Kyle designed my new house from a SB9 subdivision in San Jose. He is very patient and courteous,…read morevery knowledgeable about the city codes, and always responds in time. His design is elegant and efficient, he oversaw the project and answered all the questions promptly even after the project is well into the late stage. Highly recommend!

This is a very long overdue review. We was lucky to came across Kyle's service at the beginning of…read moreCOVID when we wanted to remodel our home in Santa Clara. I don't know how to express our sincere thanks for everything he did for us. Kyle is very professional and super nice. He patiently work with us over 6 months to come up with the most economical and yet practical design and great flow of the space. He tirelessly met us constantly to make sure we were comfortable throughout the process. His experience and knowledge was integral of our project. His price was very reasonable. I would have pay much more for the experience I have with him. I highly recommend Kyle service to anyone.

We purchased an older, fixer upper on a hillside in Portola Valley with the hopes of rebuilding it…read moreinto our dream home. We aimed to generate income by converting the former primary bedroom into a rentable, attached JADU. This mean building a new primary BR on the back, downhill side of the house, along with creating a new family room, and office. The front of the house was definitely old style, and did not, in any way, match our vision of a contemporary, hi-tech, look. I had interviewed other architects who had suggested we add a new front foyer, but I wasn't thrilled about the look presented, which was basically to add a gable roof addition ("A" frame shape add-on) at at the front, that would be harmonious with the rest of the house. In my first meeting with Davide, he suggested something that changed the whole dynamic of the house. He suggested that rather than be constrained by trying to harmonize the new entry with the old architecture, we could add a new layer to the front of the house, and change the look completely. This also creates a new corridor at the front that greatly improves the flow/circulation from the front to the back. It was a genius idea! This new layer at the front of the house gives us a spectacular new front entrance, plus a new corridor with tall ceilings. He also very skillfully raised the ceiling heights in many parts of the house so it feels like the rooms were expanded (when only the height changed). I am attaching a photo of the original house and Davide's concept for the new design. I want to add that we are not demolishing any part of the old house so we are not losing any existing square footage. We are just adding and "splicing the old with the new". For the new room additions at the back, he integrated the complex siting of the hillside PBR & family room to flow seamlessly into the same level of the existing house on. I have very strong ideas of what I want in terms of design, and Davide has been very patient in working through my ideas. He uses his critical eye and design experience to guide me so I don't get off track, and we can get to where it is I want to end up. We are now in the building permit process, and I can't wait for construction to start. I will be updating this post when the house is finished with more photos, because I want to show off the dramatic transformation between the "before" and "after". If you are looking for a miracle transformation, Davide Gianella is the architect who can make this dream come true for you! I can recommend him 100%

I reached out to Davide about two or three months ago to see if I could hire him to help design my…read moreremodel. He was really polite and so friendly and VERYYYY transparent that he was inundated with some work at the moment and that he gives his all to 1-2 projects at a time, so that they get the best out of him. He then gave me a suggested timeline, which unfortunately didn't match with what we had in mind - but no worries! I enjoyed the interaction and his work is beautiful, and I truly appreciate the communication and friendliness that transpired in our conversations.

We were delighted with the work Topos did for us. Peter is a great listener and presented us with…read moredifferent options, made revisions to the initial mock ups per our requests and helped execute on the option we selected. He helped us find an excellent contractor and his team managed our build. We are very happy with the results and the level of service.

