San Francisco Architects and Building Designers

BEST OF HOUZZ (DESIGN): 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 ; BEST OF HOUZZ (CUSTOMER SERVICE): 2016, 2013, Mark English AIA and his associates at Mark English Architects create beautiful modern architecture, exploring the power of simple forms and spaces specific to place and client desire. Since its founding in 1992, Mark English Architects has designed numerous residential and entertainment spaces throughout California, Arizona, Texas and Mexico. The firm has a special interest in building in the urban context, with half of its work occurring in San Francisco. Mark English Architects offers a designer's sense of artistry, supported by practical knowledge gained from years of direct hands-on building experience, having worked as a carpenter on his first realized home design at the age of 19. The team respectfully guides the the client towards what could, and what should, happen in a space - so that they are both pleased and surprised by the results. Mark's undergraduate experience at CalPoly included rigorous training in engineering and structural principles. Incorporating practical experience with structural systems and energy efficiency to the project early helps to streamline the design process. Graduate studies at the Syracuse University campus in Florence, Italy complemented Mark's interests in Greco-roman and Mesoamerican archaeology and history. As a licensed architect, Mark has supported the profession and his colleagues through participation in the AIA, the local AIA's Small Business Committee, and by coaching his peers on new strategies for social media and marketing. He has also promoted principles of energy-efficient design as it relates to compliance with California's Title 24 energy code, as well as green building programs such as Green-point Rating and the California Solar Initiative. Mark English is the editor of two respected online magazines, and along with co-editor and writer Rebecca Firestone, has created a forum for the local architectural community with"The Architects' Take". The Firm is located in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood.

Founded in San Francisco in 1980, Gast Architects is an eleven-person, service-oriented practice specializing in custom residential homes and renovations, including the sensitive restoration and adaptation of historic properties. We offer comprehensive architectural services and take pride in the close working relationships we develop with our clients in responding to their needs, taste, budget and schedule, while maintaining architectural design excellence. Sustainable design strategies are integral to the design process, and several on our team are experienced LEED Accredited Professionals. Our projects range in scope from the development of large country properties and inner city whole house renovations to more modest additions to and remodeling of existing housing in styles from warm modern to traditional. We enjoy, and are skilled at, working with the limitations and opportunities inherent in renovating or adding to existing structures. Our long-term relationships with contractors, craftspeople and consultants strengthen the trust and effective team communication necessary for producing superior results. Having practiced in the Bay Area for decades, we know the local Planning and Building agencies and their staffs, and how to work with them to secure code interpretations before problems arise. We have represented our clients successfully before commissions, design review panels and appeal boards, and are adept at moving our projects through the approvals maze.

John Lum Architecture is a 16-person firm located in a converted laundry machine factory in the Mission District of San Francisco. Established in 1994, we have successfully completed over 800 architectural projects, ranging from high-end commercial interiors and retail environments, to new residential construction and remodels. In addition to architectural work, we offer services in furniture, lighting, color and interior design. The firm designs larger, multi-unit projects and highly detailed, custom homes, as well as interior remodels. Without compromising aesthetics, John Lum Architecture is strongly committed to green development in the Bay Area. Our efforts to promote environmentally-sustain-able practices and green building methods were highlighted in 2007 at the Sunset Magazine Idea Home located in the Mission District of San Francisco. Other projects recently completed include the first residence in San Francisco to have a permitted rain water/ gray water usage system, making it one the highest Green Point rated homes in California.

Levitch Associates, Inc. has steadily increased the span of its reputation, with over 1,000 projects built and a body of work that includes residential remodels, complex additions, new homes, light commercial, and industrial projects. Our personal touch, cultivated since 1960, lends itself to the warmth and good nature our clients prefer in their projects. From designing to building your project, we realize the importance of our relationship with you. We pride ourselves in completing any project with skill and seamless grace. As a family-run business, Levitch Associates, Inc. has a rich history with its staff. Comprised of architectural assistants, draftspersons, office personnel, highly skilled carpenter foremen, laborers, and a select group of experienced subcontractors, the staff has increased and diversified since the initial handful of pioneers. In the 1960’s, Edward Levitch and a handful of employees decided to approach architecture in a radical and innovative way. By combining architecture and construction into a single process, they began to practice what is currently known as Integrated Architect-led, Design-Build. For 24 years, Edward Levitch used his extensive experience and inexorable work ethic to cultivate a successful business. In 1984 the firm incorporated and his son Maurice joined the family business in an official capacity. Both Edward and Maurice Levitch are long-standing members of the American Institute of Architects, an organization dedicated to the highest standards of professionalism, integrity and competence.

