We bought a rental property in 2013. The upgrades were so over due. When all the tenants moved out last year, we decided to completely renovate it. One project we had in mind was to extend the kitchen walls into the garage to make the kitchens larger. To do that we would need to hire an architect.
Through recommendations we found Hamed Akhavein from DESIGNWORKS, as well as 3 other architects. In the first meeting with Hamed, the first thing he recommended us to do was to get a ballpark estimate of moving the walls from the contractor before hiring him. His reason: if the cost is beyond acceptable then hiring him would be a waste of money. This first impression was very pleasant to us: the other 3 architects we also interviewed had similar pitches: I've done drawings for houses in Hillsborough and...; I am among the best architects in the area; when can you sign the contract so that I can start? Etc, etc.
After getting estimates (of moving the walls) from contractors bidding for the job, we hired Hamed to do the drawings for the renovation. Along the process Hamed had helped us keeping our cost down whenever possible. He gave us many good suggestions as to minimizing unnecessary, non-essential changes. He even gave us discounts on his drawings. We very much appreciate Hamed's work products and his merit of putting client's interest in the first place. read more