Stratagem Construction & Home Remodeling

We have used them before. They always exceed our expectations.

I am picky and a perfectionist. Stratagem and its sister design company not met my expectations but surpassed every marker. Stratagem primarily designed, gutted, and renovated my kitchen and primary bathroom. But they did work throughout my apartment. E.g., Stratagem built amazing bookshelves in my den and primary bedroom, built basedboards that are easy to clean and hide unsightly cable cords, built my floating vanity that is functional and way better than anything on the marekt. And Stratagem came up with innovative solutions to enable me to have my farmers sink while keeping my garbage disposal. And, Stratagem painted my entire apartment. The construction team of Segue, Sara and Ian were here every day, and never left until it was completed. And they were experienced, professional and an absolute joy to work with. Patrycja managed the orders, and ensured every aspect ran smoothly and like clockwork -- even arranged for the service elevator. And Mitch was so hands on and absolutely wonderful. I am in awe and so appreciativeof Stratagem. I have recommended and will contine to recommend Stratagem. Stratagem rocks, and gave me a home that is the envy of all

Stratagem did an amazing job remodeling my bathroom. From the start, they set clear expectations and delivered on them. The team paid close attention to every detail and the workmanship is top-notch. They were also very professional and kept me informed throughout the process. There were a few challenges due to COVID and supply chain issues, but Mitch and his team were transparent and worked through them. Even after the project was completed, there was a small issue with the bathtub drain and Mitch quickly provided options for resolution and fixed the problem within a few days. I'm extremely happy with the final result and have already recommended Stratagem to my neighbors.

Mitch and all the Staff at Stratagem/Habitar did a wonderful job, always returned calls and addressed all needs. We would highly recommend them.

We hired Stratagem Construction for our renovation project after working with their sister company, Habitar Design, for our design and planning stage. It was a large project that involved removing a load bearing wall and blocking in a window to completely change the floor plan of our kitchen and refresh the finishes on our dining and living rooms. The team at Stratagem did a beautiful job. The quality of their work is absolutely top of the line. Our custom cabinetry fits perfectly and all of the tile work is neat and straight, even though two of the three tiles they installed were done in a more difficult herringbone pattern. Our new wood flooring is wonderfully level and the paint job is flawless. We have received nothing but compliments on our new space. Of course, like all construction projects, ours ran into a delay here and there - and it was a big project that just kept getting bigger as we went. But our project manager Zane and the owner Mitch went above and beyond to make up for lost time and assure us that we were making progress. Any time we had a concern, it was promptly addressed.

We had a great experience working with Habitar/Stratagem to design and remodel the kitchen in our hundred-year-old house. During the design process, we worked closely with Hannah to come up with a plan that would fit our lifestyle and use our space more efficiently. She did a great job of listening to us and then suggesting options and ideas. After we settled on a final design, we started to work with the contracting side to bring it to life. That was a painless process — the Stratagem crew did a great job and stayed close to the schedule and budget ... even in our old house with crooked walls and wonky floors! Their work was meticulous and clean and they did a good job of keeping us informed throughout. We highly recommend Habitar/Stratagem ... lots of people have kitchen remodeling horror stories, but Habitar/Stratagem makes it an easy experience!

Stratagem was outstanding. Their workmanship is excellent, as is their attention to detail.

Very happy with the quality of the work and attention to detail.

We initially engaged Habitar Design to redesign our living room (fireplace, built-in cabinetry, built-in aquarium) and our family room (fireplace and built-in cabinetry). We provided some ideas of what we had in mind as well as our budget. MacKenzie's initial drawings were 99% on spec, and we only made one minor change to one of the cabinets when we finalized the drawings. When it came time to bid the work, Strategem (sister company to Habitar) provided us with one of the bids. We were impressed with with the incredibly detailed quote, which in the end, turned out to be exactly on spec. The only changes to the cost were because of additional items we added as the project went on. Finally, the craftsmanship and professionalism of Nick (project manager) and Sebastian at Strategem we're second to none. Communication was excellent, our place was cleaned up every evening, and, above all, the finished product is impeccable.

