What Berliant Builders does

Berliant Builders, Inc. is a privately held, high-end custom residential contracting firm founded in 1978 and headquartered in Highland Park, Illinois, serving affluent homeowners across Lake, Cook, and DuPage Counties. The company delivers residential remodeling, renovation, remediation, structural repair, and new home construction, with specialized capabilities in historic preservation (including work on 1908 and 1874 estates), structural rehabilitation of properties that cannot be torn down, and Passive House / LEED-certified net-zero construction. Its most differentiated technical asset is the in-house Profile Woodworking millwork and cabinetry shop, one of the few remaining custom fabrication facilities in Lake County, which produces interior millwork, cabinetry, wardrobe doors, and specialty pieces for its own projects.

The firm monetizes through one-time, project-based contracts with individual high-net-worth clients, supported by long sales cycles, quote-based pricing, and relationship-driven repeat business across multi-generational family relationships. Go-to-market is sales-led and reputation-driven: the website functions as a curated portfolio, architect and designer partnerships serve as a referral channel, and legacy clients generate sustained demand. The firm holds LEED certification, is a PHIUS-certified Passive House builder, and is a partner with the EPA (Energy Star, Indoor airPLUS) and the U.S. Department of Energy (Zero Energy Ready Home), positioning it at the intersection of luxury residential contracting and high-performance sustainable building.

Operationally, Berliant Builders employs 11–50 staff including craftsmen with multi-decade tenure, and operates as a stable, privately held corporation with no disclosed parent company, no external funding rounds, and no public listing. Strategic posture emphasizes craftsmanship, in-house fabrication, and certification-driven differentiation within a narrow tri-county geographic footprint rather than scale-led expansion.

Name

Berliant Builders

Legal name

Berliant Builders Inc.

Website

https://berliantbuilders.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Berliant Builders is a privately held, high-end custom residential contractor founded in 1978 in Highland Park, Illinois, serving affluent homeowners in Lake, Cook, and DuPage Counties with remodeling, historic preservation, Passive House construction, and in-house custom millwork.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Construction Services

NAICS

Residential Remodelers (236118), Custom Architectural Woodwork and Millwork Manufacturing (337212), Residential Building Construction (23611)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520), Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Design-Build & Renovation-Integrated Builders (IMAFABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Renovation, Remodeling & Tenant Improvements (General Contracting) (IMAFAAAE), Full Gut Renovation (Studs-Out Remodel) (HSAPAEAA), Millwork & Finish Carpentry (Trim, Molding, Wainscoting) (HSAPAIAG), Residential Interior Fit-Out (Multi-Family & High-End) (IMAFANAE)

Keywords

• Custom residential construction
• Home remodeling services
• Historic preservation contracting
• Custom millwork cabinetry
• Passive house construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Gurnee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Custom Residential Contracting Services: High-end residential remodeling, renovation, remediation, structural repair, and new home construction services. Revenue is generated through project-based contracts with individual homeowners, typically one-time engagements with long sales cycles and relationship-driven repeat business from legacy clients and their families.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Berliant Builders is a high-end custom residential contracting firm providing remodeling, renovation, remediation, structural repair, and new home construction services for affluent homeowners in Lake, Cook, and DuPage Counties in Illinois. The company operates an in-house custom millwork and cabinetry shop (Profile Woodworking) that fabricates interior millwork, cabinetry, wardrobe doors, and specialty pieces. It applies LEED and Passive House certified sustainable building practices, including historic preservation and adaptive reuse of legacy estates.

Product overview

Berliant Builders offers a unified suite of high-end custom construction and renovation services, comprising residential remodeling, new home construction, renovation and remediation, and structural repair. The company distinguishes itself through its in-house Profile Woodworking millwork shop, which provides custom fabrication capabilities for cabinetry, millwork, and interior finishes. Projects range from complete gut rehabs of historic properties to new Passive House-certified construction, with a focus on luxury residential work in the Chicago metropolitan area. The core service offerings integrate with third-party certification programs (LEED, Passive House, Energy Star) to deliver sustainable and energy-efficient outcomes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Remodeling Services
• New Home Construction
• Renovation and Remediation
• Profile Woodworking (Custom Millwork and Cabinetry)
• Structural Repair Services
• Residential Remodeling Services High-end residential remodeling services including complete gut rehabs, interior renovations, and structural repairs for homes in Lake, Cook, and DuPage Counties in Illinois.
• New Home Construction Custom new home construction utilizing cutting-edge building standards such as Passive House certification and LEED certification, featuring solar power, net-zero, and low-carbon construction methods for affluent homeowners.
• Renovation and Remediation Services Historic preservation, renovation, and remediation services including restoration of historic properties (e.g., 1874 and 1908 homes) and integration of contemporary additions with original architecture.
• Profile Woodworking (Custom Millwork and Cabinetry) In-house custom millwork and cabinetry shop (one of the few remaining in Lake County) providing custom fabrication of interior millwork, custom wardrobe closet doors, cabinetry, and specialty pieces for clients' homes.
• Structural Repair Services Structural repair and stabilization services including extensive engineering solutions for challenging renovation projects on existing footprints where tear-down/rebuild is not feasible.

Quantifiable outcome

• Historic properties preserved with seamless integration of original architecture and contemporary additions
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Next Haus AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership for Passive House construction projects. Berliant Builders worked with Next Haus Alliance on the Maple project, Evanston's first certified Passive House. The partnership enables access to Passive House certification standards and sustainable building expertise.
• U.S. Department of EnergyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Zero Energy Ready Home program, providing certification pathways for high-performance, energy-efficient residential construction meeting DOE standards.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDual partner relationship through Energy Star and Indoor airPLUS programs, enabling EPA certification standards for energy efficiency and indoor air quality in completed projects.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Scott Simpson Builders: Chicago-based custom home builder focused on high-end single-family residential construction and renovation in the same North Shore/Chicago metro market as Berliant. Highly comparable in scale, custom-quality positioning, and long-cycle relationship-driven sales motion.
• Hall Building Corporation: Established Chicago-area general contractor with experience in custom residential and light commercial work. Comparable in role as a relationship-driven multi-trade general contractor serving discerning clients in the same metropolitan geography.

Regional players

• BOWA Design + Build: High-end residential design-build remodeling firm specializing in luxury home renovations for affluent homeowners. Comparable in service mix (design-build remodeling, additions, historic work) and HNWI customer target, though operating primarily in the DC metro region rather than Chicago.

Emerging players

• BPC Green Builders: New Jersey-based custom builder focused on high-performance, energy-efficient, and Passive House-aligned residential construction. Directly comparable on Passive House/PHIUS and net-zero technical capabilities and on serving sustainability-motivated affluent homeowners.
• Transformations, Inc. Wisconsin custom builder specializing in high-performance, energy-efficient, and Passive House construction for residential clients. Directly comparable on Passive House technical scope and sustainability positioning, though serving a different Midwest geography.

Others

• Visbeen Architects: High-end residential architecture firm producing custom home and estate designs frequently paired with premium builders. Relevant as an architect-side counterpart that often co-selects and co-references contractors like Berliant within the HNWI custom-home ecosystem.
• Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates: Engineering and architecture firm specializing in the investigation, repair, and rehabilitation of existing and historic structures. Adjacent peer given Berliant's heavy historic-preservation and structural-stabilization work (Sycamore, Bluff) where WJE-style engineering expertise often intersects at the spec/consult level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Berliant Builders