Cory Smith was great to work with! He listened to all that we wanted for our home and translated it into a thoughtful design. He was always willing to tweak his designs to accommodate the new ideas that came along the way. We were in collaboration with Cory and he respected what we wanted to see in our home. He gave his suggestions to help us with our choices and in the end we ended up with our dream home. Cory was very conscious of our budget and gave us options on how to stay within it. I would recommend him to anyone wanting to remodel or build a new home.

Cory Smith Architecture designed our home in 2008 in Naperville, IL. Cory worked with us to design each detail that we wanted in our Williamsburg style home. The end product is a house that is as architecturally beautiful on the inside as well as the outside. Each detail from the Coffered Ceiling in the family room to the design of an Artist Studio is perfect. Cory is easy to work with and offered many design features that we had not envisioned. His eye for symmetry and construction details offer his client a house that flows from room to room, yet each room retains its own personality. We are currently designing our retirement home and we have retained Cory Smith Architecture to design this home as well.

My project was very unique as I had a very small cabin that had originally been built in the 1930's on a sloped site that faced the Columbia River in Columbia City, Oregon. The original structure was situated on the west side of a large site but had a very long one story house in front of it, which blocked the views of the river and the boat traffic that moved up and down the river (ocean liners, cargo ships and military boats) heading to Portland or to the Pacific Ocean. The site also had the benefit of spectacular views to Mt Hood.

With a limited budget to work with, Cory's solution was very creative. Parts of the original cabin were kept and reused in order to save money. He situated the new windows of the remodeled portion of the cabin at the corners of the rooms in order to direct the views up and down the river and not at the large house in front. He also added the new kitchen and family room addition on a 50-degree angle in order to capture the views to the river and Mt. Hood beyond. A private deck was built in the area in between the addition and the existing cabin, the front of which undulates to symbolize the free flowing nature of the Columbia River. The interior of the addition was designed to compliment the slope of the site; with the new kitchen floor at the same height as the original cabin and the three-foot step down to the new family room to allow for direct access to the stone patio that is at grade. The variation in floor heights also had the added benefit of offering unencumbered views of Mt Hood from the kitchen, as well as a higher ceiling in the family room, which allowed for beautiful, tall built ins on either side of the fireplace.

I felt like I was on vacation every day of the year. I enjoyed morning sunrises coming through the tall family room windows, views of the Columbia River and its ever-constant boat traffic and the snow-capped Mt. Hood. It was truly a work of art.

Cory Smith is not only a talented architect, but he is skilled at questioning the client as he seeks to understand what they desire and what their style is. He is remarkable at delivering options to the client and works closely with them to ensure the plans are complete in every way. Cory is not only detail oriented and creative; he makes the design process and execution of those designs a fun and easy experience.

Cory Smith Architecture commands an unparalleled style brand in the Chicago-land suburban market. I selected Cory as the architect / builder of my home remodeling because his designs properly execute classic, refined details that set his homes apart from all others.

His designs are cost conscious, and a great lasting value for the money. He is easy to work with, (my wife loved working with him) and always mindful of the client's needs. As a retired architect myself, I recommend him to everyone I know who may be looking to build or remodel their home.

I am thrilled with our home renovation. Cory Smith was absolutely great to work with. After discussing what we were looking for in our renovation, Cory set out to design the perfect living space, all the while keeping our budget in mind. He came up with some wonderful ideas and completely exceeded our expectations. We were impressed with Cory's level of detail – and his presence almost daily on the job site. More than once Cory asked to builder to change something he felt was not done to his level of perfection.

Cory is creative and his designs are both beautiful and functional… once I suggested he eliminate something in his drawing I thought was unnecessary (a pantry!) and he convinced me to keep it. It is now one of my favorite features of our home and I still giggle whenever I think what it'd be like without it!

Cory is professional and down to earth. He is kind and fair. Later my husband also asked Cory to design a small cottage in Wisconsin. The cottage was built to Cory's design four years ago and sadly I can't keep my husband away from it! He wants to be up there ALL THE TIME!

I give Cory Smith Architecture the highest recommendation to anyone thinking of a home renovation.