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.

As a custom home builder, Cutuli homes has worked with Don Rasmussen for the past 8 years on a…read morelarge number of projects, both large and small, encompassing many different styles of construction. We have always been very confident referring him to our clients for their architectural needs. Don is very thoughtful as he helps the client develop a plan that works for their needs. He skillfully designs visually aesthetic plans tailored to the individual client's preferences. The clients have been extremely happy with his designs. Don has the important ability to understand the cost associated with the projects he designs, so there are no surprises once the plans are given to a builder. As a builder, I appreciate the accuracy of his plans, especially on remodels. Don is the perfect choice for any client because he understands and beautifully implements the balance between design, cost and practicality. I highly recommend Don for your architectural needs. Jim Cutuli Cutuli Homes www.CutuliHomes.com

Peter D. Swindley Architects and Interiors, led by Principal Architect Dan Keating, handled a whole…read morehouse remodel from top to bottom for our family. We updated from a 90's aesthetic to a contemporary vibe, replaced some significant in-house elements and custom designed several major areas like the fireplace and kitchen. We expanded the pantry and added a counter and switched the dining room into an office for my wife. Dan guided us through the process, helped us make informed tradeoffs and kept us apprised as things changed. Dan regularly attended the job site while the work was progressing and made sure the contractor was catching all the details in the plans. Sam, one of the interior designers, helped us with color choices, contrasting elements and gave us pointers to local suppliers where we could see and touch what was being proposed. We are very happy with the outcome and would highly recommend Peter D. Swindley Architects and in particular, Dan Keating.

I am extremely disappointed with their design, which caused us significant frustration and added…read moreexpense. I would not recommend this firm to anyone. They specified 7' interior and exterior doors, which must be special-ordered and cost nearly three times more than standard 6'8" doors. By the time this issue was identified, the house was already framed. We requested that the contractor lower the door openings from 7' to 6'8", which required additional materials and labor. In construction, any change order means redoing completed work, resulting in unnecessary additional costs. The bathroom windows are also oversized for the rooms. No privacy. Additionally, the drawings were inconsistent across the three bathrooms. In two bathrooms, the toilets were correctly centered at 18", but in the third bathroom the toilet was centered at only 15", even though there was sufficient space for 18". The plumber had to move the toilet 3", which again resulted in added expense.

This review doesn't exist for any reason other than to let others know of our life-altering…read moreexperience from trusting AIRD with our home; a fact-based caveat emptor of sorts. An outcome of trusting AIRD is delayed retirement to fund remediation of design/construction defects so our 1000sf house can function w/o long-term structural, water & other damage. AIRD's reviews & ratings on this site as well other sites are compromised by reviews made by employees of the general contractor she collaborated with). (Rebuttal to Jan2023 reply: Alexandra Immel did not fully cover costs related to one of her firm's erroneous omissions. We were still stuck w a $3K balance for one subcontractors. We paid for/endured delays due to her employee's other omissions. Wasting $3K+, extra months of double rent/mortgage, do-over construction materials & labor is a tiny expense relative to our total cost of remediating issues that originate AIRD's design (& omissions), as well as trusting the contractor Alexandra so wholeheartedly recommended for executing AIRD's plans. The client should never need to research City construction energy code when they're paying professional designers. But I was forced to. Like most people, I *want* to give good reviews, want to believe that when several hundred thousands of dollars is being borrowed & spent, it's spent it wisely. In reality, some people will allow emotions to positively bias their reality of such a huge investment, their reviews, enable excuse-making for individuals they find personally amiable, overlook the aspects that were professionally lacking. Unlike them, for this project, I invested time & money not to make a new "friend" to forgive, but to have a home with better space & small 250sf addition for a better quality of life. The cure is almost always worse than doing things right w the right people from the start. We had/hv no choice but to remediate ASAP. The time to minimize risk of preventable rot (of materials Alexandra insisted on), leaks & other defects is upon discovery of such design defects, not 5-10 years down the road which is when they would have shown up in the form of compromised structural integrity (final product & plans were evaluated by several design/construction pros). There's no space for "positivity bias" in this case no matter how much benefit of the doubt I wanted to extend. When a project involves moving out/in, (14mos of gas guzzling time-suck commuting is more than adequate for adding 250sf & a bathroom), mortgage $, it's critical staff hv adequate skill, knowledge & attn to structural/enviro detail, be *up-to-date* on critical skills/issues involved (appropriate materials, enviro impact, bldg & energy codes). Also essential is a genuine leader of a team who also truly values the time & financial resources of their client. AIRD fell short in all these respects. I'll never forget the comment spoken out loud at an early zoom meeting where Alexandra Immel literally said, in her own words w/ a smile, "money is cheap" (interest rates were lower; conversation is on record). The standard *looking* design plans AIRD produced were so lacking in detail, especially at critical structural junctures that the builder Alexandra recommended could not to execute her firm's designs, w/o trial & error & multiple do-overs, as if they were learning on the job & lacked the experience Alexandra Immel claimed they had. They'll naturally blame each other but absent legal action, the client is stuck w/ the total cost. Cascades of decisions are based on upstream decisions & good data, visual renderings. In our case they were asked for & promised at the start. But were never delivered in a timely manner PRIOR to critical decision points. A logical *looking* workflow on paper from a designer means nothing w this frequency of omissions (incl on plans signed off by the then lone registered architect in the firm at that time & caught by the city inspector). Any builder is dependent not just on designers' plans, but also knowledge of & respect for city code, as well as time-tested experience. Per WA records for just the last 7 yrs, the builders so heartily, *gushingly* recommended by Alexandra Immel had numerous safety violations & violations involving unlicensed (in our case, also incompetent) workers. Per state court records the builders also have 16 cases listed, between the state SUPREME, Appellate courts plus superior courts of at least two counties. When I checked with the state, spoke with Olympia, Immel's own registration attempt as an architect stalled out over two decades ago. Which would be fine had she kept up with the ever-evolving field of residential design (sub 4000sf builds don't require registered architects). I wasn't looking for inspiration, just competency, honesty. What I got was, & is still to this moment, a nightmare of a mess to tediously undo & clean up at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars, robbing us of years of quality of life.

