Johnson Architecture

We had a terrific experience working with Terri Johnson, Johnson Architecture, on a complete gut rehab in Chicago. Terri had great detail that she added to our plan, things we had never thought of. She was an expert in design, function, and even color selections. We appreciated her speaking up if our ideas needed tweaking and she was supportive if we still wanted things our way. Some architects take such control that they don't like taking a clients' suggestions. We were mindful to respect her time as a busy professional and likewise she was very good about managing time with us. Terri selflessly continued working and taking our calls when in the midst a her own family emergency. Her support continued through the construction process, while she was very busy with other clients she always managed to give us personal attention. She seems to have the tenacity required to get things done with the City. We would definitely recommend using Terri.

Terri designed and consulted with my contractor on major house remodel that I completed in 2011. She was very thoroughly both in planning and working through the options available to me. Fantastic attitude...always upbeat but realistic. For example, the design involved knocking down some walls. Once the walls were opened up, we discovered HVAC ducting which could have impacted the original plans but Terri simply rerouted the ducting and we were able to realize the original design. "All in a day's work", she said when I commented on her flexibility. Additionally, I credit Terri's expert support with keeping this project within budget and finishing up on time. Everyday I look at the remodel and am thankful Terri was involved in this work. My house is beautiful and I attribute much of the final result to Terri's good architectural eye and staying true to her design, which I fell in love with when she first presented it. Oh and one more thing I should add, when I was going through the vetting process to hire a contractor, Two or three of the five I interviewed commented positively on the detail of her drawings. Apparently that is not as common these days as you would think it should be.

In initial meetings Terri had a great, vibrant energy and displayed significant enthusiasm for the project. She worked out three potential layouts for my gut renovation of three-story Chicago row home. As I was completely gutting the property, the opportunities for arranging the space were wide open and I wanted to rely on her expertise to make sure I was getting the best possible use out of the space. Initially, I was a little concerned in the options she showed, and only when I asked an architecture student friend of mine to take a look did my concerns take shape. The options were awkward and did not really take advantage of the floor layout. My friend came up with an alternate layout that immediately made sense and highlighted the distinctly different reaction I had to the options from Terri. It was unsettling that I felt I couldn't rely on her expertise and advice in arriving at a good layout. Regardless, Terri took the layout from my friend and implemented it in the final drawings. Once we had the design down, the next stage was permitting. This was an exercise in frustration, mainly stemming from poor communication. The permit was held up for a weird zoning review that Terri indicated she had never seen before. Thus, the permit process was not following any sort of normal path. I never took issue with Terri for any delays from that hiccup. However, I found Terri to be uncommunicative regarding the process. I never received any information on the process unless I first sent an email inquiry. I felt I had to continually prod her to contact the project manager at the city to try to get answers to the continuing delays. Finally, when the zoning review resulted in a form that needed to be signed by the alderman, Terri punted the task back to me, insisting that I needed to take care of it. Terri was paid quite well for handling the processing of my permit with the city, and yet she refused to follow through on all the pieces. The only reason that I ultimately took care of this last piece (which required a significant amount of legwork on my part) was that I was not confident that Terri would see to it in any timely fashion. On the whole, working with Terri in the beginning of the project was enjoyable, as I was excited about the project I was taking on. As the work continued, I became concerned about the quality of ideas she presented, and then frustrated at the communication regarding process. Terri's emails frequently included indications that I was being unreasonable or that any delays were not her fault, which was incredibly frustrating as regardless of fault she was still responsible for the project. Ultimately, I believe that the experience would have been improved if Terri and I were better able to communicate. Hopefully, as she continues to work with clients she will improve her communication on the progress of projects, including avoiding a tendency to present excuses and "fault avoidance".

We worked with Terri at Johnson Architecture for a remodel of the front exterior of our house. We wanted to increase curb appeal and Terri was referred to us by friends. The result is fantastic. Neighbors, especially, were amazed at the transformation. She was so easy to work with, meeting deadlines and working around our crazy schedule, and was very responsive when we had any questions. Terri also interfaced with our contractor who remarked that she really knew what she was talking about. I would hire Terri again and would recommend her to friends.