Best of Houzz 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2012. Mark Brand Architecture's award-winning architecture and interior studio balances high design with practicality, combining understated elegance with elements of drama. Our firm specializes in quality new homes, residential remodels and additions. Stylistically, our work would best be described as eclectic, incorporating a variety of influences favoring no single style. Our work ranges from traditional to modern with an emphasis on creativity and problem solving. Our projects are especially noted for their quality of light and orientation to views. Artistic compositions of plan, space and form are enriched by carefully considered color, texture and materials. Mark Brand Architecture's experience in dealing with planning and building departments throughout the Bay Area and our record of working well with project neighbors contribute to our expertise in getting building permits approved. We work closely with our clients, contractors and cost estimators to control construction costs. Mark is a California licensed architect.

Klopf Architecture brings the outside in. For 18 years the team at Klopf Architecture has sought to understand each client's needs, then designed custom solutions for each unique situation. Specializing in new warm, modern homes and modernist net-zero energy houses, the firm uses clean lines, proportioning, restful alignments, and natural materials to admit natural light and connect inhabitants with nature. The firm's primary goal is to create spaces people love to inhabit.

Design Everest is a leading provider of structural engineering, civil engineering and design services for residential & commercial construction. No project is too small or too big for us. We have successfully completed over 4000 projects across California since 2005 - on time, on quality & on budget! With Design Everest as engineering experts, you can be assured of safe, code-compliant & cost-effective residential or commercial structures. What makes us special and #1 ranked by our customers? Deep engineering and design expertise Our engineering and design knowledge is extensive & we work on a wide range of projects including, but not limited to, custom homes & remodels, apartment buildings, condominiums, townhomes, office buildings, shopping centers, parking structures, restaurants, individual retail stores & warehouses. Our customer success model and our unique customer success approach to design and engineering: At Design Everest, surpassing our clients' expectations is our highest priority. We provide our engineering services using the marketplace model: happy customers are the foundation of a healthy business. Maintaining a strong relationship with our clients & providing a simple, seamless experience is as important to us as delivering high-quality services. To achieve this, our team of customer success managers ensures that each client has an active role in the completion of their project & receives the value they expect from the services we provide. Over a decade of extensive experience all through out California: In business since 2005, and with offices located in San Francisco, Mountain View, Folsom, Los Angeles & San Diego, we provide our services throughout California. Design Everest has a team of fifty licensed, engineers, and drafters. The delivery of structural engineering services has remained relatively unchanged for decades. Although Design Everest uses the same engineering practices that have always been used, we've reinvented how these services are delivered through supplier & project optimization with data analytics. By working with Design Everest, you'll be taking part in a new era of high-quality engineering with superior value in terms of cost & schedule. We support homeowners with comprehensive structural engineering, civil engineering, and design services.

Our clients come to us dissatisfied with what is. They have tastes and convictions, budgets and constraints. They live in neighborhoods as well as houses. They envision a more workable life. We have the skill to transform challenging spaces into living solutions. We’re practical, realistic, honest. We ask a million questions: How do you want to live? What do you need? Working together, we free up possibility. We capture your dream and give it dimension. The process is often as beautiful as the result.

Projects ranging from Silicon Valley to Wine Country, from urban San Francisco to open country in Saratoga, bay side homes in Tiburon to the neighborhoods of Menlo Park and Atherton, working with the best builders in California, designing new homes and remodels, both outside and inside, we provide a seamless start to finish process. Creating buildings and spaces for living and working that are simple, efficient and unique to the owners and problems that need to be solved. The solution is the coming together of all these elements, which can be modern with elegant proportions or a transition between traditional and contemporary that benefits both. Provided are full design services including extensive 3D modeling, planning and building department coordination, color, materials and lighting design, and construction supervision through project completion. Our process involves several builder pricing sessions until the design and cost are comfortable. Builders we work with are known by us to be reliable, proven and experienced in working with us, creating the details and familiar with the manufacturers and materials we utilize. Detailed time schedules are made to describe the project milestones so the process can be planned and controlled. With over twenty years of experience, our design team works within a system that ensures that clients’ goals are achieved, control over budget is maintained and the project moves forward in a logical, consistent manner. The design, permit, bid and construction process may seem dizzying—our goal is to create a manageable process with gratifying end results. Our knowledge of colors, materials, plumbing fixtures, hardware, doors and windows, appliances, lighting fixtures, give owners total control over the end result. Recommended is everything needed to move into the finished product.

Kaplan Architects has over 3 decades experience in new home design and custom home remodels throughout San Francisco, the East Bay, the Peninsula and other San Francisco Bay Area communities. At Kaplan Architects we believe in pursuing design excellence. We do this through thoughtful iteration of ideas, challenging our own preconceptions, and rethinking the solutions we develop. We strive for the results of our work to be functional, timeless, and beautiful. We create spaces with our clients’ needs and desires foremost in mind and we strive to create spaces that are warm and inviting. Our approach involves listening to the clients’ needs and designing custom solutions to meet their specific requirements. We promote designs that are functional and have a clean, timeless character, not solely based on the fashion of the day. We have done work in many of the jurisdictions of this region and have developed a process to navigate the complex approvals required to build and remodel. The firm has been published in Home Magazine, Custom Home, Northern California Home and Garden, Sunset Magazine, Trends and various other periodicals. The firm has received several awards for its residential projects and has been featured in various exhibitions featuring Bay Area architects. Home and Garden Television (HGTV) has featured many of our projects on their national television network.

