Orren Pickell Building

What Orren Pickell Building does

Orren Pickell Building Group is a family-owned luxury custom home design-build and remodeling firm headquartered in Wilmette, Illinois, with additional offices in Chicago, Three Oaks (Michigan), and Twin Lakes (Wisconsin). Founded approximately 1980 by Orren Pickell as a college painting business, the firm serves affluent homeowners across Chicagoland, the North Shore, Southern Wisconsin, and Harbor Country Michigan, delivering high-end custom home construction, comprehensive remodeling (whole-house, kitchen, bath, additions, lower levels), and 24/7 home maintenance subscriptions via its proprietary Pickell Proven Process and open-book pricing methodology.

The firm's core technology stack centers on The Orren Pickell Portal™, an award-winning client project management platform providing real-time access to home specifications, renderings, blueprints, construction photos, schedules, and change orders. Supporting technologies include a 3D laser room scanner accurate to a quarter inch and interactive touch-screen design systems used during client consultations. The firm also operates CabinetWerks, a wholly owned custom cabinetry and millwork division that vertically integrates kitchen cabinetry, closets, wine racks, and trim carpentry into the build pipeline.

Revenue is generated through project-based custom home and remodeling contracts under an open-book pricing model, a recurring semi-annual home maintenance subscription stream with 24/7 emergency service, and ancillary revenue from custom cabinetry, millwork, and wallcovering product sales (Maya Romanoff and Schumacher). Distribution is exclusively direct via consultative sales through dedicated Sales Consultants, supported by referrals, an in-house client portal, and a realtor registration program. The firm claims a 95% on-time project completion rate, 350+ industry awards, and nine Crystal Key Awards from the Home Builders Association of Greater Chicago, with second-generation Pickell family members now leading day-to-day operations under founder/CEO Orren Pickell.

Name

Orren Pickell Building

Legal name

Orren Pickell Building Group

Website

https://pickellbuilders.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Orren Pickell Building Group is a family-owned luxury custom home design-build and remodeling firm, serving affluent homeowners in Chicagoland, the North Shore, Southern Wisconsin, and Harbor Country Michigan through integrated architecture, construction, custom cabinetry, and recurring home maintenance services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Luxury Custom Home Building

NAICS

New Single-Family Housing Construction (except For-Sale Builders) (236115), Residential Remodelers (236118), Architectural Services (54131)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520), Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential General Contracting (New Build) (IMAFAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Side/Wraparound Extensions (HSAPADAD)

Keywords

• Luxury custom home building
• Residential remodeling services
• Design-build construction
• Home maintenance programs
• Custom cabinetry millwork

Headquarters

HQ city

Wilmette

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Custom Home Design and Construction: Full-service design-build for luxury custom homes, from initial architecture through construction completion. Revenue generated through project contracts based on open-book pricing methodology. Projects range from new construction on owned lots to teardown replacements and concept homes.
2. Remodeling Services: Whole-house remodels, room additions, kitchen and bathroom renovations, lower level conversions, and exterior makeovers. Includes specialized Rapid Remodel program for faster completion.
3. Home Maintenance Contracts: Semi-annual and custom maintenance contracts providing ongoing home care. Services include appliances, cabinets, doors, windows, caulking, fireplaces, garage doors, gutters, roofs, HVAC, floors, painting, plumbing, and smoke detectors. Available 24/7 for emergency service.
4. Custom Cabinetry and Millwork: In-house custom cabinetry through CabinetWerks division, including indoor/outdoor cabinetry, closets, and wine racks. Also offers custom millwork and trim carpentry through dedicated carpentry team.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Orren Pickell Building Group is a luxury custom home design-build firm that delivers full-service architecture, construction, custom cabinetry, and ongoing home maintenance under a single integrated model. The company handles custom home construction on clients' own lots, whole-house remodels, kitchen and bathroom renovations, additions, and lower-level conversions, complemented by the proprietary Orren Pickell Portal client project management system. Services are sold primarily to affluent individual homeowners in the Chicagoland area, Southern Wisconsin, and Harbor Country Michigan.