Stratagem Construction exceeded expectations by delivering on distinctive design and craftsmanship for a larger home remodel project - all delivered on-time. Highlights include an excellent project management staff, commitment to follow-through (punch list) after final delivery, and the quality of the installed fixtures: kitchen and bathroom cabinetry, floors, lighting fixtures, and paint. We couldn't be happier. The firm will be our go-to for future projects and feel confident recommending them to friends and neighbors alike.

We used both Habitar Design and Stratagem Construction for two projects over the past year and would use again for future projects. Our first project was to design an office/ living space for our first floor den. MacKenzie was our designer and did a great job of presenting several options. In the end, we chose to build a customer office area. Our project manager Zane and his crew were very professional, timely and ensured we were satisfied with the final result. Because we were happy with our first project we decided to do a “face lift “of the kitchen (painting cabinet, new counters and lighting). The team worked around our schedule and completed the work while we were out of town, coming home to a new kitchen was great!

Strategem did an significant remodel of our place (including bathrooms) and did a fantastic job. They used high quality materials and were able to work with some of the quirky features of our building. We are still getting compliments about the work years later. Mitch is great to work with and, best of all, is transparent about pricing and decision-making, particularly when any unforeseen events arise. For a contractor, that alone is worth it's weight in gold.

Everyone at Habitar Design and Stratagem Construction is knowledgeable, professional, and a pleasure to work with. Habitar's Hannah Tindall redesigned my space and selected pieces that make my condo much more functional and aesthetically pleasing. Stratagem's Nick Riedel and Kanya Phev worked with me on a construction plan that worked within my budget. They're very knowledgeable about working in a condo building that my property manager commented on how smoothly pre-construction process went. I highly recommend Habitar and Stratagem, and will work with them again on future projects.

For good reason, my husband and I are repeat clients of Habitar and Stratagem. We first used them for a kitchen remodel in 2015 and were very impressed with their professionalism and the result. This year, when we decided to take on a much larger project, a gut rehab converting a two flat to a single-family home, we knew who to call. Karl, who designed and planned every inch of the home, was absolutely amazing to work with. We are so pleased with the home. It is truly everything we hoped for.

I have hired both Habitar Design and Stratagem Construction for several projects over the past six years (they are sister companies – Habitar is the design arm and Stratagem Construction implements renovation projects, etc.). My experience has been uniformly excellent. Both Habitar and Stratagem have professional workers committed to customer satisfaction. The companies stand behind their work and remedy any issues promptly. Most recently, in August 2018 I worked with an excellent Habitar designer I’ve worked with before – Hannah – to replace defective mirrors in both bathrooms of the South Loop condo to which my wife and I recently moved. The project was completed promptly and the mirrors were installed competently and looked great. I also worked with Hannah in choosing new shades for the condo windows. In the past, I also hired Habitar and Stratagem for various other projects, including installation of windows to enclose a three-quarter wall in a condo bedroom. In addition, Hannah has worked with us to help design a number of living spaces, including guiding us in selection of furniture, and ensuring that we maximize use of space effectively. I strongly recommend both Habitar and Stratagem for both design and construction/renovation projects.

Stratagem Construction is the sister company to Habitar Design. Zane was wonderful in completing our project. He kept us up to date and has remarkable attention to detail. He also was extremely accommodating with our requests for additional changes. He was able to problem solve and present solutions for unexpected discoveries in our old house. All of the people working on the project were very professional and neat and had the same attention to detail. We had a delightful experience with Hannah and Habitar Design for our kitchen remodel. We met with her at the house and then in their office. She was able to listen to our suggestions and then implement them in her design. She presented us with choices that reflected our tastes and helped us coordinate it all in to a cohesive design that we and all of our friends agree is beautiful. During the process she was able too make changes to the design as we made additional requests without any difficulty. Will definitely be contacting Habitar/Stratagem with future projects. Tom R. Chicago

I utilized both Habitar Design and Stratagem Construction for my kitchen project. It was a good experience from beginning to end and I will engage them on again on my next project. Some of my highlights included: My initial request for a quote was promptly responded to. It was the owner that call me and he gave me confidence that I could trust his firm to complete quality work. The design guidance was great and I was provided as little or as much feedback as I needed in pulling the project details together. Utilizing Habitar flowed seamlessly into my engagement with Stratagem Construction. Pricing was very transparent and all questions were promptly responded to Construction work didn't begin until all materials were secured - it made for short duration project which was great Throughout the project the worksite was well maintained - they didn't leave materials all over and respected my home Once the work was completed I was encouraged to keep punch list of items that required more work. There were very few, and all were addressed promptly. My one critique was that my start date was delayed a bit. I should have expected that but it was still frustrating. However, communication with Stratagem during the delay was good and they did a solid job explaining the delay and managing my expectations.

