Nick Deaver Architect

Nick transformed our dark and depressing Barton Hills ranch- style to a bright, happy, gorgeous-yet-comfy dream home - all without imposing on the scale and feel of the neighborhood.

Nick Deaver provided a conceptual plan for our whole house and detailed plans for the areas that were remodeled. I have a 30+ year old suburban cookie-cutter house. This house was not originally built to last more than 20 years, but the area increased so much in real estate value that it was worthwhile to consider remodeling it. We had some major problems to fix. I knew Nick through a friend before I hired him for the remodel. I noticed that many (if not most) of his remodel clients often came back to Nick for a completely from-scratch house after completing a remodel with him. Now I know why. Once you get a partial Nick Deaver house, you want the whole thing! Now that he has cleaned up my mess of a house, I want a 100% Nick Deaver-designed house. Specifically, Nick came up with a different style and use of standard Hardiboard materials for the house (in comparison to other houses in our area). He made a plan to remove our useless fireplace and replace it with an outdoor living space with welcoming sliding-glass doors. He uses every inch of space efficiently. He carved out storage space where we needed it. He knows how to handle problems such as when the wrong size of materials is ordered. Because of his landscape and hardscape plan, we did not have to hire a landscape designer or civil engineer. He knows how to create simple plans (which isn't easy!) and is fully aware of the relative costs of certain materials and construction methods for a neighborhood. We weren't his typical client, since our house/street is solidly middle-middle-class. I learned that Nick can do upscale and "regular" houses as well. I feel lucky to have a Nick Deaver house now, or at least a partial Nick Deaver house, and I'll keep dreaming about my complete Nick Deaver house...

I have worked with Nick Deaver on 4 major projects over the past 13 years. His gentle and respectful approach to architecture is inspiring. His process is so much different than I had expected. He never rushes it, rather allows the ideal to develop and evolve as it is intended. He began each project by first sitting with my wife and I...just to talk about what exactly our aspirations were. He would catalog our ideas and and visit the site we hoped to build on. Then he would take about a week to ten days and just go off to think it over. Upon his return, the magic would begin to unfold. I must admit, there was never much left of the original napkin sketches we supplied him with in the beginning...and trust me this is a good thing. BUT...our aspirations were in tact, and better represented than ever. Nick is brilliant. His work just keeps getting better and better, and I look forward to more projects in the future.

I really enjoyed working with Nick. I was wanting to remodel my circa 1923 cottage so that it would better suit my needs yet still keep the charm of that period. I chose to work with Nick because I felt that he also really loved homes built in this period and had great ideas about how to maintain the look of the period while still updating the home. He was easy to talk with and I felt that he listened to my ideas throughout the project. Nick was right there from the initial design to the finished product and gave a lot of attention to detail. I have received so many compliments on my new home and I am very pleased with the finished project. I would definitely recommend Nick Deaver as your next architect!

Architect's architect with attention to detail. Extremely customer-centric. Nick listens to what you want and provides impeccable solutions. He was a pleasure to work with. We strongly recommend his services!!

I've worked with many Architects over the years and Nick Deaver is one of my favorites. He has a terrific design sense, is always working towards the benefit of the clients, and his details are amazing. His houses have a distinctive presence because of his involvement during construction, and his commitment to design is amazing. I love building his projects because they are so inspiring and the process is so enjoyable.