We contacted Lauren Vaage after exploring an Ikea upgrade to our circa 1960s kitchen. We realized…read morethat trying to fit an Ikea "package" into our space was forcing mediocre materials into a less than optimal layout. We looked for help and based on the beautiful and creative work we saw on his web page we decided to contact Lauren. He helped us re-examine our goals for our home and to think more holistically about how we wanted to organize the kitchen so as to better integrate it with our outdoor space and our open plan living area. Lauren brought in experts to help us upgrade our HVAC and to plan for a future solar addition. Lauren's vision and artistic approach to the project led to what seems in retrospect to a relatively simple solution that made our kitchen remodel into so much more. Lauren re-oriented our kitchen within the same space, adding a mere 27 additional square feet, but in so doing completely transformed our home, integrating the outdoor space with the kitchen and living area and allowing natural light to connect the spaces in a way that makes our home feel entirely new. Over the course of the project, we watched Lauren invest his time and attention to every step in the journey, turning the unexpected twists and turns of a remodel into added value. The team from Davis Artisan Builders were a pleasure to work with and are indeed true artisans (and great people) with years of experience who trust Lauren's vision and take pride in the final product. It's hard to imagine not having the kitchen that we now have, even though it's completely different than our initial vision. It's incredibly functional, with more space and storage than we ever could have achieved with a package remodel. More importantly, it's transformed into a joyful space to live and cook in and we're so grateful we took the time to get Lauren's help in re-envisioning what would make our house into a better home.

Lauren remodeled my home converting one area into a home office. My experience with Lauren is very…read morepositive! He is detail oriented. Quality oriented. Essentially a perfectionist. I would definitely hire him again!

These people are great! They have helped me a number of times over the years and I really…read moreappreciate their attention to detail and quick communication. Thank you Applied Architecture!

We started our project with only a draftsperson. Once completed we had questions and wanted to…read moreexplore more options. We contacted Applied Architecture and realized we should have started with Mike and staff. They had a boatload of suggestions and options that we did not see. Mike and team always were looking at the budget and another key item is Mike knows what the city will approve. Our project in now done and we love it.

Andrew was quick and easy to work with. He made a Saturday appointment and was very prompt. Would…read moredefinitely recommend

After posting the initial review Andrew reached out, apologized for the delay, offered a discount…read moreand provided me with the quote later that evening. I'm updating the review to reflect that I did receive the quote, since I initially noted he had not provided one.

Wafa was very responsive to my call inquiry about a new property I acquired in Sonoma County. She…read morewas generous in giving me her time on a zoom call to go over the scope of the project. Though I elected to forgo my plan to redesign the roofline, if I had decided to go through with it, I would absolutely have gone with Wafa. Her knowledge and experience is strong and she was very easy and pleasant to talk with. We elected to keep the house roof line as it is, and focus on interior upgrades and improvements. Thank you Wafa, for being so kind and amazing. We will definitely choose to use her services in the future when a new architectural need arises. Recommend.

I converted a study room in my three cars garage without a building permit years ago. It was…read morealways been my goal to legalize it but didn't have time and energy to do it until my retirement now. I didn't have any idea as where to start the project. I joined a Facebook ADU Group and started learning about the permit and construction process. It was suggested that I should start finding an architect to draw up a design plan and submit it to the City for approval. I read through many Yelp reviews and found Wafaa at waArchitecture + Design for she had great reviews and the professionalism I was searching for. Wafaa helped me designed and received building permit for converting my existing garage room and laundry space into a 270 square foot JADU of one bedroom. Waffaa was responsive, patient, and flexible during the design phase. What impressed me the most was that her and her team's speed of correspondence. There were no revision requested from the City and my JADU design plan was submitted the first week of February and was approved by the City of Fremont at the end of April. If you are looking for a responsible, highly skilled professional Architect, look no further, I highly recommend Waffaa of waArchitecture + Design.

