Phil Rossington was the right choice for our home renovation project, which wrapped up in 2023…read more We found Phil after having spent quite a bit of time with another architect and being disappointed with her resistance to some of our key preferences. We checked out Phil's online portfolio before contacting him and saw that it included a variety of attractive elements spread across several different projects we thought could be adapted for our project. After our first meeting with Phil, we hired him to take over our project, which was still in the schematic design phase. His extensive experience in San Francisco was an important consideration, but the deciding factor was Phil's communication style. During the whole journey through design, permitting, bidding, and construction, Phil contributed creative ideas that we incorporated to very good effect. He dove deeply into materials selection and introduced us to suppliers we hadn't discovered on our own ever after countless hours of online search. Critically, when we hit him with unconventional requests, Phil's patient, open, positive, thoughtful responses drove us toward jointly agreeing how best to satisfy them. We interviewed four contractors introduced by Phil, two of whom he had worked with previously on completed projects. We hired one of the two others, who turned out to be a solid professional. Phil's heavy engagement during construction helped immensely in getting the best quality out of the contractor. Our house isn't large, but the renovation was fairly extensive -- five walls were moved or removed, and all electrical, plumbing, flooring, and drywall was replaced. If you have your heart set on building or renewing a home in the Bay Area, don't miss the chance to meet Phil Rossington and talk through your project with him.

We hired Phil as our architect on a large scale remodel and he completely reimagined the space. It…read morewas a challenging footprint to work but his vision transformed our home and we are thrilled with the results! He was masterful in incorporating our needs while bringing innovative ideas and cool design elements we would never have thought of but absolutely love. He is thoughtful in his design choices and created a home that feels unique and comfortable. Phil felt like our trusted advisor helping us navigate the complexities of our remodel. He was involved every step of the way, working closely with the city, the contractors, sub contractors, etc. We really appreciated leaning on his expertise and all the time he spent with us to explain and guide the many decisions we made during the process. He has incredible attention to detail and we are so grateful for the beautiful home he created for our family. Phil is professional, trustworthy, and a joy to work with. We highly recommend Rossington Architecture.

We worked with Wagstaff and Eric to design our ADU…read more This was a rebuild of an existing internal space in our main house into an official ADU, so came with significant constraints on size and layout. Eric was great to work with; he was responsive and listened carefully to our ideas. Billing was clear and the final cost came in approximately at or under Wagstaff's estimates, including a number of design iterations. The design process was a partnership and contributions from both sides were crucial to the final product. We provided strong opinions on how the space was to be used and requirements. Eric provided design ideas, and used his good understanding of space, building constraints and opportunities to validate our ideas and turn them into reality (or provide alternatives). My main regret is that we did not use Wagstaff enough! We did our own construction observation, but next time I would ask Wagstaff to take responsibility for that. We're delighted with the result and would use Wagstaff again!

I worked with Eric on a new construction build plan. Overall, I do not recommend this firm…read more 1. We did not align on high level how the flow in the new house should be, and he ended up drawing the detailed plans even if it was not what we wanted. Costed us 10k+ for nothing. 2. Every iteration was more than 5 hours, even if all he did was add a door/bath (no big changes). 3. He optimized for things that made no sense to us. Like he optimized for keeping one of the walls from the current house, even if we said we don't care about the current house (since this is a rebuild). 4. He sent plans to us that were still over the allowed limit 5. He talked to the city to understand the requirements, and understood them wrong. The limit for our lot that he said we need to respect was not correct, even if he talked to the city. 6. He asked us to get an "As built survey" even if we want to rebuild the house fully. Hi another 5k dollars. Overall I do not recommend working with this firm. We paid them way too much money for something that we could not use. Completely useless.

Tony and Dawn are phenomenal. We have a 1920s era bungalow that needed a kitchen overhaul. Our…read moregoal was to maintain elements of the traditional bungalow style while bringing in modern elements, oh and of course within a very tight budget Tony crafted a fantastic design, brought many many samples for us to select from and helped us come to consensus on design decisions (he's phenomenal at carefully navigating differing opinions!) We also appreciated the contractors he brought in to build custom cabinetry and countertops. These guys (particularly Rocky, the cabinet maker) are true craftsmen. Visitors who have come by since the reno can't tell the difference between the original cabinets and the new. We love love love working with Tony and Dawn and hope to do so again in a heartbeat. (living / dining room guys?) You can't go wrong with Mood and Space, they truly listen and get at the core of your design style.

