Alternative to Dream Kitchens
GS Construction & Remodeling
- Family-owned
- Father & Son
- Combined experience
- 40+ Years
- Licensed & insured
- Yes
Considering Dream Kitchens for your kitchen, bathroom, or whole-home remodel? Here is a factual side-by-side so you can compare options before requesting estimates.
| Criteria | GS Construction & Remodeling | Dream Kitchens |
|---|---|---|
| Ownership Owner-operators are personally accountable for your project — not a sales rep who moves on after signing. | Family-owned, father-son team (Greg & Patryk Szady). | Varies — verify directly with the company. |
| Your point of contact Every hand-off between coordinators is a chance for details to get lost and mistakes to creep in. | Greg & Patryk Szady — the owners — are your single point of contact from the first call to the final walkthrough. | Larger firms often hand you to a different coordinator at each phase; ask who your day-to-day contact is and whether it changes. |
| Design approach A flexible design model means you keep control of the look and the budget instead of being funneled into one in-house package. | We build your project and collaborate with the independent designer or architect you choose — or we can connect you with our trusted architects, engineers, or designers — or be your own designer: we send you to our trusted material sources, follow your requirements, and install the materials you purchase. Your design, your decisions — we are flexible. | Showroom-based design firm: in-house designers, 3D mockups, and detailed drawings; installation by the firm or your own contractor. * “carpenter friendly detailed drawings” dreamkitchens.com · Homepage · verified July 2026 |
| Pricing transparency An itemized scope lets you compare apples-to-apples and see exactly what you are paying for. | Itemized, transparent pricing — labor is not marked up through layers of middlemen. | Some firms subcontract the trades and add a labor markup on top; ask for an itemized scope and who actually performs the work. |
| Who does the work Who actually holds the tools — and who supervises them — drives quality and accountability on site. | Long-standing, vetted trade partners — licensed where required, insured, scheduled and supervised daily by the owners, covered by one GS warranty. | Ask who actually performs each trade, who supervises them on site, and whose warranty covers the work. |
| Combined experience | 40+ years. | In business since 1992 * “Since 1992 we have been transforming our clients' kitchens into their unique culinary space.” dreamkitchens.com · Homepage · verified July 2026 |
| Primary service area A contractor who works your area daily knows local permitting, inspectors, and supply houses. | North Shore & Northwest Chicago suburbs (Winnetka, Wilmette, Glenview, Arlington Heights, Palatine, Barrington, etc.). | Highland Park and surrounding communities |
| Project types | Kitchen, bathroom, and whole-home remodeling, additions, exteriors, basements, and mudrooms. | Kitchen and bathroom design, including outdoor and kosher kitchens. |
| Permit handling Unpermitted work can stall a future home sale and void insurance — confirm who is responsible. | We pull permits and coordinate inspections. | Varies — verify directly with the company. |
| Project communication A live portal means you always know the schedule, what changed, and what you owe — no waiting for a callback. | Daily — your private client portal to track your schedule (past and upcoming), current change orders, and up-to-date balances — plus a direct line to the owners and weekly progress updates. | Ask whether you get a real-time client portal for your schedule, change orders, and balances, or just occasional email/phone updates. |
| Photo proof | Hundreds of in-progress and completed project photos on-site. | Varies — verify directly with the company. |
| Public reviews Reviews across multiple independent platforms are harder to game than testimonials on a company's own site. | Verified reviews on Google, Yelp, Houzz, and Angi. | Varies — verify directly with the company. |
| Estimates | Free in-home estimate with itemized scope. | Varies — verify directly with the company. |
| Licensed & insured Proper licensing and insurance protect you if something goes wrong on the job. | Yes — GS Construction and every tradesman on your project is fully licensed, insured, bonded, and registered in each city and village we work in. | Varies — verify directly with the company. |
Informational comparison of publicly available information about Dream Kitchens. Trademarks belong to their respective owners — verify details directly with each company. Verified July 2026 · Source: dreamkitchens.com · archived copies
How GS Construction compares to Dream Kitchens
Dream Kitchens is a Highland Park kitchen-and-bath design firm in business since 1992, known for showroom-based design — in-house designers, 3D mockups, and detailed drawings — with installation arranged through the firm or your own contractor. GS Construction approaches the same projects from the build side: a licensed and insured construction company run by its owners, where you keep control of the design — bring your own designer, use one of our trusted partners, or be your own — and one accountable team takes the job from demolition to final walkthrough.
Want a second opinion before you decide?
The GS Construction difference
Your design, your decisions
Bring your own designer or architect, use one of our trusted design partners, or be your own designer with our material sources — never funneled into one in-house look.
Transparent pricing, no labor upcharge
Many firms hire out the trades and mark up the labor on top. We give you an itemized scope and clear pricing, so you know exactly what you are paying for and who is doing the work.
One team, start to finish
Greg and Patryk Szady are your first and last point of contact. With bigger firms a new coordinator owns each phase — and every hand-off is a chance for confusion and costly mistakes.
Live updates, not phone tag
Your private Daily portal keeps your schedule, change orders, and balances current as the project moves. Check it whenever you want, instead of calling to ask and waiting for someone to look it up.
Testimonials
Your Neighbours Love Us
Real reviews from homeowners. Ask us for live phone references.
We were so fortunate to have been directed to GS Construction (Patryk, Greg, and the crew) for our home remodel. My wife's parents did a complete first floor remodel, which turned out amazing. The attention to detail was obvious and that was enough for my wife and I to feel completely at ease when we hired GS to do our project as well. From consultation to finish, Patryk and Greg were completely professional and reliable, and able to turn our lofty vision into a reality. In fact, they employed their knowledge and expertise to make our project far better than expected. Besides a kitchen demo and remodel, essentially an entire first-floor remodel, and multiple second-floor projects, we even unexpectedly made the decision halfway through the project to completely refinish the basement and turn this portion of the home from an unusable space, or at best a storage area, to a beautiful, functional area that matches the beauty of the rest of the home. In summary, GS Construction's knowledge, workmanship, creativity, and customer service make it a pleasure to write this review and unyieldingly recommend GS Construction for a construction project of any size! Thank you, Patryk and Greg!
Why homeowners choose GS Construction
- Family-owned father-son team; you talk directly to the owners.
- 72+ verified reviews across Google, Houzz, Yelp, and Angi.
- Bring your own designer or architect, use one of our trusted partners, or be your own designer with our material sources.
- Itemized estimate and transparent pricing before work begins.
- Permit pulling and inspection coordination handled for you.
- Daily client portal to track your schedule, change orders, and balances in real time.
- Hundreds of in-progress and completed project photos on this site.
How to decide
- Request itemized estimates from at least two contractors.
- Ask whether you can bring your own designer or architect.
- Confirm who self-performs the work vs. who is subcontracted and marked up.
- Confirm who pulls permits and how inspections are scheduled.
- Ask who your single point of contact is — and whether it changes each phase.
- Ask whether you get a live portal for your schedule, change orders, and balances.
- Review the Illinois Attorney General's home-repair guidance so you know you are protected.
Do your homework: the Illinois Attorney General's Consumer Protection office explains how to avoid home-repair fraud and choose a reliable contractor. Its guidance for homeowners is explicit — “Get more than one estimate and get them in writing” — so comparing side by side before you sign is the state's own advice.
Recent GS Construction projects
Get a second opinion and a free estimate
It is smart to compare. We are happy to give you a no-pressure estimate even if you are already talking to Dream Kitchens.