GMK Architecture Inc

For starters, I have a 40 year career as a construction executive and developer that have worked with multiple architectural firms over the years. Having recently completed a remodel design process on my personal residence with Jim Gempler, I am reminded of why I decided to work with GMK in the first place. My history with Jim spans 30 plus years to an earlier period when I was the owner of a residential development/construction firm. Jim continues to excel as the consummate professional in his design approach by listening, evaluating, and developing practical solutions and options that met our project needs. I was most impressed with Jim’s ability to creatively address and simplify the challenges and limitations that are inherent in the remodel process by exploring cost effective solutions while maintaining the overall integrity of the design. Most importantly, working with Jim was fun and enjoyable for my wife and I.

After terminating a plan 3 years in design with another firm, we needed a good architect fast. I’m in the building business so got several quality recommendations pointing to Jim. We contacted him out of the blue for an unusual job and Wow! Did he perform! He pulled a rabbit out of a hat for us, started from scratch with our concept ideas and came up with a better, completely different and cooler design that we simply didn’t expect but loved more than the old one. He’s a great creative design architect (rare these days), and a listener-first who then sketches your ideas into reality but makes them better by improving things with his own creative foresight. There were multiple surprises we discovered as we got to understand the plans that we would have never thought of ourselves but were done intelligently and thoughtfully. Jim acted as a seasoned guide by educating us on what we needed to know to make the right decisions for the house and for our future lifestyles (while continually reminding us of our directive to him to keep a lid on costs!). He has a very calm, friendly, professional approach, and still made it exciting and fun in the meantime. When we were the ones doing the listening, we rarely (if ever) disagreed with his rationale, suggestions and direction. Wish we could work with him again! A couple other designer-friends of ours both loved the new design too--kudos! Jim gets a strong Go-To-Guy recommendation from us!

We thoroughly enjoyed working with Jim on the design of our contemporary home. Why? Jim... - Approached our design holistically around us - informed by the site, our lifestyle, interests and aesthetic - Successfully created a unique innovative design that is grounded in pragmatism and how we want to live in and use the space - Combines creative “nothing is impossible” problem solving with high attention to detail, pragmatic approach and thorough consideration of all implications and trade-offs - Is a client-focused, direct communicator who really listens, which enabled us to collaborate and build a relationship remotely between the east coast and WI - Is well respected by former clients and folks across the trades

Jim is one of the brightest, and most creative people I have ever met. When these qualities are merged with practicality, it is a customer's delight. I've done two projects with Jim, one a very substantial home. My experience could not have been more positive. Would I use hime again? In a flash. How often does one find a person who is both immensely creative, responsive to customer objectives, and practical in terms of business realities.

Jim Gempeler is receptive, imaginative, practical and flexible. Oh yeah, he's an amazing architect too. He found an elegant, practical way for us to open up the first floor of our century old colonial without compromising it's character.

I consulted with Jim on two occasions regarding our house's exterior design. He was easy to work with and pointed us in the right direction to meet our needs. I recommend GMK!

We hired Jim Gempeler to design additions to our 1950s mid-century modern home-- a car port and attached screen porch-- and to re-configured the existing interior garage into an entryway and workshop. Jim was sensitive to our home's flow, and demonstrated great insight into the connections between the interior and exterior spaces. He created a design that was functional and complimentary to the existing structure. He was generous with his time and his thoughts, and mindful of our goals and budget. In short, Jim was great to work with, and his design and planning were the key to realizing the project's potential.

Jim Gempler designed our lake house (from the ground up). We chose to work with Jim rather than other firms because from the outset Jim showed that he appreciated the uniqueness of our land and what we wanted. Once the project began Jim was able to successfully balance meeting our expectations, and expanding our vision. The final design complements the site/land. We've had numerous complements on how our house is uniquely "right" for the site. On top of that, we love the features and layout of our house - it gives us everything we knew we wanted, and some things we didn't know we wanted, but now could not give up. The process was enjoyable and the results spectacular. We highly recommend working with Jim Gempeler. - G&T Corrigan

Jim Gempeler of GMK is an extremely talented designer. He originally designed a house for us 25 years ago. Then we had him build an addition. The design, flow and process was seamless. He incorporated the beauty of the outdoors throughout. He is very creative and innovative. Yet sensitive to the tastes, preferences and budget of the client. He is versatile as well, creating designs that reflect the culture and natural setting of very different regions of the country. We could not be happier with the result. As a result we have a new house and a lifelong friend.