Laura Natkins helped me design a 800 square foot ADU with over 300 square feet of loft space. It…read moremaximized the hill and over-the-bay views, while avoiding direct window-to-window contact with the main house. She suggested great features, and was graceful in working in the features I wanted. It was a sound collaborative experience that resulted in a beautiful design.

I really wish I'd hired Laura from the get-go as she is super easy to talk to and has pragmatic…read moresolutions to problems. The long story is that I hired a friend to do the architectural design on my interior renovation which is a straight forward process except when doing work by permit in Berkeley. My friend decided that he didn't have time to deal with the endless revisions required by the city, and I soon discovered that architects don't take over projects that are so far along. I was in a horrible bind of having a project mid-construction incapable of moving forward. I got a reference for Laura, and she picked up her own phone, seemed super sympathetic and offered to take a look at the drawings to see what needed to be done. She then called me back and told me that if I used a different type of insulation, I wouldn't need these complicated drawings that the inspector required. Brilliantly simple, totally solved the issue in a pragmatic way after a 15 minute intervention. I would highly recommend her for anyone who is looking for someone who knows how to get things done; I talked to several architects who couldn't come up with this super simple way to proceed. Thanks, Laura!

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.

Tony handled our project with care, his work was meticulous and he listened to all of our needs…read more We knew we would need plans for our renovation and Tony was our guy. His services were reasonably priced and he was attentive to our requests, giving his expect opinion as well. We had minimal permit issues with Tony's plans. We would happily work with him again and highly recommend his services.

So far Tony has been very easy to work with. Not arrogant or pushy but laid back and agreeable…read moreeven when the site conditions and code constraints pose challenges. Tony is very good at thinking outside the box and troubleshooting said issues. He also has a good network of consulting engineers to help advise and offer solutions.

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!

Jill is friendly, clear, a great communicator, and a problem solver. She helped me out on a small…read moreproject and I greatly appreciated her time!

While the Loman McNamara firm is newer, the two Principals - Jill & Rich have decades of commercial…read moreand residential experience, and we were lucky enough to have some time with them. When we bought our first home they offered a great initial consultation with already some ideas that resonated with us. Then they came for a visit where they helped us with measurements and gave us valuable input as they dreamt up possibilities to serve our current and future needs. Together they offer different perspectives which felt like getting 1st and 2nd opinions from one firm which helped us understand the opportunities and feel more confident about our decisions. Once we agreed on the renovation ideas, they quickly turned around with sketches to help us work with contractors to better estimate construction costs and phasing of the project. We're excited to continue working with them!

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.

I am just starting to think about a remodel & addition and do not know where to start. Plonowski…read moreresponded right away on a Sunday morning and gave me a wonderful consultation over the phone. I am not quite ready to start, but I have good idea on next steps to prepare a budget and guidance on decision making. Based on the great conversation and online assessment of my property, I would definitely consider working with Plonowski once I am ready

While working on a backyard remodel project, it became necessary for us to file for a building a…read morepermit with City of San Francisco for a deck we were replacing. We tried doing it ourselves, but the city required a structural diagram of the deck to be built, incorporation of firewalls (SF lots are often built up property line to property line), and sign off of some forms by a licensed architect or engineer. Sounds like a lot, but honestly, it is a pretty small job...so small, most architects and engineers weren't interested. Not Jeff, however. He managed to squeeze in our smallish architecture job into his busy schedule, created all the drawings and designed the firewalls and foundations the city required. He even went down to the permit center and brought back the permit whereas previously, we'd gone ourselves and came back with more comments from the inspector. In the process, Jeff also recommended some changes to our design to improve efficiency and the look. So, thank you Jeff for getting our project moving again.

I had a great experience working with Annie and the rest of the team at ALI to furnish my home…read more I recently purchased a new construction home, and wanted help with furnishing the space. I loved the space as it was built and didn't want extensive changes, but window treatments were important to me -- the house has more windows than walls and didn't come with any way to cover them up -- which ultimately necessitated some remodeling. After selecting and interviewing 6 design firms based on their reviews and portfolios, I brought on Annie and her team to help. From the beginning of the process, I was impressed by Annie's depth of knowledge, her solution-oriented mindset, and her commitment to matching the space to my needs. Throughout the process, I found Annie and her team a delight to work with. They were always friendly, prepared, and efficient. More importantly to me, they were deeply collaborative. There were times when I knew exactly what I wanted (e.g. laying out a project space or cabinetry for an entertainment center), even showing up with custom specs or sketches, and Annie's team adopted them and made them happen. On the other hand, there were times when I struggled to decide on something, and they stepped in and offered their own recommendations. They were great at both, and switched effortlessly as needed. Even for things outside of ALI's scope, nothing gave Annie pause, and she always had someone on speed dial to solve the problem. My home has high vaulted windows, and I told Annie up front that I wanted motorized shades. She immediately agreed that made sense (another designer I spoke with seemed overwhelmed by the prospect), and subsequently brought in a general contractor, a drapery fabricator, and an installer. Not only were they also all friendly, reliable, and efficient, but they shared Annie's collaborative style. I felt shared ownership over the solutions we came up with, and the end result is fantastic -- it looks like it could have been built with the house. I would happily bring any of them back for future work. End-to-end, the whole project took about 14 months until installation (with a few stragglers), a month behind Annie's initial target. We were also slightly under budget, which surprised me. Throughout the process, Annie offered great options mostly at or around the target price, but often included a higher-end option. In some cases, I *loved* those options and chose to go over budget. But even though we ended up well over budget on cost of goods, we were so far under budget on time billing and other costs that it more than made up for it, a reflection of her team's efficiency. But most importantly, I am delighted with the results. Everything is beautiful, comfortable, works for my needs, and filled with creative touches that I would never have selected on my own. I feel like I got exactly what I wanted out of the process, and I would happily bring Annie and her team back if I need interior help in the future.

