I reached out to Alex about a project in South San Francisco that I needed help on. He came over…read moreto the house, spent over an hour with me, explained the process in South San Francisco, what to expect, how he could help and what my options were. His council gave me the tools to make my best decision. That decision ended up not needing his assistance. I offered to pay him for his valuable time; he said he was happy to help and told me to keep him in mind for the future-refusing payment. I was so appreciative for his advise, time and expertise. I felt confident in his abilities and I would gladly work with and recommend Alex gain.

Working with Alex and Jay on our full gut remodel in Millbrae made a huge difference. They know San…read moreMateo County and local building codes inside and out, guiding our plans through the review process to finish in minimal revisions with only minor comments. Beyond permitting and design, they acted as true partners rather than just a standard business, actively pointing out how to avoid costly, unnecessary upgrades and helping navigate challenges with our GC during construction. Jay's dedication stood out during a key site walk when he climbed up into the attic with me. Together, we caught framing, shear-wall, and electrical details that even the inspector missed (during the building phase). Having their architectural expertise on-site before insulation and drywall went up saved us significant money and ensured the structural integrity of the build. Not only did they handle the architecture and permitting in reasonable timeframe, but they supported us through every phase to ensure quality throughout. I genuinely appreciate their responsiveness and ongoing support.

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.

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.

We've been working with Andy for the last several months on our 3rd and 4th story addition project…read morein upper Noe Valley. Communication: Andy is organized, efficient, and clear in his communications with us. He was also upfront with us from the beginning about the potential challenges our project would face, from city building regulations to neighbor considerations, but always presented solutions to the issues. Design: Andy has been able to take our high level requirements and turn them into an elegant and practical design that is above and beyond what we originally imagined. His in-depth knowledge of the city codes has also been reassuring - we really appreciate his focus on the goal of making this a smooth, low drama process. Process and Cost: Finally, Andy's wealth of vetted and reliable industry contacts has helped us determine a working budget early in the process - this has been invaluable for ensuring we're comfortable with the major changes to come. Andy and his contacts have all provided reasonable pricing, considering the scale of the project we are undertaking. We're really happy working with Andy, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend him for any projects in SF!

We've just completed our 2nd Major Remodel with Andy after having the pleasure of working with him…read moreseveral years ago on our 2nd story addition. Our 2nd project with Andy included the main level Kitchen, Family area, Mudroom and Powder Room. We were so impressed with Andy's design talent the first time, that we were certain we wanted to work with Andy to tackle the design challenges for the second go round. Andy again was integral to the success of the project. After receiving an initial estimate from a contractor we had worked with in the past that was higher than expected, Andy was able to offer another contractor more in line with our budget. After listening to our thoughts and concerns, Andy offered several design options, and again we were really excited with the finalized approach. Andy was able to incorporate some specific design details we wanted, and then build upon them and make them a unique feature for our project. When we were facing technical challenges with the millwork detail we incorporated into the project, Andy suggested a solution that the millworker went with to solve the problem. Andy again was great to work with through the design, both listening and offering design options we hadn't thought of. His attention to design detail really made the project. His knowledge of construction and cost were such a great asset to making our project a success. He followed through with the project from beginning to end. We Hired Andy 2x as our Architect, we highly recommend him for your project!

My wife and I met with Brian Milford through a common friend. The referral was so strong that his…read morefirm was the only one we consulted with. We engaged with MMA as soon as we closed on the house. Our project was to increase the footprint of our San Francisco home by about 47% & modernize the front and back elevations of this ordinary, mid-century building. While we are in the starting stage of the process with MMA, we are so happy with the milestones that we feel compelled to write a review. Dealing with professional services firms is a crap-shoot. But not MMA. Our interactions and the work product were a revelation. Our definition of a good architectural firm starts with communication, education on process, expectation setting, and more communication. Layer all of that with superior design aesthetic, a keen ear for client needs, quality deliverables, on-time delivery, professional management and more communication. At the very top of the ideal 'professional cake' - the icing, if you will, is good leadership, compassionate client-management skills, and even more communication. The cherry on top, is that we ended up becoming good friends through this process. The MMA team is as solid as they come. Their work, their portfolio, and their clients (past and present) should be testament enough. That's pretty much what got us to sign up with them in the first place. But for those who want to hear directly from present clients, let me say this: Our expectations were exceeded most times, were met at others, and the few times we disagreed their process kicked in, and we were set. From a creative standpoint their work is exemplary. While it should be noted that creative firms reflect your tastes as a client, a good firm will help you move out of your zone and deliver something you would relish not just in the present but also in the ensuing years, if not decades. I am confident that our engagement is going to be very similar with MMA. And I am looking forward to seeing this relationship grow with the firm and all the people we have come in contact with. Thank you, Brian!

