Locale Design Build

I had the pleasure of working with Jim and Bill on an industrial loft project and they are incredible with designing to the art o the possible. From the ideation to the final product, they never missed an opportunity to integrate my preferences into their design and leverage my existing pieces. Their approach is client-centric and their expertise and tradecraft are unmatched. Looking forward to future projects and I cannot say enough great things about the experience with the Locale team!

We recently completed a kitchen, bathroom, and mudroom remodel in our 1920 home with Locale and couldn’t be happier with the results or the process. The project was smooth and organized from start to finish, and communication was fantastic throughout. We met with Jim and Bill several times before starting construction to discuss what we were hoping for, and were immediately impressed by their extensive knowledge of older homes. They created several designs that maintained the character of our home while adding modern touches, and gave us a detailed budget for the various options. Jim worked with us as we made selections to keep our budget on track, helping us decide where we could save and where it made sense to spend more. The budget was completely transparent, was updated regularly, and there were no surprises regarding costs which we really appreciated. Jim and Andy kept us informed about what to expect for the week during our weekly progress meetings. They worked with us to prevent and contain messes, and showed up daily to tidy up once the work was done for the day. They understand what it takes to manage a remodel in a house full of kids and dogs, and came up with solutions like installing a temporary kitchen in our laundry room. They very kindly dealt with our barking and jumping dogs, and maybe even left them better trained than when they started! Not only was the Locale team wonderful to work with, they brought in subcontractors who were professional, neat, and great at their jobs. Any concerns we had (and there were very, very few) were dealt with directly by Andy or Jim, and we just didn’t feel the stress of this project. Everything was completed on time and on budget, no small feat with the manufacturing and shipping delays caused by the pandemic. Locale was organized and strategic in planning ahead so all materials arrived on time and there were no major delays. Most importantly, this is a group of people you will be happy to have in your home (and that’s important when you spend many months together!). Not only are they knowledgeable and meticulous in what they do, they are fun to work with and so kind. We would use Locale again in a heartbeat for any future projects, and would highly recommend them to anyone.

Every person on our project, including the subcontractors, was professional, creative, hard-working and personable. Highly recommend Jim and the talented team at Locale Design Build.

We can't thank Jim and his team at Locale enough for their great work on our addition. We brought them a challenging project in that we wanted to add a space onto the back of our home that would work as a great studio for my wife, who is a Pilates instructor, to work with her clients in our home, but to design the space in such a way that it would also be a great addition to the home if not used for Pilates. The result is a beautiful space with bathroom, mudroom/entry, and large light-filled room. The home was built in 1908 and Locale created a space that seamlessly reflects the charm of the original, while also being updated where it matters. The amazing aspect of the addition is how hard it is for visitors to fully tell what is original and what is new. Jim and company are all such good people while also being so talented, which is a great combination. They have an amazing attention to detail too and to making sure everything is done right and to our satisfaction. We feel so very fortunate that we selected Locale for the work and love the results.

We recently completed an interior remodel project and would highly recommend Locale. The remodel encompassed the entirety of the main floor and the 2nd floor. We began working with Jim and Bill in August 2020 when they started learning about what we were hoping to accomplish with the project. Over a series of meetings last fall, they created a remodel design that combined our ideas with their extensive experience in creating visually appealing and useful living spaces. It was a fun process and they provided many good ideas that we would not have thought of on our own. We agreed to moved forward and the work started in early January 2021 and was completed at the end of May 2021. They have a good list of sub-contractors within each specialty and they've been working with many of them for years. The project proceeded on schedule and on budget and we were kept up on the progress with a weekly meeting and as needed communication. Andy, the day to day project manager, is awesome. He keeps everything running smoothly and his attention to detail ensures the quality of the work is topnotch. Jim stays actively involved throughout all aspects of the project and was onsite multiple times per week as well. We would definitely work with Locale again. It's a high quality team and they delivered high quality results.

We worked with the Locale team (Jim, Bill and Andy) on our 1905 home and are delighted with the results. We knew we could be more efficient with our space and didn't want to create an addition. Jim and Bill were great at coming up with creative solutions that improved the flow between our kitchen and dining room, created living space in our basement and accommodated a new mudroom and necessary storage without adding any square footage. We are thrilled with the new space, and everything fits! Plus, the communication and responsiveness of the Locale team throughout COVID was appreciated. We would recommend them without hesitation for any project. And, we hope to work with them again!

