Love Where You Live
LivCo
LivCo
2020 G U I D E B O O K
Designed For How You Live. Built for Life.
LivCo is a full-service and fully integrated team of architects, builders, and designers. We are here to evaluate your needs, provide inspiring and designed solutions, and build them in the most efficient and seamless way possible.
One team. One goal. Houses are our passion.
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LivCo
2020 G U I D E B O O K
TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 / INTRO 6 / SPACES 20 / PLACES 28 / LIVING 36 / OUR TEAM 40 / OUR PROCESS 48 / YOUR NEEDS 49 / YOUR TIMING 50 / YOUR QUESTIONS
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LivCo INTRO / What it’s all about
We transform homes. period. By introducing experienced, professional, and creative design early in our process we can take any and all spaces and re-imagine them to become something you never dreamed possible. Sometimes this could be flooring, paint, & finishes, or it could be something larger like an addition or a kitchen relocation to solve your needs within your existing home. Either way, our fully-integrated and multi-disciplinary team is there the entire journey to take your project from concept to completion.
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GAMETIME / Can You Match The Befores to The Afters? A
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B
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C
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D
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E
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ANSWERS: A-3, B-5, C-4, D-2, E-1
LivCo SPACES / Remodeling
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Home Is Where The Heart Is The substance and style of any home should adapt over time to meet your changing needs. Whether a simple update or a more complex structural one, LivCo listens and learns, applying a process that helps identify your needs and puts forth a clear plan of action. For all sizes or scopes, LivCo has a proven track record bringing fresh energy to spaces. Your home will be uplifted, and your home life will too.
“This is the second home we have renovated and the process with this house was night and day to our previous home. Working with a firm that manages the entire process gave our family peace of mind, and the finished product absolutely realized our vision for this home and is our dream kitchen and living space.� L A GRANGE REMODEL , 2018
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“During the renovation process, working with a company where the architect and the builder are partners and have a track record of working together made the whole process smooth and seamless.� L A GRANGE REMODEL , 2014
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“I can’t say enough about how great LivCo was to work with. Great design ideas that took into consideration our specific requests and needs. Good communication. Clean. Responded promptly to questions and concerns. Got the job done, and worked with us all along the way. I miss them now that it’s over... but I love our kitchen!!” DOWNERS GROVE KITCHEN REMODEL , 2018
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LivCo
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Enjoy The Simple Pleasures From spa-inspired touches to design solutions that make the most of small spaces, we bring a highly consultative approach to concepting and building out the spaces of your dreams, satisfying all of your senses.
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LivCo
The Heart of The Home As centerpieces of many modern homes, kitchens cater to a diverse range of needs. Our process looks at how life flows through your kitchen, as the space touches many other areas in the home that have more specific functions. When approaching any upgrade to the hub of the home, we look at ways to maximize the opportunities to create a space that serves all of life’s activities, like entertaining friends and family, the kids’ homework and quiet afternoons reading and enjoying your indoor/outdoor lifestyle.
“The design is perfect and has brought so much light and peaceful energy into our home. Our family is enjoying our home and it feels like the house was always meant to be the way it is now. LivCo works hard to stay within budget and to leave you happy. Cannot recommend them enough.” RIVERSIDE ADDITION, 201 7
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LivCo PLACES / Additions
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The Best of Both Worlds Home additions can be the best of both worlds – you keep the character of your existing home while introducing the efficiencies and modern amenities that come with new custom construction. LivCo shines at finding the perfect balance weaving the new and the old. New open spaces can complement older compartmentalized cozy rooms, and modern details can accentuate the historic. We believe that good design is timeless, and approach every addition project with sensitivity to the uniqueness and history of your existing home while balancing it with your needs.
“Liv Companies did an extensive renovation/addition to our home and we couldn’t be happier. They walked us through the process, collaborated with us at every stage and even took some last-minute curve balls with positivity and professionalism. Our house is old, so I appreciated their extensive knowledge about do’s and don’ts and their expertise in making sure the new fit seamlessly with the old.” L A GRANGE ADDITION, 2015
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Designed with Intention LivCo approaches every addition or second-story build-out with a site specific analysis with regards to neighboring roof lines, natural light, and historic precedent. Before ever proposing tearing a roof off and building up, LivCo will always first look at the space that is already available and develop ideas to achieve our clients’ needs within the existing roof or with minimal impact. This saves you money, preserves the original design of the home, keeps your roof out of a landfill, and makes some pretty cool spaces on the inside.