Full disclosure: FM Design + Build remodeled my parents kitchen, not mine. I wish it were mine and…read morenow that it's so beautiful I use it like my own. Stephen and Sandra are a husband and wife team, each with different strengths, that literally walk you through each step of the remodeling process. They went with my parents to the granite yard (I didn't know that was a thing) to pick out the perfect granite for the kitchen, talked endlessly about functionality, and offered solutions to best meet my parents needs. Plus Stephen got his hands dirty completing a majority of the construction by himself. Unfortunately I don't have a before picture but the space is truly transformed. Beverage fridge? Check. Pull out drawer for pots? Check. Kitchen worthy of the most ardent chef? Check! And the bonus of enjoying time with people you love in a comfortable space. I know my parents are happier seeing me more often as I'm over all the time to bake and cook up huge meals. If you're looking for great quality construction, people who are a dream to work with, and reasonably priced services, I highly recommend FM Design + Build.

I contracted with FM Design+Build for a complex work project. While Stephen's expertise is in…read moreresidential work, this project was a bit more industrial. Stephen accepted the challenge and executed the work beautifully. His bid was the lowest I found. He was an excellent communicator and easy to get in touch with. He was able to take an existing space and create amazing renderings of my vision. His attention to detail was very appreciated and everyone involved in the project was very pleased with the end result of Stephen's work. Stephen was prompt, efficient, creative, and flexible....all terrific qualities in a business owner. I highly recommend FM Design+Build and will likely be consulting with them on personal projects in the future.

It was time for Kelly and I to do our backyard landscape and since we know nothing of landscaping,…read moreI was in need of a designer, consultant , and installer. Finding all of these different types of people and getting them together to understand a clients specific landscape needs while at the same time meeting a schedule and budget can be very difficult and frustrating. My wife and I were at that point until we found Chris Corbett on the internet. Chris was able to meet all of our landscape needs. Since he is formally educated in landscape design, he was able to sit down with us and develop a landscape scheme in a very short time and provide us with drawings. Since Chris is a long time local resident of Davis, he was able to give us great consultation on the types of plants and trees that are indigenous to the area and would thrive in our yard. However, the best part about his business plan is that he personally does the installation of all of the landscape. This allowed me a piece of mind that all of my wishes and desires were going to be met, because no matter how well a set of drawings are presented , there are many aspects of what a client wants that cannot be conveyed on paper. That is established during the constant communication and verbal agreements. Since Chris is a part of every step of the process, none of that continuity between client and installer is lost. Chris met every expectation with regards to schedule and budget. He and his team were always professional and on time at every step of the way. His pricing of the project was exceptionally accurate so there were no surprises at any time during the project. He thoroughly understood our budget constraints and kept that in mind during the drawing process, material selection, and final installation to provide us with a beautiful finished product without breaking the bank. Chris has an extraordinary work ethic and his end goal is to make the client happy. I would highly recommend Chris for any type of landscape project large or small, and to go to anyone else would just be making it harder on yourself. Randy & Kelly Clark

while my intentions were to do something stylish with my landscaping project (a living fence), i…read morewas about to make some amateur mistakes. then i met chris corbett, and he presented several approaches to my project that i never even considered. his consulting made a huge difference for my home and our neighborhood. chris is fantastic. i highly recommend him and his group!

I was inquiring about using the services. Not responsive to my request after multiple attempts…read more Don't waste your time.

We hired Architect Steve for our tenant improvement project and he delivers our project till it's…read moredone! I have so many good words to tell him but one is he knows what he is doing! Very professional, easy to talk to, listen to you, you can trust, and will give good advice or options to consider. I will surely hire him again if we need architect. Thank you so much Steve and it's a blessing to work with you. It's our first time to work with an architect and you made our experience a breeze!

Working with Richard has been great! Due to unforseen permitting issues, my conversion project has…read moretaken much longer than expected. Luckily for me, I've got an intelligent hard working architect in my corner! He's still going above and beyond the call of duty helping me. The quality and value of the services that have been provided to me have been excellent. I've heard of horror stories through contractors, looks like I've dodged a bullet by beginning my project with the right company!

Richard is amazing to work with. He did the plans for our home addition and completed or guided us…read morethroughout the entire process. We even made a couple changes in the design and he was always helpful and patience thru the process. I highly recommend Richard for any drafting or plan needs.