I’ll be honest, I was very nervous about hiring an architect online. I’m old school, I like sitting across the table. But the local architects in Nagpur were quoting ridiculous % fees. Gave Ongrid a shot for my plot in Besa. The first Zoom call was a bit awkward due to my bad internet, but once we got going? Seamless. The team actually listens. I asked for a specific puja room placement based on my mother’s Vastu requirements and they nailed it in the second draft. Blueprints were delivered on time. My contractor had zero issues reading them.

We work US shifts, so meeting designers at 10 AM is impossible for us. The best thing about Ongrid was the asynchronous process. We’d drop comments on the designs at 2 AM, and wake up to updates. The living room renders were spot on—literally looked like the photo. Taking off one star because the initial onboarding took a few days longer than the website said, but once assigned, the designer (shoutout to Amit!) was super fast. No hidden costs, which is rare in this industry

Building a house in India while living in Dubai is a nightmare usually. Ongrid changed that. I needed a modern farmhouse design for our land near Lonavala. I didn't want the typical 'builder floor' look. They gave me a design that actually uses natural light (courtyard style). The VR walkthrough helped me show my parents exactly what it would look like without flying down. If you are an NRI, just go for it. It saves so much back-and-forth.

I didn't have the budget for a full-blown interior designer, I just needed layout help for a small kitchen that felt cramped. Paid for the design-only package. Best decision. They didn't try to sell me expensive cabinets or tiles (unlike the local guy who kept pushing his vendor). They just gave me a solid, functional layout and a shopping list. I sourced the materials myself and saved roughly 40k. Simple, no nonsense.

I am very particular about details. I sent back the floor plan 4 times because I wasn't happy with the patient waiting area flow. The team was surprisingly patient. They didn't just say 'yes' to everything; they actually pushed back when I had a bad idea, explaining why a certain column couldn't be moved structurally. That earned my respect. The final structural drawings were comprehensive. My civil engineer was impressed with the detailing.

The designs look great on screen, but execution is where the panic sets in. Thankfully, the drawings Ongrid gave were detailed enough that my local carpenter couldn't mess it up. There was a slight confusion regarding the false ceiling height in the drawings vs site reality, but the support team hopped on a video call with my contractor and sorted it out in 20 mins. The end result is cozy and exactly my style (Boho-modern).

This was my first time building a house. I had no idea about setbacks or FAR. The Ongrid team guided me through the municipal requirements for my plot in Bangalore before we even started drawing. It felt less like hiring a service and more like having a knowledgeable friend. The 3D elevation is the highlight—my neighbors are already asking who designed the facade. It stands out but doesn't look out of place.

Used their calculator tool first, then booked a consultation. Most architects give you a vague 'per sq ft' rate that doubles by the end of construction. Ongrid gave me a Bill of Quantities (BOQ) that listed exactly how much cement, steel, and sand I’d need. It helped me negotiate with my labor contractor. I think I saved the design fee just by not getting scammed on material quantities.

We are building in a small town near Indore where 'modern architecture' usually just means adding more colors. We wanted something subtle and contemporary. Ongrid understood the assignment. The only challenge was explaining the modern materials to our local labor, but the 3D views helped bridge that gap. If you live in a smaller city but want metro-city design quality, this is the way to go