“The team at LivCo was amazing. They were so attentive and thoughtful through the process. We would do it again. Thank you Liv for helping us to fall even more in love with our home.” BROOKFIELD ADDITION, 2018
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Designed From The Inside Out LivCo helps you find the room to grow, creating strategic plans that make the most of the area you have to work with. Whether extending the family room into a three-season room or building up by adding a new story, we work closely with you to ensure that the addition will meet your needs for many tomorrows to come.
“From the unique design to the smooth construction process, Liv consistently exceeded our expectations.� GENEVA REMODEL , 201 6
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Designed with Composition Sometimes an interior renovation or addition presents the opportunity to extend the interior design outwards. Different space-planning can introduce modified window arrangements or placements, and we can re-think the exterior composition with new elements, geometries and design details.
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LivCo LIVING / Let’s Get Real
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Designed For Life We recognize your home is not intended to be a furniture showroom. It is a place where you share special times with your significant others and raise your family. It is where you eat a bowl of cereal, and it’s where you watch reality TV. It is full of happy times, sad times, and just... times. Our goal is to create a comfortable and functional space that can hopefully provide inspiration and an occasional grin. Maybe even the grin of, “I can’t believe this is my house...” Life is complicated enough these days, we want to make your spaces work for you so you can focus on what is important to you at any given moment.
“We lived through a major renovation with two small children, and Liv made it easy.” GENEVA WHOLE HOUSE REMODEL , 201 6
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Built for You Let’s face it.... we all have stuff. We love designing places to put things and thoughtfully making them a integral part of the space and architecture.
“Anytime a design hitch was encountered, the team leaned into to it, each time coming up with a solution that was even better than the original design intent.” DOWNERS GROVE ADDITION, 2018
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LivCo OUR TEAM / #professional
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How It All Fits Together Good construction requires smart design, and good design requires an understanding of construction. LivCo was created to streamline the process through a single-stop full integration of design and construction. Historically, the architect and builder have sat on opposite sides of the table, leaving the homeowner in the middle to communicate, interpret, and mediate. We are one company and one team working to solve your needs. We work on your behalf to deliver the space you have dreamed of within your budget.
“LivCo walked us through the renovation process and collaborated with us at every stage. They really listened to what we wanted our home to become and made sure it happened.� L A GRANGE ADDITION, 201 6
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LivCo OUR TEAM / #experts Since being founded in 2012, LivCo has earned numerous local, regional, and national awards. Additionally we have maintained active memberships in the best peer, trade, and professional organizations in the design and construction industries.
Design Awards
NARI Greater Chicagoland Remodeling Excellence Award Recipient 2019 NARI Greater Chicagoland Remodeling Excellence Award Recipient 2017 NARI Greater Chicagoland Remodeling Excellence Award Recipient 2016
Project Awards
NARI Regional Contractor of The Year Award 2020 NARI Regional Contractor of The Year Award 2019 NARI Regional Contractor of The Year Award 2018
Service Awards Best of Houzz, Service 2019 Best of Houzz, Service 2018 Best of Houzz, Service 2017 Best of Houzz, Service 2016
Professional Accolades & Affiliations NARI Accredited Remodeling Company Professional Remodeler 40 under 40 Class of 2018 Remodeling Magazine Big50 Class of 2016 Illinois Licensed Architect Remodelers Advantage RoundTables Member National Association of Home Builders Member GuildQuality Member National Association of the Remodeling Industry Member American Institute of Architects Member
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True Design-Build We believe LivCo is design/build in the truest sense of the term. Co-founded and co-owned by both an architect and a builder, our design experience directly influences our construction and our building experience directly influences our architecture.
