Why we highly recommend Cameron Crockett and his team at Ultra-Unit Architectural Studio;…read more First, building a Restaurant from scratch touches every possible department of a City and County possible. Plan checking for Zoning, Electrical, Plumbing, Building, on site Inspectors, Police, Fire, SCE, Gas Company, Department of Alcohol, Health regulations and laws that "can and do" differ. That alone made his team's job difficult and time consuming. Proof is in the pudding for us. (Restaurant lingo..) Drive by The Red Leprechaun at 4000 East Anaheim and you will see the first successful part of his design and outcome for a Irish Pub and Restaurant that originally was a gutted Blockbuster. You can also Google "The Red Leprechaun + Press Telegram" to see their front-page article about the trials and collaboration with the City on this project. Cameron's ideas and suggestion in the City meetings was key to streamline and move his project to the opening goal dates. We started in February 2012 and opened July 2012 with every obstacle possible! I have respect and trust for Cameron Crockett and this is a very important statement in a recommendation. He was always forthright and reliable during every aspect of this project The building before the Restaurant was 2670 square feet of a gutted space. We built a Full Kitchen, Restaurant/ Bar Front, Two ADA bathrooms and placement of a 1901 Brunswick Bar. Cameron designed a clever ADA community style table to help avoid the City of Long Beach (also Federal) requirement to cut the bar to add ADA seating. The table is thoughtful to assure anyone with a disability would feel comfortable and not spotlighted in the same environment as the bar. The Project Architect, Berenice Morales was assigned to us from creation to our opening Certificate of Occupancy. She was key to making drawing change requirement from the City weekly. Although we had a relationship with the City, there was a of "contradiction" from the Department of Zoning, to Electrical, Health, Plumbing, etc. We hired a separate contractor for this project and Cameron and Berenice's advise was invaluable with the multiple issues that came from this decision. They were key to giving and assisting by offering "true project management". We have additional phases to add to our business, a patio, open windows or shutter are a few to mention and Cameron has already been active in creative ideas when we are ready. We will also go back and add a review for Castillo Engineering who also worked with Ultra when the City required a Structural Engineer when we added windows on Termino Ave. Last, our website "redleprechaun.com" has pictures of the building before and during construction. I am almost always at The Red Leprechaun if you would like to call or come tour and see Cameron's Team's "End Results" for us. Tracy Ames-Owner of The Red Leprechaun

My review is on the communication with Ultra-Unit and not with their work…read more We started communicating with Cameron in Jan and were clear about wanted to start work on our home in May. He came out to our house in March to talk to us about the work we wanted to get done. He has very nice and friendly. After giving it a wk we reached out about the estimate, but never got any response. Its been a month and no response. Perhaps we looked too young to be home owners? Perhaps he thought we weren't serious?! I'm not sure, but he never got back to us. If its a project that his company might not be interested that totally fine, but I would much rather be told that. Whatever the case was, it was extremely unfortunate as we were really looking forward to getting work done on our home.

As a first time home builder, I walked into their offices as green as can be with no idea what I…read morewas doing or the journey that I was about to embark on. Astra and Lawrence guided me through the ups and downs of homebuilding and dealing with the city, contractors, engineers and the politics behind it all. They were AMAZING and couldn't hold them in higher regard. If you speak with them, ask them about my project and you will understand how amazing they were. Don't forget to ask the bit about suing the City with our local council members and gaining a favorable decision in arbitration!! Yeah!! Don't bother looking anywhere else, you found your architect's!!

Lawrence and his staff designed a home and a detached garage w/living quarters for me and my…read morefamily. The project was rather large as it was almost 6,000 sq ft. I came to Lawrence's company with plans from a prior architect that were a total mess. The plans from the prior so called "Architect" were ripped to shreds by LADBS, because they were "substandard. These plans as designed made the project extremely costly. Lawrence and his staff, Jewell in particular, quickly got the plans up to par and the cost of the projected plummeted. The plans also passed LADBS with relatively few hitches. When picking an Architect the most important factor is to get a cost effective structural design that complies with all building codes and yet meets all of your design needs. Lawrence met and exceeded all of these factors for my project. As far as the overall project design, he maintained the style of the neighborhood and my taste. The area that the project is in is a Residential/Agricultural Zone in Woodland Hills that was once farm land. While people in this area try to put a Mediterranean Villa style design or as one of my neighbors adjacent to me has a 70's stucco/90's space age/Chinese zen style home, with this in mind Lawrence and I set out to retain the "farm" style of the area and stay away from these other trends. For the additional living quarters and garage, we ended up designing a barn with wood siding and a highly efficient and beautiful metal roof that gets compliments from neighbors and passerby's. The height and style in fact matched another neighbors barn adjacent to me. Basically the barn fits right in and is far from an eye sore. I hope my neighbors follow suit with this design. The main home at the front of the property is also a farm style single story home that he designed to retain all of the original charm that the original farm home has. He designed it to be a single story farm style that again matches our neighborhood. This design utilized a lot of the key features and spaces that I loved about the existing home and simply made it better. It also is going to save me a lot of money as we are retaining these spaces. Lawrence and Jewell did a great job!

