Architectural Restoration Inc

We have a mid century modern home built in 1959 which has the original windows. We want to keep the house as original as possible. The windows are a major architectural design of this home. Over the years the awning windows were painted shut by previous owners. Mike drove from Indy up to kokomo many times to work on these windows. He got them to open, had custom made interior screens and storms made for them and did all the installation. He is extremely good at what he does. If you have an historic home and want to preserve it, by all means call Mike.

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I decided not to use their services due to cost and their inability to work with me to reduce the contract cost. I wanted to do some of the work myself to save money and they would not accommodate this to reduce their price.

After moving into our home, which had all original windows from 1929, we noticed one was rotting severely. We reached out to Mike to take a look at it, after recommendations from a realtor, a colleague, and another window contractor. Upon further discussion, we ended up deciding to restore all windows in the house, since most of our windows were painted shut or otherwise inoperable. Many of them leaked rain water, and let in a rush of freezing cold air in the winter. It made sense to do them all, albeit in several phases over the course of the next several months. We opted to restore our original windows was far less costly than getting all new replacement windows. The restoration did make them more energy efficient, they are still single-pane windows and therefore less efficient than new double-pane windows. However, given the difference in cost, restoration is definitely more cost-effective. Furthermore, restoring our windows maintained the original character of our home. As he removed windows from the house, section by section, several other windows were rotted, some beyond repair. Altogether, seven of the original windows were beyond repair and needed replacement. He replaced them with custom-built, wood, divided-glass, 15-light windows that were exact replicas of the originals, right down to the last detail. Clearly these are quite expensive, so this is what drove up the cost of our project significantly. However, Mike was very conscious of our budget, and made every effort to salvage as many of our original windows as he could. We could have replaced a few other windows if money was no object, but given our budget, Mike did a great job at making the originals work for us. The windows that were simply restored were absolutely a bargain compared to replacements of any kind - custom-built or even new vinyl windows. In the end, he restored 17 windows, custom built 7 replacements, and also custom built one entire new casement to replace one that was severely rotted. The project took exactly a year from the first window he removed, to the touch-up work on the last window, which was longer than we had expected. The worst part was living with dark rooms with boarded-up windows for quite some time, but by doing a few rooms at a time, this was manageable. While the project took longer than we had anticipated, Mike's quality of work is absolutely unparalleled. Mike takes pride in his work, and it shows in his quality. Even better, the restored original windows look almost as beautiful as the custom-built replacements, and they look SO much better than they did before the project began. In the end, Mike was true to his estimates for cost. The only thing that drove up our cost was the fact that some windows were in worse shape than we thought. However, Mike always provided us with accurate cost estimates. The entire project ended up costing us $22,000 from start to finish, but this is compared to an estimate of $40,000 for custom replacement windows from Andersen. Anyone considering a window restoration should realize that this takes quite some time, so be patient. But if you live in an old home that has a lot of charm and character, this should absolutely be a consideration for you. I would absolutely recommend Architectural Restoration, Inc., to anyone.

Since he never came back or called me, I assume he is not interested in the work.

easy to work with,knowledgable,professional,excellent quality

He very simply offers the service. It is a very difficult service and to find somebody repair the glass windows, create stone windows for an old home with very unusual sized windows. He offers the service that is very difficult to find. We would use them again in the future.

Professional, punctual, and good quality work.

See above. from the initial quote to the final billing took almost 3 months - the actual work over a month. I was more interested in quality than speed so be prepared for a job to take a while.

The windows were buckling much worse than originally thought, and so the windows really needed to be completely rebuilt to stand the test of time. Due to the unforeseen restoration problem, a staffing issue, and the flu, the windows took longer to get back than expected. As compensation for the length of time of the project, Michael completely rebuilt all four lead windows at no additional charge. For us, the wait was worth it, because our windows look as good as new again, and now they can last another eighty-plus years. Michael is a true craftsman and a really nice guy to work with.

The fellow, who ran the company, had one or two people to work with him. He did most of the work himself. It was quality work. He and his team were on schedule. They got the work done on time. I will consider them again in the future. However, I will also look at other companies.

Everything wasn't 100%, because they put it in and some things had to be tweaked. He said to short-pay me by $300 and he would come back later to finish the job. He's never called back and never come back to tweak it. This is irritating because I spent close to $6000 on it. It's too bad, because his work was OK. He never came back to do any of the work he said he was going to do. He never responded to my phone calls or emails.

Mike is very professional, meticulous and does great quality work. I am very pleased and would not hesitate to bring him back for future work. He specializes in the needs of older homes, for both windows and doors.

Mike uses metal re-flashing which lasts longer and makes a tighter seal. I did not price compare pricing because he was a reference. We have hired him again for a future job.

Mike is very pleasant and personable. He answered a lot of questions on the phone before coming to my house. After coming to my house, he explained the process in more detail, and had an estimate to me within 1 week. It has taken awhile to get my windows done because he seems to be overwhelmed with work after the hailstorm in April. Therefore, my project was delayed significantly. The quality of his work is excellent.

HIS TALENT IS AMAZING. HE RESTORED THE DOORS TO ORIGINAL CONDITION. I HAVE HIRED IN THE PAST AND WILL ALWAYS CONSIDER IN THE FUTURE.

PROVIDED TWO ESTIMATES, $6000.00 AND $9000.00, AS COMPARED TO OTHERS PRICE IS CONSISTENT. I HAVE NOT MADE A DECISION AT THE MOMENT ON HOW TO PROCEED.

MR. USHER DID A FABULOUS JOB RECOMMENDING A TYPE OF STORM WINDOW THAT LOOKED AESTHETICALLY PLEASING WITH THE HOME. THEY LOOK GREAT AND ARE FUNCTIONAL. IT MAY TAKE AWHILE FOR HIM TO FIT YOU IN, BUT IT IS WELL WORTH THE WAIT.

HARD TO FIND THIS TYPE OF SERVICE PROVIDER. QUALITY OF WORK WAS EXCELLENT.

THEY REPAIR WINDOWS, FLOORS, DOORS ETC.