“Dave and Russ are just great people to work with. We worked really hard up front to get the design right. And, the combo effect of having design and build together meant that the kinks get worked out up front and the budget reflected a complete understanding of what’s going on. That was HUGE.” RIVERSIDE ADDITION, 201 6 39
LivCo OUR PROCESS / Baby Steps Even beginning to think about a remodeling project can often feel overwhelming. We’re here to help and we have developed a series of steps to manage your initial investment while providing maximum value.
Born to Build
We love to draw, but we also love to build; so every project starts our design process with a goal to get constructed. If we design a project that our clients love, but it is too expensive or impossible to build, that is no fun for anyone, and frankly not a very good use of everyone’s time. With our architectural services impacted by real cost data from construction; we are able to develop construction budgets earlier, as well as engage and solve each project’s constructability sooner.
“LIV does all they can to make dreams come true in a professional, caring and quality way. We recommend them highly. The staff at LIV values client satisfaction in every aspect of the project. They are dedicated to resolving any issues that arise and do their absolute best to make them happen. They’ve always got your back.” RIVERSIDE REMODEL , 2018
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Professional & Accountable With fully licensed and AIA member architectural services as an integrated part of our entire process for every client, LivCo is able to provide a high-level of professional services to every project from start to finish. Beyond space planning and sizing beams, our design team starts our process with full threedimensional visualization your future spaces with accountable budgeting to back it up.
Found in Translation Our architecture and design team is then able to efficiently convert initial design concepts and budgeting to construction documents and detailed budgeting, through our integrated pre-construction services. Gone are the days of “back to the drawing board” and handing off to another company – LivCo is one company and one team, working for our clients, with nothing lost in translation.
Triangle of Trust Trust is paramount to our process. Trust that LivCo is built and operates with our clients’ best interests always in mind. In the LivCo process, design is held accountable to construction, and construction is held accountable to design; and our single team is held accountable to our clients. 41
LivCo OUR PROCESS / Step 1: Concept & Budget
Feasibility Design Purpose: To provide our clients design & due diligence information about the potential of their home within their defined budget. Steps & Meetings: 1. Our team comes to your home to field measure and fully document your house and spaces. We use this to build a 3-dimensional existing conditions model. From here we virtually live in your space and test ideas to present a concept to you at our first review meeting 2. We review our first concept with you at our office and talk through our ideas and what we have learned about your home. We are able to use our software to do a 3d walk-through of the design, and we also present a preliminary budget range based on the presented scope of work. 3. We absorb your feedback and circle back for a second design review in the same format. Here our goal is to establish a final conceptual design, scope of work and budget in order to have a solid base in moving to the next design phase.
Fee: Duration: HOW TO GET STARTED: This is the first step. Simply fill out and sign the feasibility agreement and payment can be made by check or through ACH in our online portal. 2020 G U I D E B O O K
“We would have never thought of some of the design ideas that Dave came up with. We were impressed with his design, his attention to detail and the top notch customer service. We highly recommend using Liv Companies for your next project - they are a talented group!� GLEN ELLYN REMODEL , 2018
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LivCo OUR PROCESS / Step 2: Create & Detail
Detailed Design Purpose: In Detailed Design, the pre-construction process kicks into high gear; focused on solving all the challenges we can on paper while determining the specific look feel, and pieces going into your project. Our team of architects & interior designers guides the process of client meetings to review construction drawings, the scope of work, interior design and material selections. We strive to have 100% of the project design solved before beginning construction. So, in so many ways, this is the most important step in our process. Steps & Meetings: 1. Our 1st DD meeting kicks-off the design phase with our Design-Build Manager, Interior Designer, and Pre-construction team. This team is tasked with converting the concept design to something biddable and buildable - and they guide you through this process. 2. Our 2nd milestone meeting is to review the formal documents prior to issuing to our trades for pricing. This is our last milestone to have the project and finishes solved before final pricing. 3. Our final office meeting is a review of the project construction agreement which includes a lump sum price, scope of work, drawings, and design selections. Fee: Duration: HOW TO GET STARTED: This typically follows Feasibility, and payment is due within 5 days of signing our Design Agreement. In some cases it may make sense to combine Feasibility and Detailed Design into a single phase. If you are on a very tight time line, let us know and we discuss this. 2020 G U I D E B O O K
