Stay away from them at all cost…read more After just two months, our house has leakage problems. The fixtures were falling off. The walls are damages. Oh, did I mention that the second half of the project was just sitting there untouched for over a month now despite all our efforts to continue this project?

KLC stepped in on a residential project (garage and utility room+bathroom) and did an excellent job…read moreon the drawings. They also did an amazing job coordinating a very challenging permitting process with the city of El Cerrito. Ron, Maria, and Edwin genuinely cared about helping me through my first construction project, and I'm very satisfied with their service and quality of work.

We've had a great experience working with Mike Pourzand of Gehl Design / Build…read more Our original project was to replace a dilapidated shed in the backyard of our North Berkeley home with.a completely new structure having an identical footprint. Mike was very attentive and responsive to our objectives, and he developed a number of innovative and cost-effective design ideas to address our needs. We were often impressed by the way Mike's design ideas built on his extensive engineering and construction knowledge -- and vice versa. We also appreciated his efforts to anticipate and navigate city permitting requirements. Based on our very positive experience during the design phase, we elected to engage Gehl Design /Build to oversee the construction of the new shed, as well as to design and manage several additional projects (including a new and expanded driveway, new fences and gates). As part of this second phase, Mike identified and secured bids from qualified contractors he had vetted and worked with previously. His recommendation -- which we ended up going with -- proved excellent. On several occasions, Mike helped explain elements of our plans with our neighbors. He was very respectful and straightforward in his approach, helping to secure their support and goodwill. What made us feel that we were in excellent hands with Gehl Design / Build was not only Mike's extensive experience and his impressive knowledge and skill set. His dedication, patience, responsiveness, and integrity are all exemplary -- and made working with him a true pleasure.

The guys at Gehl design team helped design, build and implement a 300 sq ft design Artist studio…read morespace from start to finish, as well as build a small detached storage shed, that also looked contemporary in design. Mike and his team helped with every aspect of this project, from initial brainstorming, conception and design, to implementation -- I can't recommend them enough!!

We had the pleasure of working with Jill Finn of TANGERINEdesign LLC when our longtime designer was…read moreunavailable -- so she walked into a situation where we were already feeling a bit off balance. But from day one, Jill exceeded our expectations. The project involved tearing down an old, dilapidated screened-in porch that had never really worked for us -- too cold in the winter, too hot in the summer -- and transforming it into a usable interior room. We wanted to keep the light and airy feel of a porch while gaining insulation, comfort, and year-round usability. We also wanted ideas for built-ins: maybe a window seat, maybe bookshelves -- we weren't quite sure. Other contractors over the years had taken one look at the porch and declined to get involved due to its age and condition. Not Jill. She had ideas right away. Jill brings so much energy, creativity, and practical knowledge to the table. Even while juggling big personal commitments (like her son's graduation across the country), she delivered several strong design ideas within a few weeks -- and they were fresh, inspiring, and budget-conscious. She collaborated easily with our civil engineer, adjusting her drawings quickly to meet his needs. She also understands our local codes and regulations really well, and met directly with our contractors to make sure her designs were realistic and executable before we got too far into the process. On top of all that, Jill has a fantastic personality. She made the experience fun and engaging, and she brought a sense of momentum and confidence that really helped us move forward. I can't recommend Jill highly enough -- her creativity, responsiveness, and enthusiasm make her a true gem. If you're considering working with TANGERINEdesign LLC, you're in excellent hands. Karen & Greg Marriner 6/22/25

My fiancee and I met with Jill to explore building an ADU in our backyard from the ground up along…read morewith a home expansion. We were glad that we chose Jill; she brings with her a wealth of knowledge in all facets of the construction phase, and she was very friendly and easy to talk to also! Most of the time we would ask her a question, then just let her talk, as she was very detailed with all of her answers and did a great job teaching. We also appreciated that Jill also has no problem telling you if your idea is a bad idea, but will provide the context and reasoning why. Lastly, we loved tapping her creative mind; she has the ability to look at a space and give you plenty of ideas for it that you might not have even thought of! We would definitely recommend her and would work with her again.

I've worked with Cari on a deck repair project for a multifamily property in Oakland and have had…read morean excellent experience. Throughout the entire process, she was knowledgeable, responsive, and easy to work with. As a property owner, I appreciated the professionalism, attention to detail, and commitment to keeping the project moving forward. I would not hesitate to work with Cari again and would gladly recommend her to anyone needing architectural services and managing the challenging environment with the city.