My husband and I highly recommend Martinkovic Milford Architects! Blake, Amanda, and Amelia were…read moreour brilliant team of architects overseen by Brian Milford. They designed our dream home and also monitored the construction/renovation process in addition to recommending a great contractor to build our home.

Andre was the architect for the gut-renovation of the main floor of our Sanchez Street (Noe Valley)…read morehome. It included structural work, removing load-bearing walls, full kitchen renovation, and a bathroom addition. It was our first home, a fixer-upper, and we had no idea what we were doing. Hiring Andre was hands-down the best decision we made. He started by listening -- how we live, how our family functions, what we needed the space to do for us. He was patient with our budget and never made us feel like our questions were dumb. We'd give feedback, he'd come back with something better. When we had no ideas at all, he'd come up with ones we never would have thought of. We ended up with a plan we were ecstatic about! The attention to detail, turnaround time, and reliability were all excellent. He helped us run contractor bidding, then showed up at the site throughout construction to make sure things were built to plan and catch issues before they became expensive changes (his communication with our contractor and engineer was excellent). Andre came up through construction before becoming an architect, and he's practiced in San Francisco long enough to know permitting cold. Both saved us real time and headaches. There's nobody else we'd call for future projects.

My first experience with Andre was over 25 years ago when he led a major remodel, including a…read moresecond-story addition, of my Day Street (Noe Valley) home. Every aspect of my experience at that time was positive. Andre worked to skillfully retain the exterior flavor of the 1924 Marina-style 2/1, as we developed a taller 4/2.5, with a comfortable and functional interior. Long before any of these other reviews were written, Andre was exercising the excellent listening skills, inventive design, and superior aesthetic sense you'll read about from others. His ability to work with permitting and review processes instilled confidence as did his good relationships and communication with contractors and subs. He was tactful but clear in gently guiding me away from bad ideas I came up with myself or with friends. Invaluable. Long story short, Andre spearheaded efforts that resulted in a substantial increase in home value, enabling me to relocate comfortably in preparation for retirement. I am working with Andre again, this time for more modest projects to remodel the kitchen, add a deck, and expand the downstairs suite. Delighted he's still available, nothing has changed except his expanded experience and a great new location in Dogpatch! Andre is still easy to work with, professional as can be, super-responsive, and gives amazing value. Very happy to be working with him again.

Outerlands Design helped us with a complete remodel of our master suite, living room, an interior…read morestaircase, facade, exterior staircase, and roofdeck. We were thoroughly pleased with the entire process, from the first visit to the last handshake. There are four key qualities of this outstanding group worth highlighting: (1) Flexibility: We wanted to renovate our whole 3-story house, but in two stages, so that we could continue to live here. The first stage was going to be the top 1.5 floors, and the architect was nearing final designs for that ... when this happened: We had a flood on our lower floor, due to a blocked sewer, about 2 months before the work was going to begin. This couldn't wait to get fixed. Their team quickly pivoted, shelved plans for the top 1.5 floors, and put all their energy behind quickly creating and finalizing plans for the bottom 1.5 floors. And then this happened: Part way through the renovation, the crew discovered extensive dry rot damage in the frame of our house, due to leaks between the wood planks of our siding (and maybe the roof). What had been an interior-only project, quickly became a massive interior/exterior job, as the only logical fix was to remove the problematic siding, repair/replace the rotting wood frame, put on a new roof, and place all-new stucco. And then this happened: Faced with a bigger project than originally envisioned, we started to imagine all the little (or not so little) things that it might make sense to do while the team had various parts of our home ripped up ... and so we kept asking for more and more things (the dreaded "change order"!). Brad and his team were as gracious as saints, and remained open-minded and loyal partners in an open-ended design process, even as we were the ones causing the project to drag on further than they had anticipated. (2) Communication: Brad, the project manager, is phenomenal. As the single point of contact, he is super-efficient in his responsiveness to emails, phone calls, or texts, and he consistently follows through on questions and requests. I can't tell you how valuable it is to have a single point of contact, when your home is invaded by carpenters, electricians, plumbers, tilers, floorers, stucco guys, roofers, dry wall experts, painters, and people whose job I never even totally fathomed. Brad was not one of these people -- and he had no other job but to conduct the orchestra and respond to our needs. Priceless. Brad is not the only highlight: Jared (Brad's son and the founder/owner), the plumber, the electrician, and other key folks also had excellent communication skills and were comfortable interacting with us directly. (3) Efficiency: There was someone on our site doing work every single day. I've heard stories from friends -- and witnessed other renovations on my own block -- where projects seem to drag on with no worker on site for days or sometimes weeks at a time. We never saw a slow-down in momentum with this group. Brad had a big role in ensuring that things moved forward. (4) Aesthetic: Last but certainly not least is the design sense that Outerlands offers. As illustrated on their web site, they are fluent in the modern Bay Area aesthetic and steeped in higher-end finishes. But they do not blindly go after the most expensive options, or forget the history or overall context of a home. In our case, they transformed a dated 1980s home into a modern masterpiece, achieving holistic oneness through a renovation (as opposed to a complete rebuild, where this is easier). We're thrilled.

