A client of mine was looking for a good Architect to consult with concerning the feasibility of a…read moreremodel/expansion of his single story home in Bellevue. He had contacted several Architects who didn't seem to want to be bothered with this small of a project. I recommended Michelle Linden of atelier a+d and she has been stellar. She determined that the addition of a second story is in fact feasible and they have moved into the design phase. As Michelle is just starting her own practice (after working five years for a PNW Architectural firm as a registered architect) she is accommodating and affordable. But don't let that fool you - she knows her craft. She has strong technical, aesthetic and communication skills, all desirable traits in an Architect who is charged with translating ideas and dreams into a built space.

We recently bought a condo that needs a complete remodel. We hired Michelle to draw up the designs…read moreand also to take us throught the permit process. We are thrilled with the plans and are very impressed with how efficiently Michelle guided us through permitting. She took care of every last detail, freeing us to do the work we do best.

It's taken awhile to write this review, I have so much to say... Hiring an architect was one of the…read morehardest parts of building a new home. We found the perfect lot and I had a vision of what we wanted there. We interviewed three architects and Carl blew us away. (He was also very busy with other projects.) So after meeting him, we knew immediately that we wanted to hire him for the house. Carl doesn't take on multiple projects, so we felt pretty lucky that he was able to take ours. Carl asked a lot of thoughtful questions to drill down on what we valued in a home. He was interested in flow, size, budget, the view, style, room count... We had a lot to think about. Because of the thoroughness of his questions, he had a great feel for the project immediately. After each breakthrough, Carl would come over with the latest design. One of my favorites came to him while trying to sleep. He was always creative and excited about our home. He blew us away with his tissue paper designs and he often had more than one to choose from. Carl is very easy to communicate with. He understood the changes we made. He was efficient with his time, with our time. He visited the job site during construction, often. I feel he had a great relationship with our builder and the contractors on-site. And almost everyone building our home remarked at the wonderful design. If you are looking for a custom home, Carl is the guy. I marvel at what he created. His design offers a view from all five bedrooms, our kitchen and dining area, the living room and the lower TV room. Our bedrooms are situated away from the noisy street. He added beautiful finishing elements and maintained the integrity of the style. "I love my house"only begins to describe how much I enjoy and appreciate what Carl designed.

While creating a website for Carl Colson (http://carlcolsonarchitect.com), I had the pleasure of…read moreseeing many samples of his beautiful work and collaborating with a highly creative, accomplished, and thoughtful architect with a great sense of style and impeccable attention to detail. Carl can apply his passion and experience to many different projects, commercial as well as residential, while always staying true to the beauty and harmony of the architectural language he has developed over many years.

We wish we had chosen a different architect. Initially, H2D seemed competent and pleasant during…read morethe first part of our home remodel. However, our overall experience with them was unsatisfactory. Admittedly, our remodel was problematic and revealed challenges we hadn't anticipated. However, common oversights and miscalculations by H2D resulted in generated revenue for H2D and added expense and time to our remodel. At the beginning of the project, H2D called for a meeting so we could discuss key design aspects of a particular room. The plans that H2D created after that meeting failed to reflect the very specific design choices we had made. Additionally, H2D miscalculated a key structural measurement that cost us time and money with our contractors (and it was a mistake that we, with no architectural background, were able to clearly see). H2D also provided plans with handwritten notes that we and 2 contractors could not clearly read. We asked the architect to make the notes legible, which was our expectation from the onset. She made them legible, but charged us an additional $1,200 for the changes. After receiving the invoice and us questioning the charge, the architect stated that she "did not work for free." We asked her to consider reducing the charge by half. She agreed to a 16% reduction. The next invoice we were charged hourly every time a contractor called about our project. H2D managed to recuperate that 16% discount (and then some) by fielding our contractor's questions. Our last dealings with H2D were when we discovered they had provided the wrong plans to a contractor without key revisions. At this point, all parties involved decided it would be better to deal with our structural engineer and bypass H2D entirely. A relationship with an architect is a critical component to a remodel. We had hoped that our architect would take responsibility for poor work and provide helpful customer service (other significant examples lacking in these areas are not included in this review). The continual errors made by H2D, combined with navigating the architects' temperament, made for a sour experience that aggravated an already stressful experience of a home remodel.

I called looking for specific plans and found out I'm just outside their scope. She referred me to…read morethe proper contractor right away and was extremely helpful.

I called for similar services and came to find hey are a specialized niche. Very helpful to refer…read moreme to a contractor proper for me. Very kind and prompt, I hope to use them in the future!

From the owner: BEE Engineers provides comprehensive building envelope & energy services across the Puget Sound…read moreregion and beyond. Our team of licensed professional engineers, energy consultants, CAD drafters, construction consultants, and testing specialists are here to assist you throughout design, construction, and close-out. We provide comprehensive services for efficient, reliable, and sustainable building envelope and energy design solutions, while fostering innovative thinking that informs what spaces will look like, how they will function, and how they will contribute to a resilient future.

Motionspace was the third architect we worked with on a basement and kitchen remodel. They were…read morealso the best. They were incredibly professional, had great insight, and worked closely with our structural engineering firm. We just finished our remodel and couldn't be happier with the final product.

Nazim and Motionspace were asked to work quickly and meet a nearly impossible deadline required for…read moresubmittal. They met for a site-walk within 48 hours of the request. They worked quickly and made the permit process painless. They met our needed budgets for permits and we look forward to a continuing business relationship.

I wanted to take a few minutes to review my experience with Christoph Kruger at Kruger…read moreArchitecture. Christoph was introduced to us by our General Contractor, Alex Schenkar. The reason Christoph deserves a five-star rating is not related to how he performed when things were going well, but rather how he performed when a disagreement about billing showed up. During our design-build project the scope of our project grew considerably. During this process I became upset with what I felt was a lack of transparency in how billable hours were being calculated and I took issue with this, to our GC and to Christoph. In many cases I believe because of the issue that was created it could have ended the relationship. Instead with no guarantee of resolution Christoph maintained his professionalism and calm, continued to complete our drawings set through permittal and has continued to contribute in a very positive manner to the projects ongoing success. Having resolved our issue is a satisfactory manner, Christoph has continue to perform on a highly technical project, including taking into account changes to design elements we want to incorporate on the fly. I would recommend Kruger Architecture highly to those who value a team member who remains calm when others are storming, who has an excellent knowledge of municipal restrictions and what "can be done" and also who works well with the GC is realizing the vision of a project. Thanks Christoph. - Tom and Katie

From the owner: Kruger Architecture is a design office specializing in contemporary residential and commercial…read moreprojects. Our experience extends from custom homes, remodels & additions, to tenant improvements, and multifamily housing. We develop creative design solutions through a holistic approach that balances beauty, function, sustainability, and budget. Our office provides a full range of design services that include architectural and interior design, material selection, permitting, construction drawings, and construction contract administration.

Great company to work with! Great group of talented individuals that care about the individuals…read morevision for the project.

Amazing Outstanding company, they helped me obtain my permit in Bellevue, WA they carefully…read morelistened to the details of my project discussed with me what I want to do and suggested alternatives which really gave me some other ideas after few reviews with the city the permit approved and issued. Rihanna and Anna work always amazing and outstanding, price is the best for the quality received and guaranteed to obtain your permit with them, I am recommending them to my friends and family and to anyone that want to make the process of obtaining a permit easy.