Self-serving Incompetent, poor communication, ignores owner requests, fails basics but adds…read moreunnecessary, dictates choices that should be owners, does not stand behind work, over budget. Not recommended.

I engaged Obie Bowman in early August 2019 to prepare permit submission for a pre-fabricated metal…read morebuilding to replace my fire destroyed metal building in Napa. This would have been my second such building replacement. Unfortunately, the Architect who handled the permit process for my first building retired and closed his offices, thus I reached out to Obie Bowman. My first building received the necessary permit within 45 days of submittal, and the building was erected and completed within 5 months total time. After 11 months of monthly invoices from Obie G Bowman, I have nothing to submit. I have expended some $50K plus on his services which should not have exceeded $16K by anyone else. He continually made repeated errors, wrong mark-ups and continually "forgot" our conversations, never writing anything down. He knew zero, absolutely nothing about permit submission requirements. The pre-fabricated building manufacturer finally sent me a notice of non-interest to supply/sell me the building due to Obie Bowman's amateurish and erroneous drawings. I reached out to Obie and requested that we part ways and that consider refunding a portion of the fees I've paid him (over $50,000.00) and that I would leave it up to him to propose an equitable resolution. His response was to send me an additional invoice for over $1,500. I would not recommend him to anyone, not even someone I seriously disliked. It's obvious that he intentionally caused this year long delay so as to continually invoice me and bilk me of my monies. Run away, don't walk.

From the owner: Our work is reverently respectful of mother nature - our proudest accomplishment is when we are…read moreable to create projects that resonate with their setting.

Joanne is nothing short of amazing. She is first and foremost a brilliant architect who designs…read morebeautiful homes and remodels. I truly believe her work will have lasting and historical significance. In addition, she is the rare architect who is a master of all aspects. We did a very large whole-house remodel that took years to design and plan and then more years to execute. Joanne led us through the whole process from start to finish. First, she worked with us to define our style and uncover every aspect of what was important to both of us, and then blend that into a coherent design that was elegant and very contemporary and yet down to earth. She helped us find a top contractor, who was also extraordinary, and we all worked amazingly well as a team throughout the construction. Between Joanne and the contractor, the execution could not have been better. Modern design often requires complex and subtle engineering and Joanne is thoroughly competent with the engineering. She completely managed the interactions with the structural engineers who were critical to the construction. Joanne was there overseeing every aspect of the construction and the many, many issues that came up on the fly. She managed the complex regulatory issues as well. Our house actually straddles the Berkeley-Oakland border, which made for some challenging permitting issues. Joanne handled it all for us. Joanne also led the many efforts at "value engineering," helping us to make cost trade-offs to keep the budget down. Between Joanne and the contractor, we often were able to find alternatives that saved significant costs with little loss to the concept. That said, we did, inevitably, go considerably over our original budget, but that was our choice. As you get into it, it is hard not to want everything to be perfect, even if it costs a bit more. We knew we weren't going to be doing this again and wouldn't have another chance to get it right. This meant lots of changes as the project evolved. Joanne took it all in stride and worked overtime to make significant changes even as deadlines loomed. We loved Joanne's aesthetic sense and completely trusted her total vision for the house. So much so that when it came time to do the interior design, we asked Joanne to do that as well! Again, she was brilliant and we loved working with her, choosing each piece, color, texture, etc. with care and love. Besides all of her wonderful professional qualities, Joanne is a wonderfully thoughtful person. She is interesting and interested in everything. She is well-rounded and well-grounded. She never seemed flustered or anxious, and would always help us when WE were (which is also inevitable when you've taken your whole house down to the studs!). In the end, we ended up with the house of our dreams. We love living in it every single day. It suits us perfectly, both aesthetically and functionally. We really couldn't be happier with the results. We really can't say enough good things about Joanne and her work. It was a privilege and an honor to get to work with her. Our remodel was a monumental experience that has transformed our lives. We are deeply grateful.

From the owner: We are a full-service architecture and interior design studio focused on creating well-crafted…read moreenvironments for lives well-lived.