"Working with Aeries has been an overwhelming success. The support we enjoyed through the whole process made it a creative pleasure, and from a nuts and bolts perspective, we executed our dream home at half the cost and in half the time as bids from other contractors. This was a radically different dynamic than what I'd experienced in previous construction efforts. Whereas before I was getting pinned with change orders from a smiling contractor that I did not trust, and a continually expanding timeline and budget, here I was surrounded by a team of experts who digested my objectives, arrived at compensation plans that got us all driving toward the same goals, and worked their tail off to deliver the best outcomes across quality, speed, price, and service. I endorse Aeries wholeheartedly."

"Thank god for Billy. He handled the project in such an organized and efficient way, that it cleared the way for me to focus on design and construction decisions. If there was a conflict, he fought it on my behalf, and I could maintain a positive relationship with the gentlemen on the job. In addition, he found my contractor and architect for me, both of whom were tremendously talented and a joy to work with. Never once did I have to pour over an invoice without him catching every point worth noting beforehand. Billy knows exactly where to spend money wisely and where to budget more efficiently. He kept every participant on task and was probably the only one truly conscious of the timeline. In addition, regarding the design and construction, Billy has impeccable taste and a careful eye - he knows how to navigate all parties regarding permits, plans, interiors, and landscape. I knew I could trust every thought and opinion he had throughout the job process, and even brought him with me on shopping trips. I love my home, but I would happily live in ANY house that Billy designed and developed. They are all both beautiful and functional. He checked and rechecked everyone's work, and stayed by my side, even months later when simple punch list items needed to be addressed. His attention to detail and balance beats anyone I know. Moreover, he's an absolute pleasure to have around! Lucky me."

"I had interviewed multiple architects for the remodel and I just didn't think any of them were in sync with what I wanted. Nearly all of them wanted to add square footage to accomplish my wish list. Finally I called Billy and asked him what I was doing wrong. His first question was to ask me why I needed more space! He spent about an hour walking around then sat down and laid out the design. He hit it straight on. I was floored. He was hired. And I was never anxious, as of course it turned out that I never had any need to be, as the attention to detail was second to none. A consummate professional. I am a big proponent of the transparency of Billy's fee structure overall. It avoids any possible conflict of interest and I only wish more people in this related space (designers etc) would consider the same."

"I live in New York and had seen Billy's pioneering loft remodeling work begin in the TriBeCa neighborhood here before the area was on most New Yorkers' radar. When he moved to Los Angeles, I was eager to be a part of what he was doing. The project at 9892 Beverly Grove Drive was delivered on budget and ahead of schedule in typical Aeries fashion. We sold the project into the real estate downturn and still achieved a record price per square foot for the neighborhood (Beverly Hills Post Office). I know that the integrity of the design, the quality of the build, and the insistence on spending only smart money all the way through was our hedge against the kind of trouble that other developers faced at the time. It's not simple for me to get comfortable with an investment in a real estate development that, in the case of Beverly Grove, was happening all the way across the country from me. Only someone with Billy's exacting nature could have made me feel as comfortable as i did the whole way through. Maybe only Billy could have. Since this project, Billy has provided me invaluable advice toward the development of a beachfront property in Amagansett, New York, as well as the remodel of my family's apartment in TriBeCa, the neighborhood he guided me to. I would invest with Billy again in a second."

"Billy thank you for everything. We think the world of you. We think you have done a brilliant job and have been incredible every step of the way. We both think you are a total superstar. You did an A+ job and we appreciate all your hard work and everything you did for this job and for us. You have always been extremely professional throughout the entire project. You are a genius and anybody doing a renovation in LA needs to work with you."