One feature I really wanted for the bath off the kitchen was a stone sink with a hidden infinity drain. In order to fit the space, Mitch found a subcontractor to build one. It looks fantastic, but after a few years it started to leak. We emailed Mitch fully expecting to have to pay to have it fixed as it was so long after they put it in. But Mitch thought his subcontractor should have built it to not only look amazing but to hold up. So he had his crew come out and take care of it. Truly amazing and I can't recommend them enough.

We couldn't be more pleased with our completed projects, all done with professionalism, high quality contractors, great communication, and super attention to detail. We hired Stratagem because we needed a experienced general contractor who could handle multiple projects while my husband and I were traveling. Kanya Phev, our awesome project manager, took the lead on coordinating all contractors needed for the painting, removal of wallpaper, electrical and plumbing work in our vintage condo. In fact, at the beginning of our job, when a contractor canceled his initial appointment 10 min before he was supposed to meet me, Kanya immediately found 2 other even more experienced contractors to come by our home within a couple of hours. Kanya really made my life easy. She effectively communicated with us and our building's management company every step of the way. We were always informed about progress and any issues that arose. We had peace of mind that all the work would be done with the best attention to detail, and done right the first time. We highly recommend Stratagem.

Very, very well. The designer, Hannah T. seemed to understand intuitively exactly what I wanted the feel of the rooms to be. She presented me with beautiful options for each material component, and I am delighted in the finished project. My project manager, Zane W. is the ultimate professional. We had a couple of unexpected setbacks during the project, but he handled each one with aplomb and full resolution in a timely fashion. I really appreciated the level of communication that he practices, and it is clear that he genuinely cares about client satisfaction. The quality of work was top-notch every step of the way. Every guy on the job was courteous and efficient. I will definitely hire this company again.

We have hired Habitar/Stratagem twice at two different homes to design and remodel our fireplaces. Both experiences were excellent - everyone from the design team, project manager, and construction guys are professional and nice to work with. The project managers are responsive and the work crews are timely and keep the work environment clean. We would definitely recommend the Habitar/Stratagem and will hire them again for any future work.

Overall very good experience, professional consulting and execution of work, project manager was available for questions and requests at all times. Excellent subcontractor performance (marble countertops and backsplash, electrical)

Stratagem made it so easy for us to renovate our dark-tiled 90's era bathroom. We knew we wanted the bathroom to have a vintage 1920's era vibe to it, but also wanted to implement a brighter, cleaner look to the whole space. Stratagem did a great job in melding our ideas with modern available finishes. The black and white penny-tile floor is exactly what we wanted and is easily our favorite part of the bathroom. All in all, we loved our bathroom so much that we are going to go ahead and use Stratagem to update our guest bathroom as well!