We've had the pleasure of working with Annie and her team at ALI on two design projects over the…read morepast three years. Her creativity and vision combined with her great expertise brought our homes to life in unique and beautiful ways. We first teamed up with Annie on an extensive remodel of our historic San Francisco home that included a full kitchen/dining area gutting, multiple new bathrooms, paint, art consulting and soft goods throughout. Our architect had recommended ALI based on Annie's experience updating historic homes like ours, but what stood out for us was how direct and organized her process was from day one, including a high level of budget transparency. One of the highlights of working with Annie over the course of this two-year project was her ability to cater to our preferences while also pushing us out of our comfort zone when she saw the opportunity for something really special. Two years into living in our home, many of our favorite elements are those things we never would have considered had she not nudged us toward them. Another strength of Annie's was listening to our needs when it came to functionality--with two young boys at home, durability and practicality were often a factor for us. In those cases, Annie managed to produce designs that elegantly and creatively addressed those needs, from hidden pull-out drawers for toy storage in a custom sofa to upholstery fabrics that are durable while still feeling luxurious. Annie's lighting selection and sense of color were also highlights for us. The fixtures she helped us select for our foyer and living room are far from simple sources of light, they are true works of art, hand-made by artisans from her unique repertoire of craftspeople. As for color, she pushed us (in a good way) to consider applications that initially felt dramatic but ultimately turned those areas into visually lush spaces that we love to be in. Our second project with Annie and team was for our vacation home in Wine Country, involving mainly soft goods and design consulting for both indoor and outdoor areas. Outdoors included new construction of a kitchen and pool with surrounding living areas. In contrast to our San Francisco home with all of its historic embellishments and the design to match, the Sonoma home is all modern, clean lines. Annie didn't skip a beat in pivoting to a more relaxed, organic style befitting of the more rural terroir. Whether indoors or out, the resulting spaces are comfortable yet elegant, and once again Annie delivered designs that are both beautiful yet functional. Annie and team helped turn both of our houses into homes that we love living in and that visitors constantly compliment us on. From managing the myriad details passing between us and our architect and contractor during construction, to presenting us with furniture and lighting pieces that we fell in love with, Annie made our renovation journeys inspiring and fun and we've been enjoying the results ever since.

Brent designed our new home and we could not be happier. He did all the engineering and energy…read morecalcs along with designing our perfect home.... Highly recommended

From the owner: Architectural Design for projects including decks, remodels, additions, granny units, houses,…read morecommercial tenant improvements, and small commercial buildings; Residential Energy Calculations; ADA consultation

My very favorite architect and I've worked with many. Extremely experienced, talented, and a…read moremarvelous addition to any project team.

When the Tubbs fire destroyed our Fountaingrove home in October 2017, our decision to rebuild…read morenecessitated finding an architect who could help us define the vision for our new home, design within our budget and work collaboratively with us and with our contractor. After researching and interviewing several local architects, we met with Joel Baumgardner of Sebastopol on a friend's recommendation. We feel fortunate to have found such a consummate professional. Joel gave us everything we could have hoped for from an architect and more, especially during that very stressful time. Extremely responsive, budget and quality conscious, he worked closely with us over several months to translate our dream into detailed plans that complied with all of the new city, county and state regulations. He also helped us qualify for energy efficiency rebates that defrayed our rebuild costs and forged an excellent working relationship with our contractor. When issues arose, Joel outlined our design options and played devil's advocate as we considered them, always having an opinion but never forcing his choices on us. We are sad to hear about the problems with their architects that other folks rebuilding their homes have had to cope with in addition to the stress brought on by the fires and their aftermath. Joel earned our trust, designed us a beautiful home and was a pleasure to work with. He has earned our gratitude and our highest recommendation.