M•DESIGNS ARCHITECTS is an award-winning, Palo Alto, CA based architectural, planning and interior design firm specializing in residential design. In addition, the Principals, Chip Jessup and Malika Junaid, have extensive experience with the design of retail, office and other commercial projects. We have more than 30 years of experience in all aspects of planning, design, documentation and construction support, as well as an extensive background in construction and budget analysis. With a proven record of well-designed, high quality, cost conscious projects completed for clients throughout the Bay Area, our expertise ranges from small remodels to new homes and larger scale projects. If you have any questions, would like more information and would like to speak with one of our architects regarding your project’s needs, please get in touch – we’d love to hear from you. For more information please do not hesitate to contact us or visit our website: Website: www.mdesignsarchitects.com Phone: 650.565.9036 Email: info@mdesignsarchitects.com

Nick Lee Architecture offers architectural services including design and engineering for new homes, additions and remodels. We believe in Architecture for Everyone and want to help you to Create a Great Place to Live. Regardless of size, scope or budget, we are dedicated to providing you top notch service to make your project a success.

Eric Layton of Patriarch Architecture specializes in contemporary residential design for a range of home styles. Eric has a reputation for designing homes of quality, warmth, and grace with unique character that blend into the fabric of a community. With an underlying passion for sustainable architecture, his business centers on maintaining the highest level of client satisfaction for home designs of a rich aesthetic on a foundation of broad experience and integrity. Specialties: Progressive yet timeless design styles for unique custom homes •Efficient design/entitlement cycle for projects built within budget and schedule •Architectural, Engineering, Master Planning and Landscape design •New Construction, Re-development, and Urban Infill projects •Efficient navigation of Planning and Building approvals •Floor plan “interventions” – Solving circulation, flow and adjacency conflicts •Sustainable Design, long life-cycle buildings and Zero Net Energy buildings •Sourcing of natural local and renewable materials for healthy buildings •Fast-tracked projects with significant time constraints •Budget analysis at all phases of a project •Project Management of Client-owned developments •Identification and evaluation of residential investment opportunities

As seen on <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.dwell.com/home/modern-elegant-architects-home-7161ba8d?ct">https://www.dwell.com/home/modern-elegant-architects-home-7161ba8d?ct</a> As an Award Winning San Francisco Architect with work in San Francisco and the San Francisco Metro Area, my Focus is on Single Family Residences. I am a Licensed Architect with over 25 years experience and a Licensed General Contractor in California. I am one of the few Architects who has built what he has designed from the ground up. I acted as the Architect, the Developer and the Builder for a challenging new residence in the Oakland Hills. I currently do not practice as a Contractor, but this past experience proves invaluable when generating detailed construction documents in relation to the quality of the built project and how Design Details are executed and built. My Award Winning Residential Projects range from Kitchen and Bath Remodels, Additions, Entire House Remodels, New Houses from the ground up and Large Multifamily and Townhouse Projects. I offer complete Architectural Services, from the initial concept through to the final punch list. A typical scope of services includes: A comprehensive Design Phase, where I listen and assess my clients needs and offer several design solutions to choose and work from; Preliminary cost estimating with the assistance of a qualified Contractor to establish a Preliminary Construction Budget; A Design Development Phase where finishes, fixtures and finishes are reviewed and selected; Comprehensive and Detailed Construction Documents for Permit Approval, to Bid from, and to Build from; Review of Bids from qualified Contractors; and Construction Observation during the Construction of the Project. I have a passion for creative problem solving and pursue a thorough attention to detail. This imaginative problem solving and attention to detail is documented in highly detailed drawings that focus on beauty and elegance, practicality, and solid construction principles. These highly detailed drawings result in accurate bids, fewer change orders and beautifully built projects. My projects feature industry standard sustainable materials and methods, and several feature in depth sustainable material selection and focus on energy efficiency.

Feldman Architecture is an award-winning residential design practice recognized for creating warm, light-filled spaces that are site-sensitive and carefully detailed. Highly collaborative in nature, the firm approaches design as a dialogue between client, design team and site. Each project is an opportunity to create an innovative solution that is relevant to the project environs and tailored to a clients' specific needs. The studio's culture is also informal and non-hierarchical; members of the small firm work with clients in an engaging, shared process to find smart and sustainable solutions. Closely guiding projects from design through construction, designers and project managers are deeply involved in research and probing the parameters of a project. Strong alliances with consultants, builders and artisans contribute to carefully informed design decisions and result in fully realized projects with conceptual clarity and precise detailing.