Matthies Builders

The first thing we did after deciding to build a home in Downers Grove was google “best home builders Downers Grove” which brought me to this Houzz webpage. I setup 6 meetings with builders, Matthies being the first. After our meeting with Matthies, I cancelled the 5 remaining that we had scheduled. From the start, Dave and Joanna showed their commitment by personally driving us around town on multiple occasions looking at properties to build on. Joanna helped us tremendously in the researching and negotiating process in purchasing the lot. Having their expertise and knowledge in all aspects of purchasing, designing, and building was essential for us being first time home builders. They attended every single meeting we had with the architect, and Joanna specifically was at every meeting regarding the design process. When it came to anything building or structural related, Dave was there with the answer. They were always able to be reached for any questions we had throughout the process, and trust me, there were a lot of questions. They have treated us like family from the beginning, and I don’t think you’ll find that anywhere else. With the pressure of COVID and a new baby arriving around our house delivery date, Dave and Joanna were able to complete our home and get us moved in before the arrival of our son. We are now a month into our new home, with our new family, and could not be happier. If you are looking to build a home in the western suburbs, these are your guys.

We love our Matthies Builders built home. After meeting with multiple builders we chose Matthies Builders, and we are very happy we did. Dave and Joanna make a great team. Dave added a lot of value throughout the project, from reviewing our plans and giving great suggestions about changes for us to consider based on his experience to working closely with our architect, helping get the project plan through the permitting process and, throughout the build, making sure every single element was delivered at the highest level of craftsmanship. Joanna was a great help with making the many design choices needed to bring our vision to life, from tile to wood to trim, to fixtures, etc. The Matthies and their team were all great to work with. Our house was built on schedule, on budget, and with the highest quality throughout. We would, without a doubt, build with Matthies Builders again.

We completed our second new home with Matthies Builders in March of this year and couldn’t be happier. The quality of workmanship is second to none and is recognized by the guests that walk into our home. Dave and Joanna make a great team. They provided us with unique ideas to truly customize our home. Their knowledge of construction along with an exceptional eye for design completes the process seamlessly. With our first home, they stood behind their warranty and completed our punch list within a reasonable timeframe. We built a second home with them knowing that they will do the same with our current home. They have stood by our homes, and we truly appreciate it. If you are contemplating building a new home, Matthies Builders will not disappoint. -Norm and Jen Sidler

Our family is now enjoying a beautiful, high-quality home that Dave and Joanna Matthies, the owners of Matthies Builders, built for us. After a thorough selection and bidding process, we decided to go with Matthies Builders and have not regretted the decision once. We had never built a custom home before and after hearing many horror stories, did not know quite what to expect. We were pleasantly surprised! The process was smooth, the project was well-organized and everyone -- from Dave to the subcontractors -- was trustworthy, very competent and a pleasure to work with. The house was finished on time and on budget and we love it! Matthies is a well-oiled machine -- organized, accommodating and knowledgeable about everything from the building process to Village requirements to managing the neighbors during the build! Most importantly, we always felt like we were dealing with a company with integrity, which is the most important ingredient of all. We would not hesitate to recommend this fine couple and company to anyone seeking to build a custom home.

We waited to post our review of Matthies Builders for 19 months because we have been waiting for them to not only complete our punch list (per the contract was supposed to be completed within 60 days) and our one year warranty work, but being patient has proven not to be the best strategy. We are generally satisfied with the design portion of our house and the majority of the craftsmanship. Unfortunately, the process of getting to a finished house has been a struggle marked with frustration and annoyance. Matthies’ initial “sales pitch” truly was a bait and switch technique. At our initial meeting, Dave detailed how focused he was on his client centered relationships. I clearly remember Dave stating to us in his dining room, the last thing he ever wanted was to be at the grocery store and have one of us walk down a different aisle because we saw each other. We chose Matthies Builders believing they had out best interests at heart, but now believe that we made the wrong decision in selecting Matthies Builders to build our home. Dave and Joanna told us they only work on three houses at a time: one that is just starting, one that is in full swing and one they are just completing. We later found out that they had multiple projects going on during our build, which we believed was the cause for much of the delays and confusion regarding our project. Throughout the construction process, Dave made promises that he didn’t deliver on, routinely “forgot” past conversations and was horrible at communicating, i.e. not responding to emails, phone calls and text messages for days, if not weeks. The project manager appointed to our build was intended to help with the communication flow but often did not have the necessary information or wasn’t able to act without approval from Dave. When we would complain and voice our concerns, Dave would tell me that I don’t know how to run a small business and I should stop telling him how to run his. My wife understands the client service relationship better than anyone, and Matthies Builders truly failed when it comes to this. Dave and Joanna will tell you that we were too picky or looking for perfection. I would admit to that to some extent, but when building a custom home, I believe it should be as close to perfection as possible. We do realize when engaged in a construction project, things are bound to go wrong. However, Matthies Builders generally failed to accept accountability for any mistakes. A prime example of this is that Matthies Builders selected the handrails for all of the stairs in the house without consulting us and installed them. The style of the handrails didn’t go with the rest of our house and we wanted it changed. When we asked if there were options, we were told there are, but they use this style in the majority of the houses they build. Rather than accept responsibility and make a correction, we received a lot of pushback and were pressured to live with the already installed handrails (which we didn’t select or like) because it would be costly for Matthies Builders to replace them. We found that unless the costs of fixing a mistake could be passed on to us or subcontractors, it was very difficult to get Matthies to take responsibility for problems during our project. We ended up dealing with some vendors and subcontractors directly ourselves, because Dave was unwilling to pursue fixes on our behalf. Dave would tell us that the items I raised with him were “warranty” items and would be dealt with at the one-year walk-thru(more on that below) or directly with vendors, even though it wasn’t right from the day the items were installed. Dave and Joanna seemed more motivated to maintain their existing relationships with those vendors than to advocate for us, their clients. Because of these types of issues, our professional relationship with the Matthies’ deteriorated and on several occasions Dave acted inappropriately. Multiple times I ended up having Dave yell at me on the phone or in person. I also witnessed him do the same with a contractor working at the house. The final time this happened was in December 2017 at my home. We still had, at the time, approximately 20-25 things on our punch list that needed to be completed. We advised we didn’t feel comfortable making our final payment because we still had so many outstanding items. Dave began yelling at me, calling me names and using vulgar language. After he stormed out of the house, Joanna asked me if I truly believed Matthies Builders wouldn’t finish everything they were supposed to do and hold up their end of the contract. This past month, that question was answered when Dave emailed saying the majority of the work they still owe is not going to be completed because it was now outside the one year warranty period despite the fact that most of the delays were due to Dave’s own actions —its impossible to complete a walk-thru when they refused to respond to us and show up at the house for weeks at a time. We emailed him back asking why he was going back on his word to complete many of the outlined items and finish the work per our contract and Dave simply has chosen not to respond. Buyer beware - I would welcome anyone who would like to sit down with me and discuss how truly disappointing our experience was and to provide the numerous emails detailing our issues to support this review.

