Jessica has been an amazing partner during our remodel journey. She worked with us through the…read morestarts and stops of the process and helped us realize the vision for our remodel. She was incredibly informative and communicative during the permit review process, turning what we had heard could be a nightmare into a fairly smooth process. Jessica and her team were always responsive and ready with answers to our many questions. We would not hesitate to recommend Jessica and the JSD Architecture team to anyone looking to remodel their house.

We are so grateful for Jessica's help in getting a permit for our addition. It's been a long…read moreprocess which she forewarned us about. We've never worked with an architect before so we didn't know what to expect. Jessica is a great listener. She actually listens to her clients and makes recommendations based on that. We highly recommend Jessica! We look forward to the completion of our project. Thank you Jessica and your team!

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.

Malika is an incredibly talented and experienced architect with an exceptional eye for design. Her…read morework feels open, bright, and thoughtfully proportioned. On top of that, her team is professional, highly responsive, and a pleasure to work with. Highly recommend.

M Designs has a very professional and hardworking team. They have a strong work ethic and are…read moreincredibly creative and thoughtful when it comes to their work. The team is also very responsive, organized, and professional in their communication. You can really see the care and attention they put into their designs and projects. I highly recommend working with this firm!

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.

I reached out to Alex about a project in South San Francisco that I needed help on. He came over…read moreto the house, spent over an hour with me, explained the process in South San Francisco, what to expect, how he could help and what my options were. His council gave me the tools to make my best decision. That decision ended up not needing his assistance. I offered to pay him for his valuable time; he said he was happy to help and told me to keep him in mind for the future-refusing payment. I was so appreciative for his advise, time and expertise. I felt confident in his abilities and I would gladly work with and recommend Alex gain.

Working with Alex and Jay on our full gut remodel in Millbrae made a huge difference. They know San…read moreMateo County and local building codes inside and out, guiding our plans through the review process to finish in minimal revisions with only minor comments. Beyond permitting and design, they acted as true partners rather than just a standard business, actively pointing out how to avoid costly, unnecessary upgrades and helping navigate challenges with our GC during construction. Jay's dedication stood out during a key site walk when he climbed up into the attic with me. Together, we caught framing, shear-wall, and electrical details that even the inspector missed (during the building phase). Having their architectural expertise on-site before insulation and drywall went up saved us significant money and ensured the structural integrity of the build. Not only did they handle the architecture and permitting in reasonable timeframe, but they supported us through every phase to ensure quality throughout. I genuinely appreciate their responsiveness and ongoing support.

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!

We found our way to Winder Gibson through our realtor and could not be more grateful. We worked…read moreclosely with Geoff and Daniel to design our dream home. They were an absolute pleasure to work with and took on all details at every stage, including handling a difficult neighbor. At the same time, they were efficient and budget conscious, helping us stay on track both financially and time-line wise. They made what could be an overwhelming process move smoothly and enjoyably. We unreservedly recommend Winder Gibson.

My wife and I had the pleasure of working with Geoff and his team on a full demolition and new…read moreconstruction of a single family home with ADU in San Francisco. We loved our experience and wholeheartedly endorse Winder Gibson to anyone looking for a full service architecture firm. From the outset, Geoff and his team demonstrated an exceptional understanding of our family's needs, which they transformed into a beautiful house design that resonates with our aspirations and lifestyle. We are currently transitioning to the construction phase, and are excited to raise our family in such a thoughtfully designed space. Also, Geoff and team are true experts at navigating the San Francisco permitting process. They efficiently moved us through permitting, both reacting to feedback from the city and helping us manage our neighbors. Honestly, we could not have permitted the house without their guidance. In a city where building homes can be difficult, the one two punch of beautiful design + the knowledge and skill to get it across the line was invaluable. We are so appreciative of Geoff and team.