Stay away if you respect your finances and don't enjoy lighting money on fire. Cari will not…read morerespect your investment. She quoted us $19k for a project we've paid more than $52,000 for, including for an egregious error on her part that cost us $10,000 and a 6 month delay. Cari originally quoted us $19k a 600sf kitchen/bath/bedroom addition. She let us talk ourselves into a 1200sf 2 story remodel, which we submitted to the city, only to have our neighbors object. Ok, not her fault, but by this point we'd already spent $25k, well over budget for the original project and still no approved plans. We then brought her exactly what we wanted on a napkin, based on the original 600sf footprint. She had designed a custom butterfly roof over the addition. Here is the unforgivable error: Cari's recommended contractor suggested we do some "value engineering" to make a simpler roof. Cari and the cotnractor said we should replace the entire roof (old house and new) with a redesigned new roof, and that this would be cheaper construction than the butterfly roof (trusses vs hand cut beams) and save us money. This was all "value engineering" after all, and they were the experts! Turns out when you remove and change the roof design over a structure, that structure has to be to code, meaning our entire foundation would need to be updated. Something Cari and her team absolutely should know. Instead, we paid Cari and the engineer for new plans and waited 6 MONTHS while they went back and forth with the city, before admiting to their mistake. $10,000 later, we'd scrapped the "value engineering" idea and went back to the butterfly. Did we have struggles that weren't her fault yes. But over a nearly 2 year process working with her I can tell you that a) she was ALWAYS happy to charge us for work rather than talk us out of bad ideas and b) she is not willing to take ownership of for the value engineering catastrophe. So, we have paid for the 1st design we couldn't use, and the 2nd design we literally handed to her on a napkin, and for a design that was never feasable. A total of $52k to this point. Even though she the original plans were with the city and we'd done all the work twice with them now, Cari still found another $4k worth of charges I'm now being forced to pay an under threat of a mechanics lien. Do not make my mistake and STAY AWAY!

Working with Sunny - studio G+S Architects was a fantastic experience. I like to highlight their…read morecreativity, professionalism, communication and their ability to meet budget/ needs. Looking forward to collaborating with you for my next project .

I interviewed six architects or building designers for conversion of a studio to an accessory…read moredwelling unit. Ed Soos, architect, was tied with one other architect at the top ranking. He made good suggestions during a preliminary tour of the property. I appreciated his kindness and creativity.

We've been working with Andy for the last several months on our 3rd and 4th story addition project…read morein upper Noe Valley. Communication: Andy is organized, efficient, and clear in his communications with us. He was also upfront with us from the beginning about the potential challenges our project would face, from city building regulations to neighbor considerations, but always presented solutions to the issues. Design: Andy has been able to take our high level requirements and turn them into an elegant and practical design that is above and beyond what we originally imagined. His in-depth knowledge of the city codes has also been reassuring - we really appreciate his focus on the goal of making this a smooth, low drama process. Process and Cost: Finally, Andy's wealth of vetted and reliable industry contacts has helped us determine a working budget early in the process - this has been invaluable for ensuring we're comfortable with the major changes to come. Andy and his contacts have all provided reasonable pricing, considering the scale of the project we are undertaking. We're really happy working with Andy, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend him for any projects in SF!

We've just completed our 2nd Major Remodel with Andy after having the pleasure of working with him…read moreseveral years ago on our 2nd story addition. Our 2nd project with Andy included the main level Kitchen, Family area, Mudroom and Powder Room. We were so impressed with Andy's design talent the first time, that we were certain we wanted to work with Andy to tackle the design challenges for the second go round. Andy again was integral to the success of the project. After receiving an initial estimate from a contractor we had worked with in the past that was higher than expected, Andy was able to offer another contractor more in line with our budget. After listening to our thoughts and concerns, Andy offered several design options, and again we were really excited with the finalized approach. Andy was able to incorporate some specific design details we wanted, and then build upon them and make them a unique feature for our project. When we were facing technical challenges with the millwork detail we incorporated into the project, Andy suggested a solution that the millworker went with to solve the problem. Andy again was great to work with through the design, both listening and offering design options we hadn't thought of. His attention to design detail really made the project. His knowledge of construction and cost were such a great asset to making our project a success. He followed through with the project from beginning to end. We Hired Andy 2x as our Architect, we highly recommend him for your project!