Orren’s group built a new house for us in 2014.
We can say two things about Orren:
1. The workmanship and craftsmanship is flawless
2. He delivers what he promises…on time

Ghousia Wajida

Orren Pickell Building Group’s motto is “Live the rest of your lives in the home of your dreams.” And, since OPBG designed and built our home, that’s exactly what we have been doing. The house is beautiful inside and out. The graceful exterior design has so much drive up appeal, we regularly see people stop and take pictures of the house, probably to show their builder! Inside, the house is the most livable we’ve owned, comfortable when immediate family is home but also great for Superbowl parties or grilling in the back yard with friends. We have large dogs and OPBG offered several suggestions (such as the dog shower in the garage) that make daily life with our pets happy and easy. Our project was on time and under budget.

William Voss

We went with Orren Pickell because of their reputation to build the best homes in the Northshore. My husband and I are perfectionists so it took us more than 3 years to build our dream home from planning to building completion. We are extremely satisfied with their customer service (from receptionist to architect, Tom H., CabinetWerks designer, all the way up to Orren and Lisa), the high quality of their work with attention to details, and their transparency in bids and costs involved. We had full confidence in them throughout the process because they did what they said they would do. Meetings happened as planned (and we had many meetings) and the work was done as specified in a timely manner. We wholeheartedly recommend this company for their integrity, professionalism, transparency, and outstanding design/build skills. There is a reason for their reputation.

Alexis and Jason

Quite a few years ago, we toured several Orren Pickell homes in Bannockburn IL. The outstanding quality, the unique design and the attention to detail left a lasting impression on us. When we decided it was time for us to have our dream home built, we knew we had to call Orren Pickell. Our first call to their office was to inquire about getting their advice on two different parcels of land we were interested in buying. Orren and his team went to both of the lots and performed a thorough analysis on both lots then invited us to their office for a comprehensive presentation showing us the pros and cons of each lot. Their knowledge and advice was key to us selecting the proper lot. We are now almost ready to being excavation. As the other reviewers have said, the entire process for us has been truly wonderful. Every single staff member is extremely competent, creative, fun, helpful and their teamwork is very impressive. The Pickell group is excellent at listening to what we want and incorporating our particular (and sometimes quirky!) wants and needs into our design. We are so excited to begin the stage where we watch our dream house transform from blueprint to a final product.

Mary Spiewak

They basically gutted our house, outside and inside, and did a phenomenal job at keeping it in character with the original home style which is Tudor. Their attention to detail was top-notch and completed the job on time.

S. Mallahan

Hi Orren, Remember me? You built a beautiful ranch home for my then-husband Jim and I in Thorngate 19 years ago. I moved to Arizona 11 years ago, but was back in Chicago last week and had the chance to tour our old house. It is on it’s third owner now. I have to tell you, it still looks as good as the day we built it! It is lovely inside and out. The subsequent owners have changed almost nothing (updated some countertops and added a bar in the lower level). It is really a testament to the quality with which you build. The home has really endured the test of time. The current owners are crazy about it. Just thought you would enjoy hearing about it. Take care!

Joanne Gordon

I was speaking with our daughter last night & she was telling me about her Maintenance Day. It seems Carl found a big fat frog in the window well. He let our 4 year old grandson hold it & then showed our George how to carefully put it back in the garden & cover it with moist dirt. Our daughter said Carl absolutely made George’s day & the boy is still telling everyone about the experience. I’m sharing this with you because I wanted The Group to know how much this small act of kindness meant to all of us. Now not only are we singing your praises but our 4 year old grandson is also telling everyone about the Maintenance Division too!

My husband and I became familiar with the work of Orren Pickell about ten years ago when we began attending open houses in homes that had been built or remodeled by Orren Pickell. In 2005 we purchased a home that had been built in 1907, and the following year we chose Orren Pickell to remodel our kitchen.

It was a very exciting process for us, and we enjoyed working with everyone on the Orren Pickell team. We knew what we did not like about our old kitchen and we had some ideas about what we wanted in a new kitchen, but the Orren Pickell kitchen that we have now is far superior to anything that we could have imagined at the time. The Orren Pickell team presented us with three detailed plans for the space, and after a brainstorming session with architects, designers, and our salesman, we came up with a fourth plan that was perfect for us.

The work was carried out on schedule and we were just as impressed with the subcontractors as we were with the Orren Pickell employees. We met carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and a wood repair specialist who were experienced professionals with a passion for their work. They also had a lot of respect for Orren Pickell and were proud to be working on an Orren Pickell project.

After our project was completed, we called Orren Pickell several times, mainly with problems relating to appliances. They always sent people to our home promptly and resolved our problems.

In 2011 we returned to Orren Pickell to design and build our new garage. Jeff Eichorn, the architect who had worked on our kitchen, came up with an amazing design that was a perfect expression of what we wanted. It is a highly functional structure which complements the house beautifully. Once again, the Orren Pickell team gave us great advice on how we could make the project more budget-friendly without sacrificing the charm and character we wanted.

We love our kitchen and our garage. The end result of both projects exceeded our expectations, and we look forward to future projects with Orren Pickell.

Betty and Bob Johnson

Building a custom home is usually an expensive, stressful, unpleasant experience. But with Pickell, our experience was…..FUN! Everything was discussed and made clear up front, the prices were competitive and in line with the level of quality we expected, and we actually enjoyed the design and build processes because we had confidence that things would turn out well.

And they did turn out well: Our home is a wonderful place, one we enjoy every day, one we’re grateful to be able to raise our kids in. As one of the other posters said, every time I drive up to my home, I feel a sense of pride and satisfaction.

The maintenance service is just great too; they come, unobtrusively fix and improve things, explain the work, and leave. No muss, no fuss.

I can’t think of any other company that I get this excited about. If you are thinking of building (or maintaining) a home, just call Pickell. (And I would be happy to talk in person with anyone contemplating a new home, to share my experiences and thoughts first-hand).

Rob and Joanne

I’ve had the Pickell Maintenance team come to my house for nearly 10 years. It is the single best thing I’ve done to make sure my house is maintained and my investment in it is protected. Besides keeping my home in tip-top shape, I believe that over time, I have saved money by doing preventative maintenance and finding cost-effective ways to make repairs and improvements. They do extraordinary work in an integrated, coordinated fashion. Nowhere else can you get this type of all-encompassing care and customer service. Yes, I could independently schedule all of the people who come in to do the maintenance work — plumbers, painters, HVAC, electricians,gutter cleaners, and general maintenance. But it wouldn’t get done consistently, some of the workers would not be up to par, and I know things would be missed. Instead, one call to the Pickell folks and everything is addressed by tested craftsmen and tradesmen in one visit. I have been impressed by Mitch and the other experts that have been assigned to my home. They know the house and they know me and my preferences. I couldn’t more highly recommend this service!

Kay H.