“The LivCo team made it a point to really understand and share my vision, extend it, and make it reality. I was a novice to remodeling and they shepherded me through the process. I really appreciated their professionalism, quality materials, attention to detail and practicality. The design process was extraordinary.� DOWNERS GROVE ADDITION, 2018
Cabinet Lowers & Island: Matte White
Wall Color: Toque White
Cabinet Uppers & Island Walnut / Natural
Island Legs: Stainless Steel
Floor Tile: Evo GLocal 24x24
Existing Base Trim: Maple/Nutmeg
Island Quartz Top: Calacatta Classique
Window Treatments: SW Natural Choice
Perimeter Quartz Top & Backsplash: CQ Frost White
Accent Color: SW Stratford Blue
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LivCo OUR PROCESS / Step 3: Construct & Build
Construction Once we have the contract and permit in hand, we are ready to build your project. As a full-service design-build company, we transition to become the builder overseeing all aspects of the construction process. As the general contractor, we run the construction site, coordinate the trades, supply all of the materials and keep it all clean while keeping you in the loop. Our architects and designers are frequently on site to ensure the original design conversations and intent are followed through in the field. Steps & Meetings: 1. Before beginning construction, our construction team including our Project Manager and Site Manager will meet you on-site to give a schedule and logistics overview as well as answer any questions. 2. There will be subsequent on-site meeting at project specific milestones such as a lighting walkthrough or selection review. Communication throughout is key and is managed by your Project Manager. You will also have access to our online portal to review progress, pay invoices, approve change orders, and find any project documents. 3. Our final walk-through occurs when the project is complete, and involves the final owner sign-off. Our two year warranty then goes into effect, and your home is all yours again to enjoy! We typically follow-up to take professional project photos a few months later to give you a chance to get settled.
Fee:
Lump Sum Contract
Duration: HOW TO GET STARTED: At the end of our Detailed Design Phase we will present a Construction Agreement Package that outlines the specific scope of work along with duration and payment terms. Payments can be made by check, through our online portal, or via bank draw in the event you are using a construction loan. 2020 G U I D E B O O K
“What really stood out to me was how professional they are with constant communication. I also liked that they had signs up reminding all that entered our home the values and behaviors expected of each team member/ contractor who entered the site. Holding all accountable for what it meant to represent their organization.� RIVERSIDE REMODEL , 2019
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LivCo YOUR NEEDS / The Good The Bad & The Ugly My Favorite Thing About My home:
I am embarrassed to have people over I need more privacy in my home I feel isolated in the spaces in my home I feel cramped and cluttered in my home I have been talking about remodeling this home for a long time I feel unsafe at times in my home What do you want your home to feel like when you walk through it?
Does it feel like a remodeling or addition project is something worth doing?
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Completely Agree
Somewhat Agree
Neutral
Somewhat Disagree
Completely Disagree
My Least Favorite Thing About My Home:
Timing Worksheet I would like to have my project completed by:
Design Duration: Signed Feasibility Agreement: weeks Feasibility Duration: weeks Detailed Design Duration: weeks Municipal permitting delays: weeks Bank Loan: weeks
Likely Construction Start: weeks from now
Construction Duration: Basic Remodel:
12 weeks
Includes Kitchen:
Add
2 weeks
Includes Bathroom(s):
Add
2 weeks
Includes Addition:
Add
6 weeks
Likely Construction Duration: weeks Likely Total Duration: weeks Likely Finish Date:
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LivCo YOUR QUESTIONS / How Can We Help?
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LivCo MEETING DATES / Milestones LivCo Consultation: Field Measure: Design Review #1: Design Review #2: Detailed Design Kick-off: Pre-Pricing Review: Pricing Review & Contract: Submit to Bank: Submit for Permit: Pre-construction Walk: Construction Start: Payment Milestones: Inspections: Completion: Final Sign-off: Project Photos: Party Time:
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Does it feel like your project is worth doing? Are we the best way to make it happen? What’s stopping you? How can we help?
LivCo Follow Us, Give us Feedback, and Be Inspired.
© 2020 Liv Companies, LLC
LivCo
7700 Brush Hill Road Suite 103c Burr Ridge, IL 60527
708.267.9262 info@livcompanies.com livcompanies.com