"I hired Aeries to build a free-standing office on our property in Brentwood and I immediately threw Billy some curve balls.  My wife and I wanted the best pre-fab structure available on the market, but we also wanted Billy to convince the pre-fab company to modify and customize their design to our specific needs, and to do all that for a discount on their normal price.  Billy was able to accomplish all of these goals in the design and pricing phase.  We then headed into a build that came with a built-in challenge: because the building was a pre-fab, the architect of the building did not concern himself with or make it his business to understand the site conditions or the foundation work required to install it.  Similarly, the contractor hired to do the foundation work was not particularly familiar with the building, which was being built off-site.  Our big problem came in the form of an incorrect site plan drawn by the pre-fab's architect.  The architect drew the building with a three-foot high retaining wall behind it, when in fact it required at least a 12-foot high retaining system.  When this reality hit mid-build, I felt that someone should have caught the architect's mistake.  Billy was quick to accept responsibility and went so far as to apply a meaningful percentage of his fee toward the cost of the new retaining system.  But our problems were just beginning.  The city inspector disallowed Billy's relatively inexpensive and fast retaining wall solution (other consultants I brought in also said Billy's solution could not work).  The inspector shut our job down and assigned us a long list of extremely expensive and time consuming requirements for starting up again.  Some would have been impossible to meet.  This very inspector had done the same thing at our property when I built my pool a few years earlier, without Aeries.  This time, however, rather than waste time and spend a ton of extra money, I watched Billy take on the Building Department.  He had the inspector removed from the project and received a determination from the city's head of all inspectors that Billy's wall could stay and that the project could be completed with no additional delay or cost.  Aeries does a lot to make sure a project comes in on time and on budget.  It can't keep a construction project from coming temporarily unglued, and there are usually surprises, that is the nature of the construction.  But Aeries is whom you want in the mix when problems inevitably arise.  Billy knows what he's doing and has no investment in selling you an expensive solution.  I recommend Aeries to anyone looking to build or remodel a home."

"9 Mile Investments made a smart move in hiring Aeries Development to manage the entitlement process for our 60,000 square foot development (20 lofts over retail) in Pacific Palisades, California.  We're a Sonoma-based development company and this was our first foray into the Los Angeles area market.  In very short order, Billy Lehman had us surrounded with an A+ team of consultants (including Coastal Commission and Land Use operatives) and was leveraging his long-standing political relationships and acumen in order to get our team in front of the highest-level decision-makers at the Los Angeles building and planning departments.  The red tape cut, we were able to quickly understand what we would be able to accomplish in terms of entitlements and put the project on a track toward our build-out.  Billy was instrumental in developing our entitlement strategy early on and had key input into our design and marketing strategies.  He scored major successes in representing our project to key community boards and to the local press.  It's also worth mentioning that Billy understands that in real estate development it is important to be able to manage the overall project, but it is also essential to be physically in touch with one's asset.  It was because Billy took a routine walk of the entire building on a Sunday morning that we discovered a broken water pipe pouring into an elevator shaft and averted a very costly and time-consuming problem.  9 Mile is grateful to Billy and his team at Aeries and we recommend Aeries highly."

"We brought Billy and his Aeries Development team onto a remodel project for our office because we wanted to find the best way to do it both aesthetically and economically. It was a great choice.  He understood our vision and worked with us to make it happen.  He found the best architect for what we needed, negotiated a very fair price, had good practical ideas that reflected our taste, and ultimately found us a great contractor.  Things invariably come up when you're in the midst of construction -- unexpected discoveries, inevitable delays -- but Billy always dealt with them quickly, especially when there was any issue with permits and the city.  He is very effective.  Ultimately we have a wonderful structure that didn't cost us an arm and a leg.  Thank you, Billy."

"In my professional experience for the last 27 years, I can easily state that the level of design and flawless execution performed by Billy Lehman and his Aeries Development group never ceases to impress me. Some of the world's most expensive homes, most famous homes and most photographed architectural homes reside in this local market of greater Los Angeles. Billy Lehman's homes stand head-to-head with any of them on their design integrity, conceptual utility and luxurious comfort. I highly recommend him to anyone seeking fine residential design and construction."