Josh does an OUTSTANDING job! He is very honest, easy to talk to and will help you design the home…read moreof your dreams. He is very transparent through the process and makes you feel like he is in your corner every step of the way. I would highly recommend him to anyone I know in the Seattle area looking for architect needs.

Rachel helped me with repainting my entire house,( she is in Seattle, I am in L.A. ) and it was a…read moresmooth and very stress free process! My colors are exactly what I wanted, calm and airy and the whole house flows together. It's beautiful! I sent pics through email and she sent me pics back with color samples and what to put on which wall. It was all so easy and she is a dream to work with. I think it's important when it comes to your home, to have someone that listens and truly tries to understand your personal style. I changed my mind several times and it was never an issue, she never made me feel like I was wasting her time. She's very talented and professional and I will definitely be using her again on my next project!

If I could rate them, it would be zero, didn't deliver on time, designer left halfway through job,…read moremy wife did more design work on this house. No consideration for building functionality. Would never recommend

Great work! Very inspiring and modern design! LEED platinum homes including the Ellis Residence on…read moreBainbridge Island. Seattle Architects - Coates Design specializes in green building and sustainable design.

Chris at Bodhi builders has done several projects for us over the years. The first on was my front…read moresteps. There were very unstable and rickety. Chris bought new hardware took the existing steps apart and put them back together, with the new hardware, and the were solid and better then ever. The next project was the "Dining room". He removed the wallpaper and scraped the popcorn ceiling. Pulled up the old carpet. Installed a new subfloor and some gorgeous black slate. He removed the old framing from the windows and doors. Replaced all the windows (eventually "all 30 windows" in the entire home) with new Pella windows. He also replaced the 3 sliding doors. He stained and put up new framing on all the windows and door. He installed my new chandelier. As mentioned above he also replace all 30 windows in the house and did all the internal framing. He introduced me to a painter and they worked together on the outside, Chris framed up the windows on the outside and painter was able to caulk and paint the exterior of the home. Other projects Chris has done for me "The Garage" Cleaning (taking all my old junk away, and there was a lot of it), adding a second floor for storage with a pull down stair case, and a slider in the in the back of the garage for easy access to the 2nd floor. He put up insulation, siding and painted the entire garage and added several new outlets. He also built a custom shed that fits next to our deck. Chris is my go to guy for advice whenever I am considering any project and he has come out to oversee work on several occasions! Highly recommended!!!

I knew my basement needed a remodel but first I had to figure out how and why water was continuing…read moreto seep in at the corner of my foundation. After spending 10k in new drainage outside of my house hoping to stop the water intrusion and finding it did not, felt defeated and had no idea where to turn next. I had heard about Chris and Bodhi Builders through some friends and decided to give him a call. Chris came out and asked if he could pull out a section of wall where the water was before we discussed my "vision" for downstairs. First thing was stopping the water. He knew right away what the problem was and it was simple - old deck flashing was allowing water to get trapped and it was making its way down the wall onto the floor! I don't know how the prior two companies missed this but needless to say, I felt so much relief because I could see the issue myself and with Chris' explanation it made it much more easy to digest. Chris and I finished the walkthrough with what I wanted to accomplish and he and his crew fit me into their schedule. Peace of mind was on the way. Throughout my time with Chris and the crew learned that the team has extensive design and build crossover with the restaurant industry apart from residential work which only adds to their artistic eye and craftsmanship. This is a well tenured group that I will bring back when I remodel my upstairs bathrooms and kitchen. I am still moving things around so my picture story is not complete but this was once a 1976 wood panel (the kind of panel that would give you slivers and that had spiders living in it) kind of basement. Thank you Chris and Bodhi Builders for bringing me into modern times! Leah M.