Haven Design Workshop

We have worked with Sean and his team on a few very nice contemporary homes. It is always a joy to walk into their office for a design meeting. Their collaborative approach to an integrated design process ensures that the client gets to synthesize the best information from everyone in the team: the contractor, the designers, the engineers, the architect, and themselves. This latest project we will break ground on in June is a of course, beautiful but also incorporates many well-considered high performance home features such as a siding drainage plane, a well-sealed & super-insulated building envelope, and a heat recovery ventilator.

I was a client of Haven Design, the house I built from our collaboration is on Sean's page. It is the Net Zero Country Living design. I approached Sean some years ago with my own outline plans and a lot of ideas about building an energy efficient house. Sean guided me through the process and jointly we massaged my plans into a working form. Sean stayed true to my ideas while adding nice design touches, especially to the exterior. He produced a full set of plans from which I got bids, selected a builder and built a home. The builder had no issues with the plans and the final results exceed my expectations. Sean and his team were a pleasure to work with, they always listened to what I wanted to achieve. They also brought in the builder at an early stage to get feedback on the design and costs. They were not afraid to point out mistakes, problem areas or design features that did not work and this is what I wanted. I feel that my house is a team effort between Haven Design, Bellingham Bay Builders and myself.

The design team at Haven, lead by Architect Sean Heagstad, were a joy to work with. They took our abstract thoughts and dreams and, along with builder Toby Janzen, turned them into a reality better than we ever imagined. Sean's experience and calm demeanour helped to steer the design/revision process emerging with plans that perfectly reflected our style AND lifestyle. Amy, Stephen and Brenda navigated watershed concerns and helped get the Truegrid porous paver system approved smoothly. Communication with the team was clear and always responsive. Our questions and concerns were addressed and we felt we were part of the team throughout the whole process. Thank you Haven Design Workshop team - we love our home !!

We highly recommend Sean and his team at Haven. Through our project, their communication, openness and suggestions were fantastic. They were our team (and still are).

We initially chose Haven Design because of our desire for a contemporary (modern) style home. Sean's own home has the style we were looking for, and we felt that someone whose personal choices and modern vision would be able to translate our ideas in to reality. We liked what we had seen of his other projects, and he came with strong recommendations from a builder we trusted. It turned out we got a lot more than just drawings from Sean. Our project was challenging, to say the least. A waterfront build just as regulations in the county changed. As well, the property survey that came with our purchase turned out to be wrong, and could not be relied upon. Sean was patient and worked with us to get it all sorted out, helping us to navigate through the many levels of government and regulation. We loved the final design of our home when we saw in the models Sean provided, but now that it is actually built, it is so much better than we imagined. Not only does the home capture all the views we were after, but the natural lighting through all the strategically placed windows is amazing. If there was one thing we feel Sean excels at, it would be light. We wanted a passive solar home, with as much daylight from natural sources as possible, as well as good cross-flow for natural ventilation. Sean delivered so much more than we expected. Our home is the light, airy, modern house we had dreamed about, and more. The central stair opens onto the second floor "gallery"--so open and well lit in the middle of the house that it does not feel even remotely like a hallway. We love Westcoast modern, but are rather lazy people, so Sean designed us an exterior that is almost no maintenance, with touches of cedar at the entry. We could not be happier with how our home has come together.

We've been working with Sean Hegstad from Haven Design Workshop for this past year. Our project includes a significant renovation of the primary residence and includes construction of a new attached garage with studio. Sean is a very conscientious and hard working person. He is a good listener and is considerate of your or your contractor's input and feedback. He works well with the regulators providing approvals and permits for your project.

As a general contractor I have worked with Haven Design Workshop on two separate projects. My typical experience with architects is a frustrating one. It's very common for them to design projects on paper that don't reflect how they will be done in reality. This can lead to significant change orders and lots of frustration for everyone involved. Haven has gone above and beyond to ensure that their plans accurately portray how the project will be constructed. One way they do this is by creating full 3D renderings of their projects. This allows you to see exactly what the house looks like and helps to point out any mistakes, such as roof lines that don't work and problems with the house layout in relation to the site. Both of these can have very costly fixes that are never fun to address during construction. In addition to accurate drawings their entire office staff is excellent at moving the design process along from the initial meeting through permitting. There are many details that are discussed during this stage of planning and they do an excellent job of keeping track of everything and making sure that all relevant parties are in the loop. As a whole I have been very impressed with their team and I look forward to using them on my projects for years to come.

I thoroughly loved working with Haven Design 3 years ago! They helped put our ideas into a plan that fit into our budget. They worked fluidly with my family and our contractor. I always felt heard and they expertly advised me of every step of the project.

Haven Design does a great job of designing high quality homes that are both beautiful and unique As a contractor working with Sean is always a pleasure and everyone at Haven Design is friendly and professional. I would recommend Haven Design to any one thinking of building a home Big Mountain Inc Aaron Sanday

Meeting Sean at Haven Design Workshop was a godsend! I had found the most basic of ranch-style house, and in horrible repair. After spending a fair amount of time visioning, I needed an architect that could hear my thoughts/feelings and bring considerable expertise. Sean was the precise answer to what was needed! There were quite a few problem areas: Stairways, Vaulted Ceilings, Baths, Porches, Kitchen & Living Spaces etc. Sean worked painstakingly to get the look/feel/function of each into perfect balance--the end result being extraordinary! What distinguished Sean from all other architects that I approached was his willingness to listen. He allowed for me to have considerable input. To that, he brought a level of mastery that is simply unmatched. He kept every element of the architecture relevant and distinctive. At each stage, Sean was professional, eager-to-help, and went way above-and-beyond in assisting me with the county and state on required permits, which in my case was quite an extensive process. Not only would I highly recommend working with Haven Design Workshop, I'm actually in the process of hiring them again. That's how exceptional Sean's work is! Quintessential!

Sean does great design. Such beautiful thoughtful work. We couldn't be more happy with our plans. We had a big remodel for a small house small budget and Sean worked with us to meet our goals and budget.

I am a retired Interior Designer and wanted to work with an architect who was up on the latest improvements in HVAC and plumbing. I had a pretty clear idea of the layout of our new house but needed help deciding on a contractor to hire as well as some creative structural details to make our 1800 sq. ft. single level home work for us as we age without looking like an "old folks home". Haven Design was instrumental in helping us select a contractor and we have been very pleased with the results.