Working with Richard and his team was great. Our main contact on our project was Ara, who has an…read moreeccentric demeanor that I can imagine rubbing some folks the wrong way - but he is exactly who we wanted even if we didn't know it. He brings more to the table than simply moving things around in your home, he brings a sense of design and livability and a wealth of experience. He is unafraid to question your intentions and ideas and challenge what you had in mind, which is what I want from an expert - not simply a yes-man. When our ideas were good, he would relent, when they were bad, he'd present better ones. It was more like a collaboration than a mere "service" and we came away with a much better project for having wrestled through the process together. Also, he and Richard are something like a duo-vaudeville act when they're together. It's pretty funny. We worked through the pandemic, we drastically changed direction mid-design, we worked on-site and remotely, our permits were acquired with ease, and we finished on budget and on time. What more can you ask for?

We were desperate for some guidance regarding a possible project and Richard not only took the call…read moreand gave us some of his valuable time and insight but was open to further inquiries. Very accessible, knowledgeable, and warm!

I worked with Efrain and his team at Caliber Design. I first worked with them in 2018 for a garage…read moreconversion. This was my first home remodel, and I did not know what to expect or how the process worked. I had heard horror stories of people taking money for plans and never hearing from them again. He was very easy to work with, from explaining the process to what to expect during the permit process. He answered all my questions, and I could see he knew his job. I was on a budget and needed to do some of the work myself. He always returned my calls and walked me through any issues. He showed patience for a first-time DIYer. He provided such good service, I went back to him for my second project, a detached ADU. I recently started and have contacted him multiple times with questions. He has been in business for 33 years as a builder and preparing plans. He brings all that experience to his job. I would recommend him to anyone. His prices are competitive, and he is good at his job.

Efrain is the best engineer I have ever met. Working with Caliber Design was great especially for…read moreit being first timers. Efrain was Professional, fast responsive and knowledgeable my family and I are very happy with his service and the price. Thank you for all your help and going above and beyond to get our plans done and approved. One step closer to getting our house built back up!

The guys at Make definitely think outside the glass-and-concrete box. It's a cliche but it's the…read moreonly way I can describe the house they designed for me. I live in an area where there is a lot of new construction and I can say I truly have the most original house in the whole town. It's not your typical modern beach box, it has character and is edgy without being trendy. They use traditional materials in non-traditional ways. They worked with me, listening to my desires and concerns, and delivered a design that embraced and expanded the former and solved the later. They're accessible and helpful and, when you're a clueless owner/builder like I am, they stick with you through the whole process. I can't wait to stand on my third story deck and toast the guys who had the vision.

Ari is very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. Definitely would recommend him as an architect…read morefor your next build!

Ari was great, a rare breath of fresh air in construction. Good communication, reasonable prices,…read moreand great openness to changing things even when it wasn't in their advantage. would recommend!

Great value and great work. Really good after sale support as well. Be worked with me and the city…read moreto get requested corrections and answer question after submission. Made my project a lot easier.

I can't recommend Ben enough for any architectural needs, especially if you're navigating the…read morecomplex permit process in Malibu. From the very beginning, Ben has been incredibly professional, attentive, and proactive. What truly sets him apart, however, is his genuine heart and empathy for his clients. My mother's business had to be put on hold during this process, which was an unexpected and stressful time for our family. Ben didn't just treat us like another project; he truly understood our situation. He worked tirelessly to resubmit plans and handle corrections as fast as possible because he genuinely wanted my mom to be able to get back to work and reopen her shop. It's rare to find someone who takes your personal success so personally. Beyond his expertise, Ben's pricing is very reasonable and fair, he is not overpriced at all, which is hard to find in this area. He was also incredibly helpful and understanding by allowing us to pay in installments while the business was closed. This financial flexibility was a lifesaver for us and showed his true character as someone who wants to help, not just make a profit. If you want an architect who is highly skilled, honest, and truly cares about your family and business, Ben is the one to call. We are so grateful for everything he's done. Thank you Ben!

I hired Richard last year for my home remodeling after interviewing quite a number of architects…read moreand design firms. He impressed me with his attention to detail and ideas on the blending of the new addition to the existing structure. He is patient and never rushes over important points. I appreciated Richard's professionalism, his integrity and wealth of knowledge. He has been my sounding board during construction and have been very helpful as another source of verification on the work of my contractor. Remodeling is very stressful and I am very glad that I choose Richard as my architect.

I don't even want to give one star. Not sure why Richard get such high rating on yelp. Maybe he was…read moregood before. But he totally failed on us. My husband found him through yelp and his proposal looks he can finish the job fast. He got our deposit, but drag us for 5 months, deliver nothing. He lacks communication with his client. After he got our deposit, he doesn't pick up our phone calls. We had to keep email to track status. He will be upset if we ask too many times. His reason is he is expanding his business and very busy. Every time when we lost hope, he will give us one PDF with some changes. But never finish the floor plan. After 5 months waiting, We had to find another architecture and start over again. I wish he could let us know in front HE IS BUSY. Luckily we found the right architect this time and he finished whole plan in 3 months.