Tim drew plans for our deck and railings replacement project. He was thorough and fun to meet…read morewith. He filed information to get the building permit, and met with the contractor. He was available if needed when the work was inspected. The inspector told us the work was done "beyond code." Tim's design guaranteed our deck would be safe as well as lovely. His fee was reasonable for someone with so much experience. We are thrilled with the results.

Timothy was great to work with. We remodeled our bathroom to make it wheelchair accessible and…read moreTimothy quickly understood the issues then provided excellent drawings. He also took the lead in securing the building permit which made all the difference! We very enthusiastically recommend Home & Temple Design!

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.

We worked with Kathy on a two-phase renovation on our North Berkeley home. Kathy and co were…read moreresponsive, professional, and did a good job balancing our uneducated ideas with their experience to get a cohesive plan that aligned with our vision. We've now completed construction for phase one and planning for both and we're so glad we chose to work with Kathy and Sogno!

We had a great experience working with Kathy Rogers at Sogno Design. I must admit that when I…read morestarted the process of a home remodel I wondered, "What could an architect do for our remodel that an experienced contractor couldn't"? By the end of the project, I got it. I still to this day don't really know how Kathy got such a functional and beautiful bathroom into such a small space on our second floor. But she did. She also made a couple changes to the design of the stairs leading to our second floor that turned it from something that felt like just a stairway to now something that feels more like a ... cathedral (I know that sounds odd but trust me it's good). She raised the ceiling as far as it could go (all the way to the peak of the roofline) and added a second window that lets additional light cascade down onto the stairs. Small tweaks - huge difference. For our remodel, we worked with the experienced team of Kathy and Beth Quade at Broad Construction. They'd worked together before, and it showed. There were none of the small, but critical and often costly, miscommunications between the two that I've heard other friends describe from their remodels. They were in touch constantly and clearly worked together very effectively. Beth put the superb craftsmanship into the vision that Kathy put down on paper. A few of my picky relatives living in old homes on the East Coast marveled at the quality of the details that Beth fashioned. She and Kathy really maintained the integrity of a Craftsman home and clearly delivered quality work. The last part, and perhaps most important in the current world, is cost. We told Kathy what our budget was, she asked a few questions, and she delivered to it. Beth went a step further, giving us options every step along the way on ways we could shave costs off. I also appreciated that they were both honest. Beth told me that we were working on an old home, and we were likely going to find something, somewhere, as we opened up wall, floor, and foundation, that would add to the cost. She was right. It wasn't killer, but it was there. But at least we knew that it was coming from the beginning. All in all, a great experience. I'd recommend Sogno Design, and Broad Construction, highly.

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.

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.

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.

Wafaa did an amazing job. She was super-responsive to my initial request. She came in, saw the…read morespace, and immediately had great ideas and vision for how to transform it. She really listened to what I was looking for. She did the drawings fast and made requested modifications in a day!

Wafa was very responsive to my call inquiry about a new property I acquired in Sonoma County. She…read morewas generous in giving me her time on a zoom call to go over the scope of the project. Though I elected to forgo my plan to redesign the roofline, if I had decided to go through with it, I would absolutely have gone with Wafa. Her knowledge and experience is strong and she was very easy and pleasant to talk with. We elected to keep the house roof line as it is, and focus on interior upgrades and improvements. Thank you Wafa, for being so kind and amazing. We will definitely choose to use her services in the future when a new architectural need arises. Recommend.

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!!

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.

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!

Mali is such an expert at her craft! She helped us with our bathroom layout (tricky sf space…read morelimits) to give us a dream master bath that not only was tastefully sourced but also honored all the requirements eg maximized light, easy to clean etc. I was so in love with Mali's work that I also asked her to design our downstairs space-- she made brilliant use of our spaces and helped us maximize usage for the space (again so beautifully rendered)! Highly recommend esp for first time home buyers who don't know much about construction. She's so patient and a great teacher!

Our permits have never been approved so fast. CA Permits and Design manages all the permit…read moreapplications and designs for my home Remodeling business. The plans are always on point, the service always professional, and my clients are always happy with the designs. P.S. ask for Mail, she's the best.