Follyn Builders & Developers

I highly recommend Follyn Builders!  I cannot say enough about how thrilled we are with the stunning renovation to our 1910 brick 2-flat.  Follyn created a "duplex down" turning a previously unfinished part of the basement into a family room, and remodeled the offices for our family business.  The project also involved removing and rebuilding our rear porches and enclosed stairwell, as well as remodeling a bathroom, adding a powder room, and gutting and relaying our kitchen and our daughter's bedroom.We used an architect who created great plans, but John's vision and creativity have given us so much more usable space, and beautifully carried our dreams to fruition.  We are so glad we entrusted our project to John.  His honesty and work ethic are rare.  Our architect recommended him initially.  Her words were "I think you will find him quite capable."  She was so right.  We have this old house, and any unusual findings were nothing that gave John pause.  To create a legal duplex, we needed to separate our stairwell from the 2nd floor apartment, and move all electrical panels out of the basement.    Our gorgeous custom iron spiral staircase and rolling-shutter door concealing electrical panels and meters accomplished this. He tore off our old frame, vinyl sided, 2-level back porch and stairwell structure, and rebuilt it with a brick base and durable Hardie Board siding.  The former crawl space was excavated to give us a mud room, huge coat closet, and an under-the-stair storage room.  Our porch, which we use quite a bit could not increase in size, but still needed to make better use of the space. This was achieved by eliminating a door and suspending the grill off of the custom iron rails.Our basement was dug down to give us another 12-14 inches of ceiling height-- not easy to do with our shared driveway, no alley, and horrible parking in Lakeview East.  This involved supporting our home with temporary columns and putting footings deeper and extending our iron columns to meet the new footings, adding radiant floor heating-- and then pouring concrete.  John's expertise in sewers, drains, and a pumps will keep us safe from flooding.All structural elements of our home were inspected and repaired where necessary.  Our home is over 100 years old, and is poised to last at least that long going forward.Our kitchen was completely remodeled-flipping the old cooking and dining areas.  This gave us two new beautiful and better functioning spaces.  All of the cabinets are customwood and were very competitively priced.  Follyn Builders has a vast list of excellent sources that they go to for materials and custom work.  Their sources offer sharp pricing for quality work.  John selects and works with a wonderful team of subcontractors.  They are all pros whom I enjoyed being around when I was home.  Even still, if something wasn't quite right, John would point it out to us first and then have it corrected.  He had our backs every step of the way.  Ann does an incredible job with materials management and all of the behind-the-scenes action like parking permits, etc.  On the very rare occasion where John is not available, Ann is also very capable on-site as well.  Whether she is supervising an installation, or prioritizing the  tasks of subcontractors to keep the work flow efficient, she is an experienced pro.I could go on... I checked references before hiring Follyn and heard similar praise.  Then, I walked a Follyn project that was nearing completion and was totally sold.  I was completely blown away by the level of craftsmanship from the multi-piece molding and custom built-ins to the state-of-the-art technology that today's homes demand.Friends have asked me if the stress of construction got to me.  My answer is always that I had the time of my life, and although I am excited to have our home completed, I miss the activity, and the excitement of seeing the conversion at the hands of people who are so talented.Five stars is not nearly enough for Follyn Builders and Developers! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Follyn Builders just delivered the home of our dreams! Follyn Builders possesses all of the ingredients required for a successful large scale renovation namely: pride of craftsmanship, expert subcontractors, close adherence to budget and timeline along with a willingness to partner with other members of the project team.

We just completed a gut rehab (really a restoration) on our Chicago Greystone which was built in 1885. We are seeking landmark status on the home thru the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA). The project took a 4-flat back to its intended use as a single family home. John and Ann had immense respect for our project from beginning to end. The house was in HORRIBLE shape when we acquired it. Our desire for Landmark Status has meant strict requirements from IHPA including keeping the original hardwood floors, trim, bannisters, fireplaces and exterior. Without saying it, John's attitude from the start has been “I’m up for the challenge if you are”.

