Video Library: Design Build Construction Project Highlights

Know what it takes to install all the kitchen counters, a dining room buffet and a 680 pound slab of Brazilian quartzite down a flight of stairs? Lots of planning, a Tennessee strongarm and an amazing partner like Tithof Tile and Marble.

Know what it takes to install all the kitchen counters, a dining room buffet and a 680 pound slab of Brazilian quartzite down a flight of stairs? Lots of planning, a Tennessee strongarm and an amazing partner like Tithof Tile and Marble.

Last day on the job to do all the final checks before handing the keys over to the homeowners of this design and build custom home in Glenview, Illinois.

Making things concrete at a new home design and build in Evanston! Adding gravel beneath the basement floor before we pour the concrete and encapsulating the drain tile with gravel so water flows into it.

The soothing smoothing of concrete. Laying the foundations of an amazing new home we are designing and building in Evanston.

We educate homeowners on the healthiest building choices. We’ll help you understand geothermal energy, solar panels, green roofs, local sourcing and reclaimed materials.

Opportunities to raise your eco-consciousness can be as close as your own backyard. Scott Simpson Design + Build created the first village-approved rain garden in Northbrook, IL, which uses vegetation, soils and other elements to restore some of the natural processes required to manage water and create a healthier environment.

Uncover the unexpected with us in a 2-part video series detailing deconstruction of a 1920s Winnetka home – a kinder-to-the-environment choice with a donation write-off to boot!

Deconstruction of this 1923 home in Kenilworth allows the owners to donate high-quality and hard-to-find building materials – such as 14-foot wood flooring, slate roof tiles, solid joists, double-hung windows, unique bricks and mahogany doors – to charity, so they can be repurposed. Deconstructing a home piece-by-piece (instead of just bulldozing it) is a labor of love, but very green and renewable behavior.

Deconstruction of this 1923 home in Kenilworth finishes with a machine demolition of the foundation. Masonry, concrete block and steel are carefully sorted and sent to different recycling plants. Through this green and renewable effort the owners have been able to donate and recycle 98% of the old home.

Our firm has the unique opportunity to renovate a 128-year-old Evanston mansion, celebrating its original beauty while transforming it into a functional space for its new owners. We invite you to follow along with us as we document the unique and beautiful process ahead.

In this episode we’ll look at the exterior limestone and windows as well as the grand entry foyer, complete with fireplace and original trim as well as the 

In this episode we’ll look at the exquisite floor detailing and original pocket door of the library and how the room relates to the enormous family room with stained coffered ceiling and original fireplace mantel and stone. 

Have a look at the beautifully paneled dining room – where we’ll strip out unfortunate design choices to enhance the original curved bay windows, and the gorgeous outdoor porch.

The pre-demolition tour continues into the kitchen, breakfast area and butler’s pantry that was clearly last remodeled in the 1990s. Decisions to be made about a structural column and kitchen layout.

We arrive at the second floor on the stunning main stairwell featuring built-ins and stained glass and we solve the mystery of the “marble” columns added by a recent homeowner and the “elevator” marked on the 1896 architectural plans.

The primary bedroom of this Evanston mansion includes retrofit soffit challenges as well as some pretty wild design choices from the 1990s in a primary bath of wall-to-wall marble, mirrors and fancy sconces.

Plans to unseal a two-story columned porch and make the third floor livable during construction.

See the stunning masonry foundation on which this home was built – as well as a 1990s spa room complete with sauna, steam room and hot tub.

See the stunning masonry foundation on which this home was built – as well as a 1990s spa room complete with sauna, steam room and hot tub.

Architect Amy Berka tours us through the surprises of the kitchen and how it will be redesigned to become three separate spaces – kitchen, breakfast area and butler’s pantry.

Demolition of the primary bathroom and primary closet will allow us to rearrange the floor plan, align the architecture and bring this 128-year-old mansion in Evanston up to more modern use.

We’ll be keeping the original and beautiful built-in cabinetry and its hardware but will have to address a surprise in the load-bearing wall we are moving.

We have made some quick paint and lighting fixture changes on the third level so the homeowner can use it as a homebase while living in the home during construction. 

Come see how we selectively painted to reduce the amount of red woodwork without changing the amazing character of this beautiful old mansion in Evanston, Illinois.

An overview of the Scott Simpson Design + Build process of creating a concrete foundation for a new construction home – cement conveyor, remote control conveyor belt, concrete forms, agitation, form recycling and more!

An overview of the Scott Simpson Design + Build process of creating a basement concrete floor for a new construction custom home – the make-up of concrete, how a screed machine and hand finishing while on kneeboards make it smooth as it sets.

A behind-the-build look at how new construction framing is created for a custom home – air compressor nail guns, raising a framed wall, managing a lumber shortage, interior light management through high ceilings that allow for large windows and doors.

