Kyle designed my new house from a SB9 subdivision in San Jose. He is very patient and courteous,…read morevery knowledgeable about the city codes, and always responds in time. His design is elegant and efficient, he oversaw the project and answered all the questions promptly even after the project is well into the late stage. Highly recommend!

This is a very long overdue review. We was lucky to came across Kyle's service at the beginning of…read moreCOVID when we wanted to remodel our home in Santa Clara. I don't know how to express our sincere thanks for everything he did for us. Kyle is very professional and super nice. He patiently work with us over 6 months to come up with the most economical and yet practical design and great flow of the space. He tirelessly met us constantly to make sure we were comfortable throughout the process. His experience and knowledge was integral of our project. His price was very reasonable. I would have pay much more for the experience I have with him. I highly recommend Kyle service to anyone.

As a structural engineer, I have worked with James on many projects. He is a seasoned pro who…read moreunderstands the balance between art and science, which makes our projects efficient and successful. He is fun to work with and a high-quality architect. We recommend him for your project!

We are in the process of rebuilding our home. Jim helped with the design and plans. He probably…read moresaved our marriage. Think Designing for the Sexes. Great guy; great to work with.

We were delighted with the work Topos did for us. Peter is a great listener and presented us with…read moredifferent options, made revisions to the initial mock ups per our requests and helped execute on the option we selected. He helped us find an excellent contractor and his team managed our build. We are very happy with the results and the level of service.

I'm happy to strongly endorse Peter Baltay and his crew at Topos Architects as both a design firm…read moreand as a project management service. When my wife I are were contemplating building a home, we approached Topos as we had seen a previous spec project they had done and loved it. Design elements include maximizing space utilization, minimizing hallways, lots of light and windows, beautiful wood accents, high quality trim and attention to detail all appealed to us. During our first meeting when I complained about not finding any good lots for sale, Peter pointed out a few, including one particular lot that was not yet on MLS. The location was perfect for us and I ended up buying it 7 days later. The take home is that Peter has contacts in the area that give his clients access to info not always publicly available. We interviewed many architects and came back to Topos. I didn't like how some wanted to deliver a set of plans and walk away, leaving the builder to struggle with implementation. I also didn't like how some were 'out-dated' - I wanted computer-based models so I could visualize my home before it was built. As an engineer type, Peter and Topos were a great fit. I also wanted a firm who would help oversee the process from start to end and not and not pass the potato as soon as things went wrong (without paying through the nose for a personal assistant). I knew from previous contractor experience that building a home wasn't a cake walk and I wanted someone with integrity who I would work with through the entire process - Peter gave me that impression. Perhaps most of all, I wanted to know I was paying a fair price. I hated the standard fixed bid way of building houses where you're always combatting the general contractor over quality and price. I wanted complete transparency. Topos was prepared to offer this and had multiple previous projects to illustrate how this could be done and what I should expect. I want to address some of the negative comments in one review on this site directly. Building a house is not like Extreme Makeover where you go on vacation, return home and say 'Move that Bus' and have the house of your dreams. It is a process with literally thousands of decisions and over a dozen sub contractors. Mistakes are going to happen. Some people are going to do poor work some days. The city is probably going to say you can't do something essential to your design. Some tiles look great in the store but don't work in your house. Bad things happen. If you don't like a design element, it isn't Peter's fault, it is your fault. What you want on your team is someone that will work with you to effectively manage these things, prevent them when possible and deal with them when unavoidable. I can't imagine Peter and Topos doing a much better on this front. I'm willing to bet the negative reviewer never gave Topos a chance to fix what bothered her. In our case Peter and Topos were very up-front about what services they offer and where we might consider augmenting with our own consultants. Many people hire a lighting designer, interior designer, landscape design, etc.. We only hired a landscape guy and did the rest with Topos to save money. It is up to you. Look at previous homes and see what meets your standards and what doesn't. Oh, the comment about not working hard is absurd. Peter is there 8-7 most days. And, when things do go wrong, Topos stands behind the job. In our case a tile sub messed up the master bath. Peter made them tear out thousands in tile and redo it from scratch. While the sub provided the labor, Peter paid for all the tile out of pocket claiming they should have caught it earlier. This is someone who admits a mistake and takes responsibility for fixing it. For a bonus-factor, Peter is an amazing diplomat. He worked with some frustrated neighbors to make them advocates for our project, he worked with the city to find a way top get our gutters and design approved, and most of all he worked with me (which is no easy task) for 18 months to build a beautiful home. One other thing I'll add - in retrospect I undervalued the importance of working with subs that are beholden to the general contractor for their next job. While Topos let me select which contractor to use, there is an advantage to going with ones that they have used in the past and will use again. Because Topos builds a number of projects each year, many of the best subs work from one project to the next (provided you elect to go with them). Because of this dependence, they are incentivized to finish through 110% on your project. There were a few cases where a sub has had to come back many times (often fixing someone else's problems) and they have done so without complaint and without additional 'change orders'. They do it because it is right and they want to stay on Topos' good side.

