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CUSTOM HOME BUILDER in Lake Forest & Chicago North Shore

SMART Builders, Inc. specializes in delivering custom homes with quality and attention to detail that is unparalleled. Our approach to the building process caters to the individual needs and tastes of our clients. For more than 25 years, Richard Bondarowicz and his team have demonstrated how their construction management process focuses on designing and building high quality, luxury custom homes to suit the lifestyle of each client.

Please contact us for a personal consultation to discuss your project.



Featured Lake Forest Custom Home Projects


— AN EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCE —

“I believe a successful project starts with understanding how a family lives and what is important to them. It is my job to orchestrate the process that takes the design through a continuum of phases which ultimately creates a stunning final product. By listening to the client's needs, understanding their budget, and helping them work through the decision making process, we create what is a once in a lifetime experience.”

    — Richard Bondarowicz, Principal



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Lake Forest Latest Project


Northcroft Ct., Lake Forest Custom Home by SMART Builders

This Hamptons-Style home, built by SMART Builders, Inc. and designed by H. Gary Frank Architects is located on an expansive 3-acre lot in the Chicago North Shore City of Lake Forest. The spacious, shingled four-bedroom home features a porch facing lush gardens designed by landscape architect Pamela Self. The porch runs the length of the main floor, and a total of 11 fireplaces offer warm places to convene. Another primary aim, for the Lake Forest family, was to surround the house with naturalistic, grassy gardens inspired by Dutch landscape master Piet Oudolf, known for his work on Lurie Garden in Chicago and the High Line in New York. The beautiful garden setting includes 60,000 bulbs from Roy Diblik, of Northwood Perennial Farm, who teamed with Oudolf on the aforementioned gardens. Builder Richard Bondarowicz, of SMART Builders, and architect, Gary Frank, gave this Lake Forest residence a Hamptons feel with a tapersawn cedar shake roof from Smart Roofing, Inc. For the interiors, Chicago Interior Designer Marshall Erb collaborated with the design-build team to enhance the detailing and conceptualize the use of the rooms. Erb, whose background is in architecture, notes that Frank's understanding of classical architecture helped set the stage for comfortable rooms despite the home's size. SMART Builders, Inc. specializes in delivering custom homes that make the owners' dreams a reality. For more than 25 years, Richard Bondarowicz and his team focus on designing and building high-quality, luxury custom homes to suit the lifestyle of each client. Working with a great team is really important, and when you also have homeowners who are open-minded, it's so rewarding. This home was featured in the March/April 2019 issue of Chicago LUXE Interiors + Design Magazine.


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SMART Builders Custom-Built Home featured in LUXE Interiors + Design Magazine

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