I'm happy to strongly endorse Peter Baltay and his crew at Topos Architects as both a design firm…read moreand as a project management service. When my wife I are were contemplating building a home, we approached Topos as we had seen a previous spec project they had done and loved it. Design elements include maximizing space utilization, minimizing hallways, lots of light and windows, beautiful wood accents, high quality trim and attention to detail all appealed to us. During our first meeting when I complained about not finding any good lots for sale, Peter pointed out a few, including one particular lot that was not yet on MLS. The location was perfect for us and I ended up buying it 7 days later. The take home is that Peter has contacts in the area that give his clients access to info not always publicly available. We interviewed many architects and came back to Topos. I didn't like how some wanted to deliver a set of plans and walk away, leaving the builder to struggle with implementation. I also didn't like how some were 'out-dated' - I wanted computer-based models so I could visualize my home before it was built. As an engineer type, Peter and Topos were a great fit. I also wanted a firm who would help oversee the process from start to end and not and not pass the potato as soon as things went wrong (without paying through the nose for a personal assistant). I knew from previous contractor experience that building a home wasn't a cake walk and I wanted someone with integrity who I would work with through the entire process - Peter gave me that impression. Perhaps most of all, I wanted to know I was paying a fair price. I hated the standard fixed bid way of building houses where you're always combatting the general contractor over quality and price. I wanted complete transparency. Topos was prepared to offer this and had multiple previous projects to illustrate how this could be done and what I should expect. I want to address some of the negative comments in one review on this site directly. Building a house is not like Extreme Makeover where you go on vacation, return home and say 'Move that Bus' and have the house of your dreams. It is a process with literally thousands of decisions and over a dozen sub contractors. Mistakes are going to happen. Some people are going to do poor work some days. The city is probably going to say you can't do something essential to your design. Some tiles look great in the store but don't work in your house. Bad things happen. If you don't like a design element, it isn't Peter's fault, it is your fault. What you want on your team is someone that will work with you to effectively manage these things, prevent them when possible and deal with them when unavoidable. I can't imagine Peter and Topos doing a much better on this front. I'm willing to bet the negative reviewer never gave Topos a chance to fix what bothered her. In our case Peter and Topos were very up-front about what services they offer and where we might consider augmenting with our own consultants. Many people hire a lighting designer, interior designer, landscape design, etc.. We only hired a landscape guy and did the rest with Topos to save money. It is up to you. Look at previous homes and see what meets your standards and what doesn't. Oh, the comment about not working hard is absurd. Peter is there 8-7 most days. And, when things do go wrong, Topos stands behind the job. In our case a tile sub messed up the master bath. Peter made them tear out thousands in tile and redo it from scratch. While the sub provided the labor, Peter paid for all the tile out of pocket claiming they should have caught it earlier. This is someone who admits a mistake and takes responsibility for fixing it. For a bonus-factor, Peter is an amazing diplomat. He worked with some frustrated neighbors to make them advocates for our project, he worked with the city to find a way top get our gutters and design approved, and most of all he worked with me (which is no easy task) for 18 months to build a beautiful home. One other thing I'll add - in retrospect I undervalued the importance of working with subs that are beholden to the general contractor for their next job. While Topos let me select which contractor to use, there is an advantage to going with ones that they have used in the past and will use again. Because Topos builds a number of projects each year, many of the best subs work from one project to the next (provided you elect to go with them). Because of this dependence, they are incentivized to finish through 110% on your project. There were a few cases where a sub has had to come back many times (often fixing someone else's problems) and they have done so without complaint and without additional 'change orders'. They do it because it is right and they want to stay on Topos' good side.

My husband and I hired Brian to help us do a thorough remodel and addition to our Los Altos home…read more Long story short - the house turned out great. Brian was easy to work with and really understood what we wanted in the end product. He walked us through the permitting, inspection, and construction processes and kept us informed about what was happening each step of the way. He also gave us a realistic budget and timeline, which we appreciated. Even though we changed our minds several times throughout the design process (sometimes doing a full 180) , Brian took everything in stride and helped us realize our vision. He has a keen eye for design and we ended up going with a lot of his suggestions. He was able to make our home more modern, functional, and spacious, while still retaining its character as a California Ranch. The house turned out so well that two of our neighbors ended up calling Brian for help with their own remodels.

We have collaborated with Brian on multiple residential projects in Los Altos and Hillsborough and…read morehave been impressed with his professionalism, communication and quality of architectural designs.

Avoid this architect at all costs. It will significantly drag you down your timeline. Very low work…read moreethics, treat small clients like trash. Need to offer extra money to for quicker updates otherwise it takes forever to respond. Very frustrating.

Frank is a great architect to work with. I worked with Frank on a small home remodeling/alternation…read moreproject. He understands well the needs of a new home owner, and comes with some creative design, which is both convenient and and very cost-effective. He is patient, and can work with me to make many changes according to clients' request, and gave very constructive advice. Moreover, he charges very reasonably, and will help one go through every single steps to obtain permit, and gave effective advice for contractor, as well. Will definitely want to work with him again!

After our modular home manufacturer unexpectedly canceled our order, we felt lost and unsure of how…read moreto move forward with building a new second unit on our property. That's when we met Doug -- and everything changed. Our project wasn't simple. The permit required us not only to build a brand-new house but also to renovate and legalize the existing old house. Doug stepped in, redesigned the new unit beautifully, and reimagined the old house so the two complemented each other perfectly. The construction of the new home went incredibly smoothly. Doug's professionalism, craftsmanship, and attention to detail were evident every step of the way. The quality of his work truly exceeded our expectations. The renovation of the old house turned out to be much more complex than expected, but Doug handled every challenge with steady leadership and creativity. He brought the right people together, found thoughtful solutions, and kept the project moving forward steadily through each difficulty. His dedication and calm problem-solving turned a demanding process into a truly rewarding experience. The whole process took nearly five years -- but in the end, we have two beautiful homes that feel cohesive, warm, and full of life. Doug's commitment, honesty, and heart carried us through. We're deeply grateful for his expertise and friendship throughout this journey. If you're looking for someone who truly cares about your home as much as you do, Doug and his team are the ones to call. We can't recommend them enough. Please feel free to contact me if you want the reference. My phone: 408-800-6698. Michael