I was referred to the MAS Design team by Grant K. Gibson for a kitchen re-design in my home. My…read morehome has been designed by top tier designers, and Grant assured me that MAS is a talented, highly professional team with an excellent eye and reputation. Plus, their office has recently moved to Tiburon (next to Sausalito in Marin County) so (just across the Golden Gate bridge), super close to SF, a huge convenience. I met with principal designers Carol Perry and Dawn Carlson, and felt that I was in good hands. They were knowledgeable, friendly and positive. As we worked together I appreciated their systematic process, and their customer care. I had lots of great ideas and, combined with their expert skills, together we arrived at a design that I am thrilled with. The MAS team works in a variety of styles according to their clients' taste, so I was happy that they could adapt to my vision for the space. Their process is professional and direct. Their systems for communication, drawing, purchasing, etc made it so that not only did I know what was happening (and what I was being billed for) all along the way, but also they shielded me from errors that may have otherwise without these protections. They also jumped into action when I needed things quickly! They have integrity and care about their clients' timelines and will produce drawings and such in response to sudden deadlines that can occur when working with a contractor, builders, etc. The MAS team has great taste, an organized and yet accessible process, and are easy to work with. Plus, it was fun working with them! In the end, I am confident in their ability to provide a chic, comfortable, and unforgettable space for my family. I highly recommend Team MAS! Lauren

Highly recommend Baranova Design. Inna and Olena recently helped us plan and execute on a large…read morenumber of discrete projects for our new home (complete kitchen and bathroom remodels, new floors, paint, built-in bookshelves, closet space, etc., etc.). They led us through not just the practical aspects of our projects but also consistently lent a great design eye to help us cohere all our choices and wind up with a beautiful home. We started with "we want to redo the kitchen and then there are a bunch of other small things we're not sure if we want to do something different with this place." Inna and Olena took careful stock of our space and listened to all our needs and wants to help us imagine a cohesive, beautiful home beyond I think what we would have considered on our own (e.g., expert pairing of colors across many dimensions, exquisite lighting in cabinets and dimmable lights all around, elegant stone and tile designs, a good choice for sturdy and handsome wood flooring, sourcing for many appliances, odds and ends). They led us through the entire process of choosing through installing an elegant stone for our kitchen counter and backsplash which we love; that, the cabinets, the lighting, the beautiful island they helped us design, the slight change to the wall between kitchen and dining area, the color palette...it all comes together to make an intuitive heart of our home that feels like we live in a work of art! We were also on a tight timeline to get everything done. Inna and Olena helped us source not just materials but a team of people, including a quality GC and cabinet maker, to get the job done. Everyone was able to move quickly and get our home finished for us on an aggressive schedule (4.5 months from initial discussion to moving in). Inna and Olena made it happen, both for the initial scope, and for an additional bathroom project when we realized partway through that both floor and tiles needed to be replaced, and for built-in bookshelves which we realized we wanted after all a few months in, and for various appliance needs and other smaller projects as work progressed....As an example, in the span of a couple weeks Inna and Olena helped us scope and select the tiles and design that have resulted in a stunning master bath--and a project that could be completed quickly. They were always there for us when we had questions or concerns, or another need that came up. Inna and Olena were consistently professional, courteous, knowledgeable, and easy to communicate with, addressing all of our many questions and requests throughout the project. We're grateful with how our home has been transformed, and we'd look to work with Baranova Design again if/when need be!

I have used Elevate design on several of my projects. I have found Justin to be very in tune with…read moretoday's trends. His plans are clear and easy to understand, and he communicates with you, and listens to what your saying. I also have referred him to others, and they have all had great feed back on how Justin took care of them.

