OXB Studio is an excellent up-and-coming architectural firm. I am a general contractor and met Ted…read moreand Chad collaborating on a project in the East Bay in 2011. They came up with a smart design that transformed the home while working within the existing building envelope. Ted was sensitive to the clients' tastes and desires while still encouraging them to trust his experience and direction. Ted was flexible and responsive to our requests for information and was open to nuts-and-bolts input from me as the contractor, which I appreciated. In the end, the final result was a beautiful remodel, though my lasting memories of the work was the fun time we all had working together. I also think that Ted and Chad charged the clients at a very fair rate. In fact, there were a few times Ted helped us work out some added items even though he told me he wasn't going to charge for the time. It was clear to me that he wanted to see the project turn out as well as possible. I highly recommend OXB Studio to homeowners seeking a skilled architect who is creative, responsive and a joy to work with.

My interiors firm, Northbrook Design, worked with OXB Studio on a large residential project in the…read morewine country. The principals, Ted and Chad, are great collaborators and together we were a great design team for our client. OXB Studio introduced many thoughtful ideas - their expertise in balancing function with aesthetics was tremendously helpful. Ted and Chad are professional, approachable and listen carefully. Their attention to detail was impressive and the end result was a beautiful home and happy clients. We appreciate that they value interior design as a practice. I would not hesitate to work with OXB Studio again.

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.

My husband and I highly recommend Martinkovic Milford Architects! Blake, Amanda, and Amelia were…read moreour brilliant team of architects overseen by Brian Milford. They designed our dream home and also monitored the construction/renovation process in addition to recommending a great contractor to build our home.

Disappointed by my experience here. I got more value from a 15 minute phone conversation with a…read moredifferent architecture firm than I did from my interaction with this firm, which involved multiple hours of billable research.

Stewart Summers and Steve Murch were invaluable to our home renovation and new ADU build project…read more From overall design to the nitty gritty technical minutiae we had a great experience with SKS. I was able to reply on SKS during the entire process, from wading though the city, county, and State permitting, construction costs, and straightforward talk & solutions to the surprises that come along with any major home renovation. I highly recommend SKS.

Stewart Summers is the guy you should hire! He's easy to talk to. He listens. He's creative. He's…read morekind. He's talented. He develops YOUR ideas and not just his own. He's very collaborative and has a great team of people working with him. I am speaking from experience. After having worked with FIVE previous architects, this is the ONLY guy I will work with going forward. He's.....amazing! AND! You should see my house. It belongs in architectural digest!! Color me: Really happy to have crossed paths with such a splendid human being.

Very knowledgeable. Great ideas. Easy to work with. Creative. Highly recommend!!read more

Professional, thorough, knowledgeable, and precise are just a few of the accolades we have for…read moreMichael Heacock Architects. At first we were unsure whether or not hiring an architect to remodel my husband's parent's home was worth the expense. Now we would never do another remodel without the expertise of this company. This firm understands construction from a contractor's perspective thus making it easier for the contractor to execute the plans. The house is beautiful and highly functional. Best of all Michael Heacock Architects cleverly married the new interior design with aspects of the home's original style and construction. The result is an updated home with memories of the past in tact. We enthusiastically recommend this company.

Randy Shadrick owns and operates Outdoor Environments, a full service landscape contracting firm…read more Randy has built many of the jobs that our landscape architecture firm has designed and he has worked at our own house as well. Randy is easy to work with and his crew is very diligent. One time I witnessed his crew moving a large load of soil at the end of the day, and they were RUNNING with the wheel barrels to try to finish moving all of the soil by 5!! I recommend Randy for all of my design projects because he is licensed and insured and his crew can do it ALL; from custom concrete, stone work, carpentry, outdoor kitchens, fireplaces; as well as irrigation, and planting. His pricing is competitive and thorough; and I have always been pleased with the process and the end result.

From the owner: Outdoor Environments has been providing quality landscape installation in the San Francisco Bay…read moreArea for over 20 years. We are a family-owned business, fully insured and bonded. While we are well versed in all aspects of landscape installation, we specialize in hardscape installations: custom concrete; tile and stone walkways and patios; stone walls; pool surrounds; outdoor kitchens and fireplaces; etc. We operate in San Francisco Bay area, including Marin, Napa, San Francisco, Alameda, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Sonoma Counties

My wife and I had the pleasure of working with Geoff and his team on a full demolition and new…read moreconstruction of a single family home with ADU in San Francisco. We loved our experience and wholeheartedly endorse Winder Gibson to anyone looking for a full service architecture firm. From the outset, Geoff and his team demonstrated an exceptional understanding of our family's needs, which they transformed into a beautiful house design that resonates with our aspirations and lifestyle. We are currently transitioning to the construction phase, and are excited to raise our family in such a thoughtfully designed space. Also, Geoff and team are true experts at navigating the San Francisco permitting process. They efficiently moved us through permitting, both reacting to feedback from the city and helping us manage our neighbors. Honestly, we could not have permitted the house without their guidance. In a city where building homes can be difficult, the one two punch of beautiful design + the knowledge and skill to get it across the line was invaluable. We are so appreciative of Geoff and team.

We found our way to Winder Gibson through our realtor and could not be more grateful. We worked…read moreclosely with Geoff and Daniel to design our dream home. They were an absolute pleasure to work with and took on all details at every stage, including handling a difficult neighbor. At the same time, they were efficient and budget conscious, helping us stay on track both financially and time-line wise. They made what could be an overwhelming process move smoothly and enjoyably. We unreservedly recommend Winder Gibson.

Castor Architecture has been a remarkable partner -- they have impeccable taste and judgement. For…read morethose looking for a firm to create a new design project, Danny and his team are outstanding. And for those looking for a firm to partner with for their existing design, they are quite flexible and adaptable. Danny first helped us with an extensive remodel, and is now creating an entirely new additional structure for our home. What's unique about Danny and his team is their range: they excel at a wide variety of styles and approaches. Danny understood our needs, and also paid attention to the topography of the land and how to best place a new structure and pool so that they complement the existing home and surroundings. It's also worth highlighting how practical Castor is: he partners extremely well with contractors and various designers, and navigates City rules and regulations with ease. We trust his guidance and have found him to be a great resource in this area. Danny and his team are a pleasure to work with -- they're able to work with great speed and efficiency, and with reasonable rates. We can't recommend them highly enough. For our projects' needs, we've found them to be the finest architectural firm in the Bay Area.

Daniel Castor of Castor Architecture was the perfect person to guide the remodel of our unique…read morehome, a former church in Mill Valley. Our project included the full remodel of the kitchen/sanctuary space and three bathrooms, a reconfigured entry, and the addition of a new guest bath. He understood our desire to capture the history and character of the space and brought creative ideas, unique solutions and a steady, thoughtful presence to the process. Daniel collaborated beautifully with our contractor, interior and landscape teams, and engineering consultant and managed the permitting process with skill and grace. His design advice and attention to detail and quality were exceptional and his excellent listening and communication skills made the experience efficient and enjoyable. We are delighted with the result and grateful for the magic Daniel brought to the process.

I would not give any star at all if possible. The bottom line is, the work she did for me was found…read moreby posard brock + associates, a Marin firm which provides peer review of architectural work, to fall "below the standard of care" required of someone who does architectural work."

I've lived in Heidi Richardson-designed house my whole life and I love it. And she's my mom. :)read more