We used Outerlands to do a full renovation of the interior and exterior of our house and loved the…read moreresults! They were professional, timely, and thorough. I would recommend them highly for any project, big or small.

We had the pleasure of working with Jill Finn of TANGERINEdesign LLC when our longtime designer was…read moreunavailable -- so she walked into a situation where we were already feeling a bit off balance. But from day one, Jill exceeded our expectations. The project involved tearing down an old, dilapidated screened-in porch that had never really worked for us -- too cold in the winter, too hot in the summer -- and transforming it into a usable interior room. We wanted to keep the light and airy feel of a porch while gaining insulation, comfort, and year-round usability. We also wanted ideas for built-ins: maybe a window seat, maybe bookshelves -- we weren't quite sure. Other contractors over the years had taken one look at the porch and declined to get involved due to its age and condition. Not Jill. She had ideas right away. Jill brings so much energy, creativity, and practical knowledge to the table. Even while juggling big personal commitments (like her son's graduation across the country), she delivered several strong design ideas within a few weeks -- and they were fresh, inspiring, and budget-conscious. She collaborated easily with our civil engineer, adjusting her drawings quickly to meet his needs. She also understands our local codes and regulations really well, and met directly with our contractors to make sure her designs were realistic and executable before we got too far into the process. On top of all that, Jill has a fantastic personality. She made the experience fun and engaging, and she brought a sense of momentum and confidence that really helped us move forward. I can't recommend Jill highly enough -- her creativity, responsiveness, and enthusiasm make her a true gem. If you're considering working with TANGERINEdesign LLC, you're in excellent hands. Karen & Greg Marriner 6/22/25

My fiancee and I met with Jill to explore building an ADU in our backyard from the ground up along…read morewith a home expansion. We were glad that we chose Jill; she brings with her a wealth of knowledge in all facets of the construction phase, and she was very friendly and easy to talk to also! Most of the time we would ask her a question, then just let her talk, as she was very detailed with all of her answers and did a great job teaching. We also appreciated that Jill also has no problem telling you if your idea is a bad idea, but will provide the context and reasoning why. Lastly, we loved tapping her creative mind; she has the ability to look at a space and give you plenty of ideas for it that you might not have even thought of! We would definitely recommend her and would work with her again.

We had an excellent experience with Shawn Sharaby of Create Interior Design, due to factors too…read morenumerous to explain. We had a complicated situation since we were gutting and redoing a condo in Walnut Creek, while we were living in LA part of that time. Shawn worked at record speed getting permits, ordering materials, and communicating with us on hundreds of details. He uses high quality vendors and when we were in town, we were able to visit the carpet supplier, the workshop of the custom cabinet maker and the warehouse of stone to pick out stones for kitchen and bathrooms. Shawn always offered a range of options from less to more expensive. Shawn has a wonderful flare for design and helped us pick out furniture, fixtures etc and stopped us when we were going in the wrong direction. Yet he respected our sensibility and vision. He worked feverishly to get us into our house. His crew was working in a community with many rules and we were told repeatedly by neighbors how polite and respectful his crew was. Shawn was accessible and responded quickly to calls, often answering himself. He gave us an estimated time of completion and met it. He turned somersaults trying to meet the deadline. We came in on the original estimate. any additional costs were due to upgrades at our request. The quality of the work was outstanding. We have been in the house 3 weeks and can appreciate the excellence. Finally, we truly love our house because of the beauty of the design, the stone and woodwork that feels timeless and the excellence of the work done. Thank you