Be careful if you work with Dennis Freeman for cabinetry of any sort. Dennis Freeman used to own…read moreCascade Cabinets and I was unfortunate enough to waste $20K on kitchen cabinets through him. I was doing a complete kitchen remodel and my general contractor pushed me into using Dennis Freeman. I am now saving money to have his terrible work, which is peeling like crazy, refaced or repainted. During planning, I asked Dennis if there was a downside to paint-grade cabinets vs. stain-grade, and he said there was none: they were equally durable. I opted for paint-grade because of the color scheme I wanted, and his cabinets began to peel within two months. When I first noticed it, I was $40K poorer for my new kitchen, and I was HEARTBROKEN. I had worked so hard to save that money. I hoped the peeling wouldn't get much worse, but during the first year of my brand-new kitchen, the peeling continued. The project was more than a year finished when I finally contacted Dennis about the terrible quality of his cabinets. I was relieved that he agreed to come and fix the peeling ones. But he never came, despite *many* phone calls, and I understood after some time that he never planned to. I wrote a strongly worded negative Yelp review about Cascade Cabinets (this business of his has since closed). This also didn't mobilize him, but at least I hoped to help others avoid my mistake. I finally had to contact the general contractor who had managed the project, and he persuaded Dennis Freeman to correct his work. Dennis showed up and told me that I had to expect this sort of result from paint-grade cabinets (hello? 1. Where was this information when I first asked? and 2. I know people with excellent and durable paint-grade cabinets in their kitchens!). He also blamed the peeling on the cabinets being near the sink/moisture (hello again? 1. This is a kitchen, he knew that from the start, and 2. With time, even the cabinets farthest from any water source have started to peel). He advised me on how to care for them, but I had already been following his instructions to only wipe them with a damp cloth all along. Anyway, he took the worst and most peeled doors down and went away with them; returned with them "fixed" and they promptly resumed peeling within a month. He then asked me to take down my Yelp review since he had corrected his work, and I deleted it reluctantly, because what I wrote was still true. When the replacements started to peel, I had no energy left to fight anymore; it had been such a struggle just to get these sad corrections done. This project was in 2011; it was 2012 when he fixed some of the worst cabinet doors. It is now 2019 and the cabinets look like hot garbage. Huge flakes are coming off them. I am afraid to clean them because I don't want to contribute to the peeling. I worked so hard to save up for that kitchen remodel, and this just makes me want to cry. It wasn't right for me to remove that Yelp review, and now that I am going to be spending money to repaint/reface his cabinets, I have to warn anyone else who might be considering using his services. To be clear: I don't know anything about Elevate Design Build; his other partners in this venture may be quite competent and ethical--I have no idea. All I can say is BE CAREFUL ABOUT CABINETS with this company, ask who's doing them, and get some kind of serious warranty that spells out your durability expectations.

Nick and his team did an incredible job with a major home renovation for us, completely redoing…read morethree bathrooms from scratch. They set an aggressive timeline and stuck to it, and stayed within their estimated budget. The work speaks for itself - we were extremely happy with the results, and it's been almost a year now since completion and we've had no issues with quality at all. I've worked with a lot of contractors and something I appreciated the most about Nick was how helpful he was outside the actual execution of the work itself -- he gave us thoughtful design advice, helped us source the best materials, and was a pleasure to work with every day.

Nick Ghirardelli and his team were a dream to work with. True professionals all around with laser…read morefocus on the small details, they take great pride in their work. We just finished building a pergola with them and while it was a small project, they treated it like it was big. Not only did the craftsmanship and design far surpass our expectations but the quality and integrity of the structure they built will last a lifetime. We are excited to move onto the next project with Ghirardelli Construction.

I worked with Jeff and his team for several months for an extensive remodel of my home and I could…read morenot be happier. Jeff was fast, extremely knowledgable and willing to help me understand what needed to happen each step of the way. His team delivered quality work such that they would notice adjustments that were needed before I did. A pleasant surprise was also how helpful Jeff was during the process when I wanted to adjust the design or layout. He was upfront with what those changes would mean for my overall budget and timeline, but also had valuable input in regards to the integrity of the design and what I was trying to accomplish. I would work with Jeff and his team again without hesitation.

ARTWORK! My dad needed some new windows and glass sliding doors for the family room and dining…read moreroom. My folks had done an addition to the house in the late 1970's and without question it was time for the windows & doors to be replaced. We wanted to get some Pella Windows, and per Pella's website, JP Lindstrom was a certified contractor for their product. From the start, communication was great with Jeff. Jeff arrived at my dad's home with a Pella representative and measured the windows and doors. I received the bid and we went ahead with the project. Due to the holiday season, we waited until the first of the year to start work and work they did. I live in Sacramento, but my dad lives in San Mateo, and from the get go, I was getting daily reports of how great they were, how they took their time, and made sure everything was perfect. My dad could not say enough about them. I went home this past weekend 1/28/12 and upon entering the house, I could immediately see to the family room and was OPENED JAWED at the look and the work in which they had completed the job. THESE GUYS ARE ARTISTS. Truly, I was just STUNNED at the beauty and workmanship. The window frames were beautifully done as well as the installation being flawless. The finished product looked as if they had always been there. All I could do was stand and look, say "WOW, HOLY COW", "WOW, HOLY COW, I AM JUST AMAZED". Still am. Without hesitation I would recommend JP LINDSTROM and his crew for any work needed done on your home. I without question will use them again when the time comes. Thank you Jeff & your team of artists for doing such an AMAZING job.

Scheduled the in person consultation meeting. Then the project manager didn't call when he was late…read moreand called again to cancel 30 min before the meeting. Very unprofessional. I don't recommend.

We hiring TR Designs to remodel our shower, from the very beginning Tracie was very helpful with…read morethe design of the shower, from picking the tile to her very professional workers. They started the job when they said they would and completed the job on time and on budget, everything went very smooth from start to finish, I would highly recommend TR Design for your next remodel.