills and vision to achieve an outstanding finished product.

It looks like Mason does good work from what I can read here, however I never had the chance to find out because after cancelling an appointment on July 14th with a promise to reschedule the project after he returned from vacation on August 16th. He gave me no response to texts on 7/25, 8/11 or 8/17 to reschedule, then today after I left a voice message he tells me he's too busy for my project. I've wasted more than a month based on his empty promises. Of the few yelp reviews, there's also another complaint about similar selfish behavior. For fairness, I received a response (in photos) an hour later after my snap-back response. It doesn't change my review but I want to show the whole picture. I received Mason's text to my contractor (in photos) which came in between my expression of disappointment and his apology. (In case you want to hold Andre responsible for not communicating his message to me).

Perhaps the best thing that happened for me, my wife, and my Mid-Century ranch was that Mason and his wife relocated from San Francisco to the Chicago area. We could not be happier with the design and architectural assistance that Mason provided for us.

Extremely professional.
Strong design aesthetic but not overbearing -- i.e., respectful of client aesthetics.
Great with design finish choices.
Wide variety of services beyond just design layout and drawings -- extremely helpful in a variety of areas.
Creative in approaches.
Super easy to work with.

I've got friends who have (wisely) hired him based on my recommendation, I've got others who are sad that he's not local to them.

I am a horrible client - lots of changes, tendencies to micromanage, etc. By the end of our project, I had developed so much confidence in him that I stopped micromanaging and caught myself saying (repeatedly) "lets just go with what Mason recommends."

In terms of what he did:

Mason did design consulting and brainstorming on layout and renovation ideas. He sketched NUMEROUS alternatives for us to consider. He executed all permitting plans. He assisted with our selection of GCs. He interfaces with our GC to see that his / our vision is executed. He's shopped with me on numerous occasions for finishes (flooring, ceiling, cabinets, tile, etc.)

We're nearing completion of "Phase I" as we call it. We'll have other phases and I would not hesitate at all to hire him again (if he's available). Indeed, we have every intention of hiring him for Phases II, IIII, and IV when we get to them! Having recently relocated, Mason is like your favorite "unknown band" who you secretly hope doesn't get popular because it will harder to get "tickets to his show," but who you also hope has great commercial success.

To Yelp readers, please don't make him TOO popular so that he's still available to me to hire for that other work!

You can see photos of what he did here: http://www.houzz.com/projects/512847/glencoe-1950s-house-remodel

If you'd like to see the hideous "before" photos, check them out (as of October 27, 2015) here: http://tour.vht.com/390729074/991-edgebrook-glencoe-il-60022/photos

Having been a Residential General Contractor in Chicago for the past 35 years I have had a great deal of experience working with different architectural firms in the area. Mason is up there with the best. Both in his vision for design ,finished product and execution. Flexible enough to make good decisions in a timely manor and a very good communicator. Both essentials in successfully pulling off difficult custom projects. Would recommend him for custom residential projects .

We bought a small house in the north suburbs of Chicago. It needed a lot of work--very little natural light, very compartmentalized, low ceilings. I interviewed 5 architects, and chose Mason. He had good ideas from the start. The project is almost complete and we love the outcome--big spaces and tons of natural light.

Mason was extremely timely; he solved difficult design problems; very reasonably priced and stayed on budget; he was knowledgeable about local building codes; he pushed the engineer to find alternative solutions that would give more ceiling height; he answered all of my 500 questions without complaint.

And he is a very nice guy. Will definitely use him again.

We will post pictures when project is complete.

I'm a general contractor and I recommended Mason for an addition in Evanston. My customer was extremely happy with the outcome of the project. Mason is a fantastic and creative architect that designed the proper solution to the customers objective. From start to finish, MMA is an easy company to work with. My customer couldn't be happier with the outcome.

Mason did a fantastic job and went above and beyond. He came to the project with great ideas, tailored the design to our needs and budget, and then shepherded us through the overhwhelming number if decisions that followed. He helped us select a contractor, helped work with the contractor when reality and planning conflicted, and helped narrow down design choices to a manageable number. Mason was just great to work with, I can't recommend him enough.

Wanted to meet Mason Miller based on other reviews. Spoke with him and set up an appointment for today during the work day. Drove home and waited. At about 10 minutes past the scheduled time, I called to make sure he was on his way. Was told that he had totally forgotten about the appointment, and he asked if I was "already there?"

Won't be rescheduling. Perhaps too quick to judge, but writing down appointments and showing up on time is a pretty fundamental requirement in my book. Understand that mistakes happen, but I was disappointed in his response to missing the appointment and I was frustrated to have wasted time.

Sounds like he's a great architect, wish we could have met him.

When we set out to remodel our mid-century home in Noe Valley, we knew we had quite a puzzle on our hands. We had very clear objectives in our minds (add a master BR w/ ensuite bath, open up the floor plan to take best advantage of the views and add a half bath) but no idea how to make them all work at the same time, or if it was even possible. Especially given the cost-saving constraints we had set: keep kitchen and existing staircase in place. So after a relatively short exploration exercise, we were THRILLED and AMAZED with the creative and beautiful solution that Mason came up with that met each and every one of our objectives and then some!

At the end of the project, we have a smart and stunning new kitchen, a master suite that makes efficient use of limited square footage, an open floor plan that makes the most of breathtaking views, abundant natural light and the most charming half bathroom EVER. We honestly could not be happier with the results.

In addition to his fantastic vision and creativity, Mason is also a joy to work with! And not just from the client POV - our contractor and his subs thought so as well.

Highly recommended!!