Stratagem Construction and Habitar Design are partner companies that work together. Mitch Newman is principal and owner. We started working with Mitch Newman and his team to completely redesign and remodel a new condo that we purchased. From design to construction, start to finish they did a really excellent job and followed through on every single little detail. They made sure everything was perfect and to our satisfaction. I highly, highly recommend them. We found Stratagem on Angie's List where they are one of the highest rates companies. We knew we wanted to hire a general contractor who would take care of all the different aspects of a complete remodel including project management and sub-contracting. Although hiring individual specialists like painters, flooring contractors, etc. could be cheaper, there is a very high value-add that Mitch and his team can bring to your project in that you will only need to work with one point of contact. They know how to prioritize different phases of work so unless you are a professional in this industry, I think I was definitely better served using Stratagem as our general contractor. It is really worth it. They do everything from soup to nuts including helping me with the ordering, delivery, and installation of electrical appliances in our kitchen remodel. They figure out the delivery of all the different materials, hardware, parts, fixtures, tiles, etc. They coordinate with every vendor and subcontractor and also with our building management to plan and schedule all the work; and they make it work with our personal schedules too. The nice thing about Stratagem and Habitar is that they have specialist designers that work with you on your vision first and develop a blue print using 3D rendering. That way, if you are unsure about anything, the designer can help you to sort out the specifications before any construction starts. A huge benefit of having a designer that is part of the same construction company is that the designers will work with the project manager and with Mitch to make sure that they can execute on your design. This will prevent the potentially problematic situation of a different company being unable to execute on your design and leave you hanging. Our designer was MacKenzie and she was a pleasure to work with. She stayed on top of our design work and would research several options and available pieces of hardware and materials to suit our project. What I really liked about my experience working with Mitch and Stratagem is that they will come to you with options and present a solution that works, and works for the long-run. They are committed to making sure that your project is completed to the highest of standards. Stratagem provides you with a dedicated project manager. Our project manager was Zane and he is one of the most dedicated and knowledgeable professionals I have ever worked with. In a nutshell, Zane will take care of everything and his attention to detail, commitment to quality and professionalism is impeccable. Our project was no easy task. The work was very comprehensive involving multiple phases and tasks. Here is a quick breakdown of all the things Stratagem did for us: -Complete gut and remodel if our kitchen including cabinets, counter tops, tiles, fixtures, appliances, back splash -Complete gut and remodel of both master and guest bathrooms including custom-built shower spaces and tiling -Complete installation of hardwood floors including stairs and nosing and custom-made transitions and thresholds -Complete painting of every wall, floor-to-ceiling in a unit with 15-ft ceilings -Installed glass-paneled doors with custom paint, and new door frames and jambs on all our doors -Put up a custom accent wall with reclaimed wood

Amazing! This was a very comprehensive kitchen renovation, and Mitch and his team did a fantastic job at every step. This is really a review of both Habitar Design and Stratagem Construction. Mitch Newman, the owner, was our first point of contact throughout most of the project. He was there at the very beginning when we were evaluating which firms to go with. He was also there throughout the quoting phase, during the construction, and afterward to close out some final details. Mitch is a very detail-oriented GC - he wants everything to be right for you and for him, so he takes the extra time and effort to get things right before the work starts. With Habitar, we worked with Karl and MacKenzie. Karl had some great experience with mid-century modern designs as well as some TV fame on HGTV. MacKenzie was great to work with and is a Purdue grad (Go Boilers!). The design phase was managed very well - we always felt that our design intentions were being "drawn out" of us (rather than being forced). We felt like the pros were channeling our vision into reality. One of the big things that happened during the project was a realization that the project would require structural work in order to be able to remove a wall that was critical to the design. This definitely stalled things for a bit as we engaged the services of a structural engineer and an architect. Mitch had people he could refer us to, but we opted to go with another referral from Matt Huff at the Huff Group (we'll write a separate review about the work that was done by Aspect Design, Inc.). Once we ironed out the details of the structural work, we got into the queue for the construction. Mitch's group at Stratagem is very busy, so we had to wait for a few months for the construction to start. However, once it started it was very busy pretty much every day until the job was complete. There were elements of the construction project in which I chose to be highly engaged - the lighting, electrical, audio, and an exterior wall (the last mostly for cost avoidance). Mitch accommodated my direct involvement and worked with me on project costing to take into account the work that I was doing. On that note - Mitch's estimates and final cost were within a few percentage points. He really does a great job of making sure that what you sign up for is what you get. In the end, the transformation that happened to our kitchen is out of this world. People that know our house (including the former homeowners who still live locally) can't believe how amazing it turned out. A final shout-out to Nick Riedel, the project manager that was assigned to our construction project. Nick was awesome! Very hands-on and as detail-oriented as Mitch. We have already recommended Habitar/Stratagem to some of our neighbors, and one of them has already started a project with them! We are also working with them again to redesign our fireplace (one of their specialties).