The clearest evidence of a good project is apparent in the product as well as the process. administer all project phases from pre-design through completion, striving toward a seamless collaboration of client and architect, as well as contractors, consultants and vendors. We shepherd the design through the city’s approval process, and interpret complex technical issues into concise solutions and at times act as the client’s voice.

We help our clients enjoy themselves from start to finish. There are hard decisions at times, but making a home is one of the most fulfilling things in life.

LISTENING + DESIGN

The design process begins with a conversation, not a drawing. Every client has a list of things he or she would like incorporated. The greatest service we can provide initially is simply listening and facilitating discussion.  Only after that list has been exhaustively discussed can we start imagining what things will look like.

Insightful design is our focus at every phase. This can be shaped by the first concept sketch almost as much as a door detail. For every such decision we think back to the conversations with our clients and let their voices edit and shape our response. Still we know it’s our responsibility and pleasure to go beyond what they might have imagined into new territory. It’s those moments of surprise and inspiration that provide richness to each project’s narrative.

TIME + MONEY+ QUALITY

A well-managed project is one that maintains equilibrium between budget, production/ construction schedules, and level of finish. Beyond exceptional design, we direct our clients’ resources with clarity, acknowledging all forms of investment embodied in the process. We know how much things cost, how long it takes, and how to ascribe other values as well.

Schedules and budgets are subject to constant adjustment but quantifiable nonetheless. Quality of construction or level of finish is more difficult to describe. It would be a mistake to take the low-bid or even a high number at face value. Bidders make assumptions and interpretations along the way. We uncover those and reinterpret them for our clients showing how each item relates to time, money and quality.

COMPLETION

Construction is the artifact of everyone’s hard work, from the engineers, carpenters, painters and laborers. This is when careful planning and documentation combines with materials and action. Plans on paper become reshaped into real materials. For us there is great pleasure in knowing every part of the project and recalling the decisions that produced it. We attempt to keep decision making as linear as possible to allow everyone to feel the forward momentum of the job. Still, we know there are times to take a creative side-trip that will ultimately benefit the client.

We work with skilled contractors, pairing them with our clients based on past performance, appropriate level of finish, and basic chemistry. Still, our own demands for quality require full engagement to the end, keeping up to date budgets and schedules and actively monitor progress on site. We know there are times when the entire success of a project can be defined by the way it ends.