Product overview

Orren Pickell Building Group is a luxury custom home design/build/remodel firm operating as a single unified service offering rather than a modular software platform. The company's core offering centers on The Orren Pickell Portal™, a proprietary client project management platform that provides homeowners secure access to view specifications, construction photos, schedules, and change orders throughout their project. Primary services include custom home design and construction (handling the full process from architecture through build), comprehensive remodeling (whole house, kitchens, bathrooms, additions, basements, and the Rapid Bath Remodel program), and ongoing home maintenance programs. The company also offers custom millwork products including cabinetry, closets, wine racks, and wallcoverings (Maya Romanoff and Schumacher brands). Supporting services include a dedicated punch list team, owner's representative services, and emergency maintenance available 24/7. The company leverages 3D laser scanning technology to capture existing spaces for remodeling projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Orren Pickell Portal™: Award-winning online client project management software that allows homeowners to view construction progress, specifications, blueprints, change orders, and communicate with project managers
• Pickell Family Foundation
• CabinetWerks
• Pickell Proven Process

Products and services

• Custom Homes (Design/Build) Full-service custom home design and construction, handling the entire process from initial design through architecture to skilled building execution. Includes build-on-own-lot services and new home construction, with projects ranging from new construction on owned lots to teardown replacements and concept homes. Targeted at affluent individual homeowners in the Chicagoland, Southern Wisconsin, and Harbor Country Michigan markets.
• Remodeling Services Comprehensive residential remodeling services including whole house remodeling, home additions, kitchen remodeling, bathroom remodeling, lower level and basement conversions, and exterior makeovers. Also includes the Fast Bath Remodeling Program (Rapid Bath Remodel) for accelerated bathroom renovation timelines. Targeted at affluent homeowners renovating or expanding existing luxury properties.
• Home Maintenance Program Ongoing residential home maintenance program offering semi-annual maintenance contracts and custom maintenance programs covering appliances, HVAC, plumbing, painting, gutters, roofs, fireplaces, garage doors, caulking, cabinets, doors, windows, floors, and smoke detectors. Available to any luxury homeowner regardless of who originally built the home.
• Emergency Maintenance Services Round-the-clock emergency maintenance available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year for urgent home repair situations on luxury residences.
• Architecture Services In-house architectural design services delivered through the Orren Pickell Design Group subsidiary, covering custom home and remodeling architectural design. Led by Thomas Pins (President and lead architect) since 2019.
• Owner's Representative Services Professional representation services for homeowners overseeing construction or renovation projects on their behalf.
• Custom Cabinetry (Indoor/Outdoor) Custom indoor and outdoor cabinetry including kitchen cabinets, butler's pantries, and built-in storage solutions, crafted by the company's in-house carpentry team and CabinetWerks division.
• Custom Closets Custom closet design and installation services for residential luxury homes, produced by the in-house carpentry team.
• Wallcoverings Wallcovering products including Maya Romanoff Wallcoverings and Schumacher Wallcoverings brands offered to luxury residential clients.
• Wine Racks Custom wine storage solutions and wine racks for residential luxury home installations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% on-time project completion rate
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• John Hall Homes: North Shore luxury custom home builder competing for the same affluent clients in Winnetka, Wilmette, and surrounding communities with similar bespoke service model.
• Plum Builders: Chicago-area luxury custom home builder serving affluent North Shore and Gold Coast clients with design-build delivery; directly comparable in target customer, price point, and project-based model.
• Normandy Design Build Remodeling: Chicago-area design-build remodeling firm offering integrated architecture, construction, and remodeling services to homeowners — overlapping service mix with Orren Pickell's remodeling division.
• Wiseman-Hughes Design Build: Chicago/North Shore design-build firm focused on custom homes and high-end remodeling, comparable in target market, integrated delivery model, and project complexity.
• Bowers Construction: Regional design-build custom home and remodeling firm serving affluent clients in the Midwest with comparable integrated delivery and craftsmanship positioning.
• Cambridge Homes: Chicagoland luxury home builder with on-staff architects and a design-build approach targeting affluent buyers in similar suburban geographies.
• Glenn Johnson Custom Homes: Long-established North Shore luxury custom home builder with comparable design-build approach and similar affluent homeowner target market in the Chicago suburbs.

Broad incumbents

• Toll Brothers: National luxury homebuilder operating at vastly greater scale; competes for the same affluent buyer pool but delivers semi-custom production homes rather than fully bespoke design-build.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pickellbuilders
• Facebookfacebook.com/orrenpickell
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/orren-pickell-designers-&-builders
• Instagraminstagram.com/orrenpickell
• Pinterestpinterest.com/orrenpickell

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Orren Pickell Building