I had the great pleasure of working with Terri a couple of years ago. We own a 130-year old house in Lakeview that we wanted to renovate. The project was extensive. We had to add a bathroom to the master bedroom, but, in order to accomodate that without adding any square footage to the house, we had to "borrow" space from the adjoining bedroom...which then meant we had to borrow space from the third bedroom. Very tricky, but Terri pulled it off. We now have a wonderful master bath, with a double vanity, clawfoot tub, etc. And, we still managed to get a walk-in closet. We gutted the kitchen and bath on the main floor, and re-did them both completely. Both rooms are beautiful, spacious and designed for efficiency. Finally, we re-did an old bedroom on the main floor that was poorly laid out; and now it is, in essence, a library that, due to the fact we put in a Murphy bed, and is adjacent to the full bath, can be converted into a guest suite. So, the design was great, and we continue to be thrilled by it. But, let me spend a few words about Terri herself. She was a joy to work with. In the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you that we have become close personal friends. But, you should also note that I DON'T generally become close friends with contractors we use. This happened because not only is Terri very skilled at what she does, but she is hands down one of the coolest people I know. She is super easy to work with. Like many homeowners, I imagine, we changed our thoughts several times throughout the course of the project. Terri rolled with us, no problems. But, she was hardly a "yes" man, meaning, she would listen to us, but not just say, "sure, no problem," she would give us her real thoughts, which sometimes meant, "I wouldn't do that if I were you." I have got to tell you, we needed to hear that from time to time. She has great taste in finishing materials, and she was the one who handled the building permit...which, in our case, was potentially very dicey (due to a water supply issue). But, she knows everyone she needs to know to get the job done, she knows when to be nice, and when to be tough. Bottom line, we could not have been more pleased. We are going to be re-doing our front porch, and there is only one architect I would consider for the job.

I'm an architect and my wife was a commercial interior designer for over 20 years. We had done the initial renovation on our 100+ year-old Kansas City house but with busy schedules decided to hire Terri Johnson of Johnson Architecture for the exterior renovation and additions. Not only was Terri a former colleague but we knew of her reputation as a remodeling specialist with a loyal following in Chicago. From start to finish, the collaboration was fun and fast-paced. We benefited from Terri's experience in many ways and have thoroughly enjoyed the results of the work ever since. The house gets so many compliments from passers-by and neighbors.

We were looking to add a second story to our brick bungalow along with moving some walls on the first floor. We needed an architect to create drawings, complete permitting, and help us see phase 2 goals for first floor and accomplishing as much as we could in our budget. We were also looking for someone who could assist us through the construction phase. We met with 3 architects and as soon as we met with Terri Johnson we knew the search was over. From the very first meeting with Terri we started to see our project come to life. She jumped right in and gathered so many details and was able to provide us with solid information about what we could do with our home. The concept drawings that she supplied were incredible and the best part was how quickly she picked up on the fact that my husband and I had a general idea of what we liked yet needed a push just beyond our comfort to build something we would love. Terri was always able to be reached by phone, email or text and was very responsive with us and our builder. She truly was our advocate on the job site, making sure that everything was done right and the way we wanted it. Terri went above and beyond offering design advice that would help compliment the architecture with lighting especially. As stated previously we hope to someday accomplish phase 2 on our home and when we do we will definately use Johnson Architecture Inc.

Terri, the owner, is great to work with. It was her vision for what I could do to fix the master bedroom which sold me on making the offer on my current home. We raised the roof, added/adjusted window placement, moved and expanded the closet and added a washer and dryer. Not to mention her off the cuff estimate of what it would cost was so close to actuals once I received the bids. Her energy and positive attitude and willingness to help through the construction process is another key attribute - as any homeowner who has done remodelling knows - you often need help staying "positive" through the mess.