A behind-the-build look at the client experience during custom home construction – touring the framed first floor, working with lenders, anticipating the effect of finishes, seeing architectural plans come to life.

Enjoy a look at how we cut and manually install 400-pound reclaimed barn beams into a custom design-build home. Even one of our architects gets a taste of the “build” side of design and build!

Timelapse of a custom home build in Northbrook shows how a contemporary wood beam family and kitchen area come together over time. Architecture-led design and build brings beautiful spaces to life!

Take a tour of the deconstruction of an incredible Lake Shore Drive condominium. Architect Amy Berka shares the step-by-step thinking behind a total redesign of a 1920s Chicago co-op and some of the challenges of remodeling in a city high-rise on Lake Michigan.

In this update we look at running plumbing and conduit in an older building; widening openings to join living spaces, let in the light and lake views, plan for mirroring existing trim; accommodating recessed lights in a ceiling filled with concrete beams; plan for a demolished stone fireplace; and adding a brand new powder room.

We look at making a primary bath and bedroom more proportionate; the beauty of copper piping; peeling back layers of flooring; finding a way to put in new windows; creating a hidden door in an elevator vestibule; creating symmetry through arches and the joy of using architecture to continue existing design details through to a seamless renovation.

We think through adding in beams to define a large living room, the uncovering of a hidden window and tile and cabinetry installation over electric heat mats.

Looking at timeless and classic (but not too traditional) white marble bath tile and the importance of grout color choice – details that might seem inconsequential – but to us, provides an opportunity to elevate our craft.

We look at custom-milled woodwork, patching together existing and new wood flooring and floor stain options that start to tie everything together. We hope you enjoy watching the architectural design take shape bit by bit as much as we do.

Rough finishes stage for the amazing new kitchen with cabinets fabricated to fit the space, making it through the maze of the high rise, working around a chase and bringing optimal function and design to the center of the home – featuring custom mirrored glass inserts and tool drawers.

In this update we look at the statement-making primary bath tile and anticipate the final finishes phase of this renovation.

A reveal of the full transformation of the kitchen and living spaces to maximize views of Lake Michigan and add family and entertaining space. Unique design punches and finishes bring new life to a 1920s Chicago home – from deconstruction to final finishes.

Raising the roof as we raise the roof on our custom home build in Kenilworth. You can really appreciate all the architecture work and building detail that goes into rough framing and roofing a custom home with this construction timelapse.

The Scott Simpson Design + Build process combines our expert architects, homebuilders, long-standing subcontractors, suppliers, craftspeople and a project management team with extraordinary clients to deliver on the vision for a custom built home. From plans on paper to a fire in the fireplace, we love watching a before and after construction timelapse when it all comes together as beautifully as it did for this home on the North Shore in Glenview.

Well underway on our custom home build in Kenilworth. You can really appreciate all the architecture work and building detail that goes into rough framing a custom home with this construction timelapse.

From architect rendering to finished room, a look at the beauty of design and build in a modern pool house in Wilmette, Illinois.

Timelapse of a custom home build in Northbrook shows how a contemporary wood beam family and kitchen area come together over time. Architecture-led design and build brings beautiful spaces to life!

A great way to get to know us is through our design-build clients! After 30+ years of designing and building custom homes on Chicago’s North Shore for so many families, we are truly grateful for their kind words and lasting friendships.

Take a tour of a Wilmette design-build new construction custom home in a contemporary shingle style featuring a long front porch, outdoor entertaining areas, a sunroom, sports-centric lower level and beautiful transom windows throughout.

Architectural reconfiguration of an outdated North Shore Spanish Colonial home in Winnetka to take full advantage of a beautiful and expansive view of Lake Michigan and infuse nature into the home organically.

A fun look at our first amazing 25 years – when the addition of a team of in-house architectes compelled us to change our name change from Scott Simpson Builders to Scott Simpson Design Build.

We love this work we get to do. We love getting up early to meet the trucks. We love working late to beat the snow. We love pulling together the drawings and thinking the whole thing through. We love cutting the beams, smoothing the concrete and lifting the stone. We love recycling the old to make room for the new. We love the craft itself. We love sharing our passion with the next generation. We love thinking about the future of the families that will live in spaces we create. We love watching our clients light up on move-in day. And we really don’t say it enough. We love this work we get to do – and the people we do it for. We especially love the people we do it with. We honestly, truly love our jobs.

We are hopeful you are as lucky in love as we are.

We were able to share on-site tricks-of-the-trade with a group of alumni from Revolution Workshop – a non-profit social enterprise (co-founded by SSDB) that provides free pre-apprenticeship programs in construction and woodworking. Trainees had the opportunity to ask questions and watch on-the-job trim carpentry, including the mechanics of hanging a door, cabinet installation and how it all comes together with the other trades in a custom remodel in Evanston. Adding field visits to learning at the workshop makes for talented and inspired graduates.