Matthies Builders completed our home about one year ago. We have have been extremely pleased with its quality and craftsmanship. Dave Matthies is a true professional and is very knowledgeable about residential construction and provided good well-informed advice throughout the design and construction process. The building process with Matthies Builders is extremely well organized. Joanna Matthies is a real partner in the selection of all the finishes for the home. Much of what goes into the completion of a home involves decisions about finishes that need to be made by the homeowner and Joanna was able to make sure that those decisions are made so that construction is not delayed and is able to provide guidance about the quality of the finishes selected and how those selections will impact the project's budget. Our home was completed on time and within the budget we had established. Dave and Joanna are fair, honest, professional, and an absolute pleasure to work with. We love our home. I would highly recommend Matthies Builders.

Building a home is a monumental step and comes with a level of anxiety above and beyond that of an already stressful experience of buying a home for your family. We believed that was in essence our goal... to build a home for our family. A home that had our style and beliefs within, to a certain extent, but more importantly a home that would stand the test of time. Construction and Style are the two components to focus on as you embark on the journey and the two areas to make sure are important to the builder you choose. Dave is construction and Joanna is Style... if you asked them they would agree! When certain challenges arise in both construction or different finishes you choose, the Matthies team will communicate the situation and options to continue to move to the next phase of construction clearly. The Dave and Joanna show is cemented upon a traditional, hard working family oriented approach. We tell anyone who may ask that selecting the right builder is the key to building a beautiful home . We know that we picked the right team! Thank you can not express fully our appreciation of their support and services.

We felt comfortable with the Matthies as soon as we met them. They’re a husband and wife team with strong roots in Downers Grove. They were able to help us find the perfect lot through their connections in the community. They were great at guiding us through the process - one thing that sets them apart is they won’t just tell you to go pick finishes. Joanna and Vanessa personally went with us to many long meetings where we took our time picking out tile or light fixtures or countertops...and they never made us feel bad that we were taking too long or anything. Dave and their project managers are wonderful and always provided solutions whenever challenges arose, as they will with any build no matter how prepared you are. As a result we couldn’t be happier with our home and really feel like it perfectly reflects our taste.

Fully recommend Matthies Builders! Dave and Joanna were very understanding of my vision and needs and were responsive to any questions or concerns during the building process. The house was delivered on time and since move in they have continued to address any outstanding issues.

Dave and Joanna are a solid team and the Custom Build Project was achieved through creativity, hard work and attention to detail. Dave's experience with custom millwork helped us achieve the precise details we were hoping for. Joanna's eye for interior design was invaluable during the selections process. The tradesmen on our project were always professional and knowledgeable. The Matthies team members are an extension of who they are and what they stand for, commited and professional. The project was delivered on time as promised. If you are looking to hire a builder that has strong roots in the community, understands the local laws/ordinances to get through the permit phase, has strong relationships with the tradesmen to assist with keeping your project on track, Matthies Builders will not let you down.

We can't say enough great things about our experience with Matthies Builders. Dave and Joanna took over our new home construction from another builder that was unable to fulfill the contract. Their honesty, integrity and professionalism turned this into a positive experience and they built a wonderful home for us. We've worked with many other builders in the past and Matthies Builders is #1. We recommend them any chance we get!

We have used Matthies Builders for several projects over the last 9 years. Joanna and Dave finished a 3 seasons room for us that turned out beautiful. A few years later they did a much larger project- a remodel of my kitchen that included redoing all of the 1st floor (including stairs) adding built in bookcases and pocket doors. We are using them again (currently) for the finishing of our basement. They do excellent work and are very professional and knowledgeable. My husband and I feel very comfortable with Matthies Builders and are choosing to use them for our basement because of the excellent quality of work that they do, and the ideas that they provide, for making the living space exactly what you want. Joanna is fantastic at accompanying clients and assisting with all of the finishes. The work that was done made my home more comfortable and open. I love the space that they have created for my family.