The first one starts before you ever hire us. The last one only shows up long after the work is done.
Education & Service Whether you build with us or not.
We are not here to sell you. We are here to educate you first, and serve you regardless — whether your project is a $2M whole-home remodel or a single bathroom we’ll never lay a hand on.
- Real Cost Guide, Builder Evaluation Checklist, Questions Every Builder Should Answer — all free, all unlocked
- Right Fit page that tells you when we’re not the right remodeler — with referrals to who is
- Reviews from people we never built for
Empathetic Leadership We were clients before we were remodelers.
Most remodelers grew up swinging a hammer. Charlie and Jenny Murphy didn’t. They came to building from the other side of the table — as clients first, who knew exactly how unforgiving the industry could be to families who just wanted their home done well.
- That origin shapes every Icon decision: patience in Discovery, transparency in pricing, proactive communication in build
- None of it is industry orthodoxy. All of it is what we wished we’d gotten when we were the clients.
- Our team holds the client’s perspective ahead of the contractor’s — by design and by hire
The Compass A process you can navigate, not check off.
Most remodelers give you a checklist. We give you a compass — because the family across the table from us has never taken on a remodel of this consequence before. A list of tasks is no substitute for knowing which way is true north.
- Seven phases that begin before we ever talk and continue for as long as you live in the home
- Three written client sign-offs in Design. Four internal inspection gates in Build. A schedule built backward from your move-in — cabinets and long-leads ordered within 48 hours of signature.
- Lifetime Partnership — a covenant, not a warranty
A real fixed-price contract The price you sign is the price you pay.
Cost-plus makes the remodeler rich when costs go up. Vague allowances make the client poor when selections happen. We don’t do either.
- Fixed-price tied to a complete, signed specification — not a guess against allowances
- An enumerated allowance list — stone slabs, paint colors, at most two approved items — no surprises at the showroom
- Plan Adjustments (not “change orders”) — priced in writing, signed by you before any work begins
- Alignment-focused pricing — our profit comes from expertise and execution, not flat markup
Lifetime Partnership A covenant, not a warranty.
Most remodelers’ service starts when you sign and ends when the warranty expires. Ours starts before you sign — and never ends.
A 45-day check-in to find anything settling. An 11-month warranty walkthrough. Annual touchpoints after that. Priority service scheduling for Family of Icon clients. And a direct line to the team that did the work — the same PM, the same trades, the same standards, ten years out.
You’ll know this is real when you find out your neighbor still calls us with questions about their generator interlock — and they moved in seven years ago.
Read the Lifetime Partnership covenant →Award-winning where it matters.
The way we work generates results the industry notices. The recognition below belongs to Icon Building Group — the family firm behind this remodeling division. For the awards and affiliations specific to our new-home practice, see Icon New Construction.
We love what
we do here.
Eight consecutive years of Best of Houzz · 2019 through 2026
Nine Best of Houzz awards across eight consecutive years — including both Service and Innovator in 2025, honoring Houzz Pro-certified firms delivering a best-in-class client experience. See the full itemized list →
BIAGC Key Awards · Builders' Industry Association of Greater Chicago
Multi-year recognition from the Chicagoland building industry’s peer awards — honoring excellence in design, construction, and craft, including Gold and Silver.
For our new-home awards and affiliations, see Icon New Construction.
In print. On the air.
Editorial features and broadcast coverage of Icon and our homes — from Sheridan Road and the Chicago Tribune to Fox 32 Chicago and Viewpoint.
“Your Home, Your Way.”
An in-depth feature on Icon’s approach to high-end residential work for the discerning Chicagoland luxury client — the family-led ownership, the philosophy that produces homes families return to a decade later.
Read the PDF →Icon Building Group Thrives by Focusing on What Clients Want
Dec 2019Trustworthy Builder · Vol 7, Iss 4
2019Building Icons
Fall 2017Turning Wishes Into Reality
Aug 2018The 10 Best Custom Home Builders in Barrington Hills
Jun 2021The 10 Best General Contractors in Barrington Hills, IL
Aug 2021Icon Building Group · Featured Builder
Jan 2021Carrier Residential Showcase · Elm Estates Lot 1
Dec 2019Suburban Cooks Naperville Home Show feature
Mar 2019Family-Focused: European-Style Home in Kildeer
Winter 2008A Local Icon
Winter 2010Dream Home Open-House feature
Nov 2015Fox 32 Chicago. Viewpoint.
Builders Showcase & Remodeling TV · Fox32
60-second commercialCorporate Documentary · Viewpoint
Long-form feature60-Second Commercial · Viewpoint
Broadcast spot30-Second Commercial · Viewpoint
Broadcast spotFive moves. One philosophy.
Educate, lead with empathy, navigate the journey, hold the price, stay forever. In that order. Without exception.