Douglas Fernandez of Fernandez Design and Builders in San Jose remodeled my entire home in 2007 and…read moredid such an excellent job; my home now is so beautiful and unique & a great fit for my way of life. The good news is that he was so fair and honest; he really watched costs which is so unusual, and in the end, I could be so much more innovative and creative and do so much more than I could have been with any another contracting firm; even more importantly, we had such a good time working together (even the demolition which I dreaded was a piece of cake because of Doug). I left throughout the remodel on many business trips, & there was so much progress and usually a surprising new touch Doug added every time I returned home. Since then, Doug has been there for me on many other occasions. The good news is that Doug is happy with and enjoys smaller remodeling jobs as well. Last year my outside deck came away from its stucco wall & needed a complete retrofit, including adding more structural columns to further support the deck. He loves a good challenge and coming up with great creative and exciting solutions that are brilliant, yet not expensive. Doug's cell is 510-377-9711. Do not hesitate to contact me for further information; my cell is 650-804-8894. Best wishes, Kaaren Powers

When we move to the house, we new it will need some remodeling. The house has L-shaped floor plan…read more The L-wing was a separate studio, with no direct connection to the main house. On top of that, the main part of the house was divided into number of smaller rooms/spaces. The wished was to have more open space type of the floorplan, with center of a living oriented to backyard, which has nice view. After some time self planning and sketching variations of modified floorplan, decided it is time for a real architect's help. We talk to several architects and after awhile narrowed down to two. Eventually we selected Studio S Squared Architecture, with Eugene Sakai as a lead architect. The main requirement for the remodeling was to do the open space type floorplan, with seamless connection to then L-wing separate studio. The solution should look as if the house was build from the beginning that way, not having visible artifacts of remodeling. The Studio S^2 Architecture delivered the ideal floorplan, as this house was meant to be built. The house got the great room, with almost whole glass wall toward the backyard, perfect connection to the L-wing and additional bathroom and an easy-flow floorplan flow. The L-wing became the main master bedroom, and old master bedroom became an additional mini-master bedroom. Perfect floorplan, without changing external walls foot print! Eugene presented us with sketches of three different floor plans. We did not spend more than 5 minutes to select the "ideal" one. Almost as he saw how the house should have been designed and built in the first place. Eugene has vision of the new space, producing perfect solution. If one wants to get maximum from a given space, Eugene and Studio S^2 Architecture is the right place to go. We highly recommend him. J & D

We have hired Eugene (president of Studio S Squared Architecture) to help with a home remodel in…read moreLos Gatos, CA. Our realtor convinced us to purchase a fixer upper that would require some remodeling work to address some of the functional deficiencies of the home. While we were in contract, we interviewed about 5 designers/contractors to get their recommendations and possible budget before we actually purchased the home. Eugene was the only architect who came and brought one of his builders, C.W. Wright Construction to discuss options as well as to verify the costs of each one. During our discussion, he was mindful to listen to the functional problems which we wanted to address and he agreed to come up with a proposal. The next day, we received a very detailed spreadsheet outlining the costs of everything and it all seemed to fall into our budget. Based on their recommendations, we decided to proceed with the purchase the home. The design process was a very fun and enjoyable experience. Both Eugene and his junior associate, Catherine listened to our "wish list" and presented a final design that we absolutely loved. We appreciated their "vision" to see the possible options that lay before us that were not so readily seen by us or other architects. Studio S Squared Architecture's flat fee system also encouraged a lot of back and forth dialogue with the revisions. We never had to worry about costs or expenses as it was all included. He has a rapid response time via phone and email and because everything is done in CAD, we had design revisions waiting in our email inboxes almost with a same day turn-around. We are currently in the middle of building our home, but we could not speak any more highly of the professionalism, attention to detail and breadth of knowledge of Studio S. Squared Architecture during the design process. Because of this, we trust wholeheartedly that he will deliver a wonderful home for us.

Recently we did home extension with Milano and associates. We added master bedroom suite and…read morerebuild the garage. Lili and her team did a wonderful job with the design. She responded very quickly and her design was ready within couple of weeks. Her design and plan approved from the city of San Jose was done within 4.5 months, which is very fast. Can't thank her enough for helping us on the project! We will definitely work with her in future if we need help from any architect farm. Thank you very much Lili!

Working with Lili was a seamless experience. We needed architectural and structural plans for a…read morehome renovation project under a strict deadline. Lili was efficient, thorough, and very responsive. She managed to get everything finalized faster than we expected, allowing us to stay on track with our contractors. If you need a talented architect who respects your timeline, Lili is the one to call!