We had discussed a major remodeling of our outdated original master bathroom for a few years but…read morefelt overwhelmed with a project of this size. We just did not know where to begin. A thorough search LED us to Shawn and Create Interior Design. He came and met with us several times to explain his process and guide us through the entire project step by step. He drafted several design concepts based on our input and refined them until we were happy. After the basics had been locked down, it was much easier for us to choose specific tiles, colors and fixtures. The lifelike 3D renderings provided a clear vision of what the finished bathroom would look like, and removed all the guesswork and stress from this project. Shawn provided us with an extremely detailed list of every item and exact cost for the project including scheduling, permits, demo, construction, inspections and every material and fixture. It was clear that we were in experienced and competent hands. We chose to have Shawn and his team handle the project and complete all of the work period his crew was incredible. Each craftsman who worked on different parts of the remodeling was clearly a skilled professional with attention to detail and pride in their workmanship. They accommodated small changes and dealt with unforeseen issues as they occurred. Despite the scale and duration of this total remodel, they kept the work area much cleaner and more organized than we had expected. The finshed result is truly amazing. We now have a totally new bathroom which is the highlight of the entire house. We would highly recommend Create Interior Design and Shawn's thorough approach to designing, documenting, organizing and implementing your home remodeling dream project.

I specifically hired Jeff not just to design and draw a tricky additional floor of living space…read morewith a new custom stairwell in my 107 year old building in San Francisco, but to also navigate confusing bureaucratic red tape and layers of paperwork to get my project off the ground. In SF the Department of Building Inspection is not at all easy to work with for the average home owner, especially when doing a large multi hundred thousand dollar project like mine. But Jeff got the necessary signatures and got the project approved. Considering various existing issues and the complexity of the project I am not sure that a contractor or architect without extensive experience dealing with SF DBI could have made it happen. Though I served as my own contractor and did not use Jeff's construction crew, Jeff often met with city inspectors on my behalf. I saw in his portfolio that he has done many projects in San Francisco; he really knows how the City bureaucracy works. He knows what the many plan reviewers like to see to get a permit approved and what they don't want to see. There is no way I could have ever gotten my permits without him. We even had a few surprises and had to submit revised plans after we were well into the project. When he drew my plans he hooked me up with a structural engineer (which was required because I was modifying the bearing structure of the building, concrete foundation work, etc). At the end of it all I now have a beautiful new super energy efficient floor of well lighted living space with a gas fireplace, access to a gorgeous yard and deck, safety features, everything 2013 code compliant and stamped with the City's seal of approval. I get nothing but rave reviews and compliments from visitors when they see the finished product. When you work with Jeff, you come to know that he can visualize completed construction in his head before he even puts his pencil to paper. He has a lot of ideas to make a new but yet unbuilt place great, and he can present you with a variety of ideas and styles of construction that you might not even imagine exist. I'd highly encourage anyone planning a construction project, big or small, in Marin County or San Francisco to meet Jeff and see what he can offer you. His portfolio is gorgeous, so have a look at it.

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

We are so grateful for Jessica's help in getting a permit for our addition. It's been a long…read moreprocess which she forewarned us about. We've never worked with an architect before so we didn't know what to expect. Jessica is a great listener. She actually listens to her clients and makes recommendations based on that. We highly recommend Jessica! We look forward to the completion of our project. Thank you Jessica and your team!

Jessica has been an amazing partner during our remodel journey. She worked with us through the…read morestarts and stops of the process and helped us realize the vision for our remodel. She was incredibly informative and communicative during the permit review process, turning what we had heard could be a nightmare into a fairly smooth process. Jessica and her team were always responsive and ready with answers to our many questions. We would not hesitate to recommend Jessica and the JSD Architecture team to anyone looking to remodel their house.