I was planning to remodel our kitchen and create a mudroom space for several years before it actually happened. I had interviewed and even paid for basic ideas from other architects before deciding to work with Jim and his team at Locale. Jim, Bill and Andy are professionals who are not only creative, but they are able to execute the plans with precision and fluidity. Locale's attention to detail is impressive and their cost structure is straightforward. Locale works with great sub contractors, who are the best of the best, delivering the results you expect. Jim and his team are always available to answer you calls and quickly address any concerns you have, big or small. The process, from the beginning to end, is straightforward and delivered us a well built and beautiful mudroom/kitchen addition that we absolutely love. I've done a lot of renovation projects and although this one was one of the largest ones, it was the smoothest and gave us the best results. I would recommend Locale to anyone and I would use Locale again in the future without hesitation!

We worked with the Locale team for nearly a year imagining, thoughtfully planning, and executing an extensive remodel project to our home. And, we are truly grateful to Locale team for the holistic end-to-end experience. As first-timers, we researched extensively and met with multiple design-build companies. We knew that Jim and the Locale team were the best partners for us as they were candid about the process, realistic and thorough when it came to budget, and exceptionally organized. Furthermore, Jim and Bill spent weeks getting to know us, thoughtfully asking questions and making recommends that ultimately brought both our aesthetic and functional design dreams to life. We loved these meetings! The execution of the project itself was fantastic. In fact, we continue to receive compliments from neighbors on the professionalism of the Locale team and all of the sub contractors who worked with Locale on our project. Remarkably, we stayed both on schedule and within budget. We always understood what was happening, as we met with the Locale team weekly throughout the 6-month build process. Our confidence in them never once wavered. The end result exceeded our high expectations. We are over the moon with our expanded, updated space! We love how the original frame blends into the addition, and how the style updates still hold nods to the original house. Thank you to Jim, Bill, Andy, and the entire Locale team for everything you do!

Locale was great in a remodel project on our condo. Jim and Bill both talked with us about our goals, cost options, and provided suggestions. They gave us time to think things over and were candid in talking about our ideas. They provided rough estimates of time and costs promptly and quickly provided specifics as we made decisions. They were generous with their time (met with us weekly) and explained the process very well. the end product was beautiful, completed on schedule and in accordance with the easily understood agreement we signed with them.

Great firm - Jim is very easy to work with. He has both a great design eye, but will also be honest with you about what might not be worth the added expense. Our project was really a large list of small projects which required a lot of coordination and supervision. There were a lot of unknowns going into the project so we opted to do it cost-plus. We were a bit nervous going in as we would bear the cost of any overages. The project finished on time and just a bit over budget (mostly due to our selections going over). I'd highly recommend Locale for any home remodel project.

This was our second project with Jim but instead of a remodel this one would merge building a dream home with the practicality of staying within a budget. With the Locale team, we managed to do both and had a blast doing it. How often do you hear the word “fun” with a new construction building project? Jim is a great educator when it comes to design options, budget trade-offs, and practicality. He engages your senses to draw out your concerns vs. desires, building your confidence for making the inevitable, tough decisions. Were their compromises, sure. Are we delighted with the result, absolutely. The home was built on a city lot (i.e., tear down ) and needed to blend into the neighborhood but still meet our criteria around contemporary design. Jim and Bill presented several designs and we collaborated, with a lot of assistance from Bill’s visual renderings, on the final one that accomplished both. After the design was finalized, we knew the building phase would be crucial to achieve the vision. Going from conceptual drawings to the actual structure could be challenging. Having Jim as the general contractor really put our minds at ease knowing that what was designed was going to be the finished result. I can’t say enough good things about the subcontractors that work with Locale. They were all very considerate, punctual, truthful about design decisions, and fun to work with. It was obvious they all loved the type of work they were doing. They all commented on the great work of the other sub’s. We even had a couple of the sub’s do additional work for us. Everyone who enters the house comments on the quality of the workmanship. We would, without reservation, recommend Locale for a remodeling or new home project. They were very honest through all phases of the project, including the unnoticed-to-us mistakes. They were responsive to questions and concerns. Importantly, we ended up within 1.5% of the original estimate attesting to thorough design and bidding.

We hired Locale to do a significant addition and remodel to our 1930s Minneapolis home after meeting with several other design-build contractors, and couldn't have been happier with our choice. Jim and Bill are both great architects and came up with a fabulous design for our project that met our needs, tastes, and budget. They then smoothly managed the construction process, with great communication and attention to detail along the way. Jim understands the challenges and realities of older home renovations, and knows how to design and bid these projects in way that avoids surprises and produces fabulous results. Jim is fair and transparent about costs and timelines, and sticks to his word. Our project came in both on budget and on time--even a little ahead of schedule. We would use Locale again in a heartbeat.