Every challenge was met with a creative solution and quality sub-contractors. From having to completely refabricate the copper bay on the front of the house to look like the original when we discovered it was beyond repair; to finding a carpenter that could replicate the original bannister on four floors; to completely removing a roof and re-trussing to meet load requirements on a 500 sq ft rooftop deck I couldn’t live without.

A project of this size requires a team consisting of architect, general contractor and interior designer. Follyn Builders embraced the value of teamwork. There was ample give and take over the life of the project. John never waivered when it came to offering an expert opinion on construction while maintaining flexibility to bring to life some of the more unique aspects of the design from repurposing 100+ year old beams into shelving, installing a metal fireplace surround and finding a way to salvage 132 year old hardwood floors!

I am confident that our home would not be nearly as wonderful if it weren’t for the role played by Follyn Builders. There was transparency in time and cost estimates (although both were a bit higher than originally communicated; this is to be expected). Most importantly working with John and Ann was a pleasure. We highly recommend Follyn Builders. More...

Reviewed on Houzz

I have been in my Follyn remodeled home for 10 years now, and I am still thrilled every time I walk in. John and Ann helped transform this tiny little house into I high function, high design home. My architect did a nice job of retro fitting the new part of the house with the old, but working with John, i added character and features that added charm and function. My mudroom would have made my kitchen dark by blocking light from the windows. John added cut outs that allowed natural to come into the kitchen. They recommended darkening the floors in the original part of the house to match the new floors - they look fabulous. They also changed out the trim throughout the house. This made the addition blend in seamlessly. Follyn's attention to detail ensures a quality built home. More...

Reviewed on Houzz

Follyn Builders & Developers is a professional business who excels in delivering a high end home. The quality & craftsmanship speaks for itself. Ease of communication & direct and clear information is always helpful in the construction process which behind the scenes is never simple & straightforward.
The materials used, from the door knobs to the light fixtures is always what is in style yet what will have a classic look that will be in style for years and years to come.
The building materials & construction process is always the newest, proven products in the market.
Follyn Builders contract with experts in their respective fields and it shows in the finished products. They build a magnificent home and we would recommend them to anyone looking to remodel or build a new home. A home is your biggest investment, you should hire the best. More...

Reviewed on Houzz

Greatest Chicago custom home builder!

Reviewed on Facebook

I have worked with Follyn Builders for years and they are the best. If I was building a home for myself, I would have John build it.

Reviewed on Houzz

We have worked with Follyn Builders & Developers on several projects over the past several years. As someone who are constantly involved in high-end custom home projects we can attest to high standards of Follyn Builders & Developers as far as integrity, quality, and design are concerned. Their team is very professional and, based on their values, we are confident that success will continue to follow them. More...

Reviewed on Houzz

Excellent custom home builder in Chicago. Extraordinary attention to detail, always professional and easy to work with. If you are building a new custom home in Chicago (or doing home renovations) call Follyn Builders! We recommend them highly to everyone, we know you will love them - we do! More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

The quality and design elements that the Follyn Builders provide are straight out the magazines... the photos you look at and dream about. .they bring to life and more! They also come up with great ideas that are unique to your home. They are easy to work with and you can count on them to deliver! Fantastic people that I would trust with any of my projects! More...

Reviewed on Houzz

Excellent custom home builder in Chicago. Extraordinary attention to detail, always professional and easy to work with. If you are building a new custom home in Chicago (or doing home renovations) call Follyn Builders! We recommend them highly to everyone, we know you will love them - we do! More...

Reviewed on Houzz

A fantastic, professional contractor!! Every subcontractor was top notch and the house exceeded our expectations. Not only is the house wonderful, John and Follyn Builders have remained our go to guy for any questions about of house - and our new home warranty ended more than 3 years ago! The response is always helpful and prompt (usually the same day).

We would hire Follyn Builders again without even considering anyone else but I am never moving from my fabulous house! THANKS JOHN, ANN and everyone at FOLLYN BUILDERS! More...

Reviewed on Houzz