Worked with them on a partial interior redesign of our living and dining spaces, and I have to say…read morethey bring a rare mix of vision and practicality. From the first meeting, the team took the time to understand not just how we use the space, but also what kind of atmosphere we wanted for family dinners and evenings with friends. They proposed solutions that were modern yet warm, clean lines natural materials and lighting choices that make the space feel inviting without being overdesigned. What I really appreciated was their attention to detail. Things like flow between the kitchen and dining area, sightlines to the garden and even how the furniture would interact with the architecture, all of it was considered. Communication was excellent throughout: clear updates, quick responses and they navigated the city requirements smoothly so I didn't have to. The result feels both stylish and deeply livable. Hosting dinners now feels effortless, the layout encourages conversation and the finishes add just the right amount of elegance. If you care about design that balances beauty with functionality, this team delivers. They're not just designing a house, they're designing a home.

I was ready to be impressed when I interview Malika for my house as I saw her "Startrek" House in…read morethe Wall Street Journal. However, after speaking with her, I can't believe her lack of knowledge for my City. It appears she only knows how to build modern houses in Los Altos. Chip, her partner had previously helped us with a small additional over 15 years ago. I felt he was much more grounded and gave sound advice instead of a sales job that was going to cost a lot more just for bragging rights.

My husband and I highly recommend Martinkovic Milford Architects! Blake, Amanda, and Amelia were…read moreour brilliant team of architects overseen by Brian Milford. They designed our dream home and also monitored the construction/renovation process in addition to recommending a great contractor to build our home.

Disappointed by my experience here. I got more value from a 15 minute phone conversation with a…read moredifferent architecture firm than I did from my interaction with this firm, which involved multiple hours of billable research.

Several of my clients have used Alex for ADU and remodels. All very happy with his services,…read moreresponsiveness, prices and knowledge.

I've worked with many talented professionals, but Alex Tzang stands out as one of the best…read morearchitects I've collaborated with. He has an exceptional ability to translate vision into thoughtful, functional, and beautifully executed designs. Alex listens carefully, understands goals and constraints, and consistently delivers creative solutions that exceed expectations. His communication is clear, his process is organized, and he works seamlessly with contractors and stakeholders to keep projects on track. I highly recommend Alex Tzang to anyone seeking an architect who combines creativity, precision, and professionalism.

major flake. Blew us off for months trying to complete our drawings. Overcharged us and drawings…read morewere incorrect and had to have them redrawn. Fair warning...

We have done two major remodels with Fred, both on the same house (different sections). The end…read moreresult is more than fantastic ... it is fun to live in and exceeds what we had dreamed of. We worked with Fred in a collaborative mode. In the first remodel, Fred came in with three ideas to address our requests, and then we tweaked (A LOT), stealing from one, changing, adapting. Fred was not so wedded to his own concepts that he wouldn't adapt to ours. The end result was great! The second remodel was even better, because I learned a lot more about what we really wanted than the first time around. With Fred's careful eye for symmetry, the end-product gave us more space, more storage, more volume (yes, volume is hugely important to making a space feel large ... not just square footage). The house is beautiful (part architecture, part excellent materials). We are now selling that house for a premium and moving out of state, planning several more projects. Fred will be involved, if I have anything to say about it.

I recently had the pleasure of working with Eyal. He demonstrated incredible skill and expertise…read moreand went above and beyond to deliver an outstanding result which got me access to an over the counter permit with SF's building department - which saved a lot of headache! His attention to detail and ability to understand and translate my vision into reality was truly remarkable. He took the time to listen to my ideas and requirements, and then used their expertise to create a design that got though the approval process without any delay. Throughout the entire process, he maintained a high level of professionalism and communication and kept me informed every step of the way Eyal's work truly speaks for itself, and I loved working with such a skilled, talented and reliable architect!

Working with Prestin Ravid Architects on our home addition and renovation has been amazing…read more Navigating the City of Palo Alto's complex permit process could have been stressful, but Eyal and his team made it smooth and enjoyable. With Eyal's extensive experience, his strategic, efficient approach and clear communication helped us get our permit in about half the expected time. His designs are thoughtful, detail-oriented, and perfectly balance aesthetics and practicality. Highly recommend!