I have a property in a historic district, built circa 1860, and needed to renovate the entire…read morefaçade, which was literally falling apart. JC did drawings and contract management. JC's designs for the new façade were great, and his management of the project was great. I selected JC because of his experience with historic properties. Everybody I've talked to about the painful process dealing with DC's Historic Preservation Review Board, months of delays and back-and-forth and seemingly arbitrary rules that their drawings didn't meet. The HPRB reviewer approved JC's drawings in about five minutes. She even had a few admiring words for his drawings. I liked the designs too, and he provided guidance on all sorts of little details that kept the project on track. The contractor I hired made a solid effort to do the least possible work at every opportunity, but JC didn't let any of it slide. The contract stipulated that he sign off on each stage before I wrote any checks, and he never relented in pointing out low quality work, and was impressively patient in walking the contractors through every step of what they were supposed to do. He even contacted suppliers of some of the custom work to make sure they did the work right too. Of course, I paid more for his more extensive efforts, but I don't think there was a single hour he billed for that didn't show up in a better quality renovation. The house looks great, and it is to a large extent thanks to JC and his ability to keep the entire project focused on a consistent and appealing vision for the project.

Don't think you need an architect for an upcoming renovation or new construction project? You do…read more Don't let the builder trick you into owning the construction AND design! How will you know if anything is done right? Don't think you can afford an architect? You can. Not all architects work on an hourly retainer. Frank helped us successfully navigate the Arlington County Use-Permit (aka variance) process. We got everything we wanted! He did all of the legwork, making it as simple as possible for us. Frank directed us through the design, always warning us when he thought we might have had some bad ideas, but was always willing to incorporate them into the design. His reasons behind the bad design was always substantiated with facts, and he always let us make the final call. Frank always made us feel like we were his only client, even though I later found out that was certainly not the case! Frank did all the footwork for the permitting process as well. His calm disposition makes for friendly interactions at the County, which is beneficial when looking for "unofficial" answers to permitting and zoning questions. That has lead to a savings for us in both time and money. Frank priced out our design lump sum, for each of the different projects we needed. We were able to select which pieces we wanted and although the scope did creep and expand, we were not ever hit with additional fees for those services. I would not hesitate to recommend Frank Durkin for any design project. His past experience shows that he can capably and creatively handle large new construction projects and small complicated renovations. You can afford an architect and your renovation/construction project will be exponentially better for it!

Baatar and his team were fantastic.  We met with three companies to get three quotes and discuss…read moreour projects and Baatar stood out with his knowledge, experience, and I was impressed with how many questions he asked and how much input he provided.  Our project started as a kitchen demolition/remodel and full house paint.  We added multiple little projects along the way and after a few weeks of working together and seeing his quality work, keen attention to detail, we added two bathroom renovations with his team before moving in.  We were on time and on budget for the whole thing.  I am in love with our kitchen, it is stunning and I absolutely love the bathrooms, we are so happy with how it all turned out. Baatar provided so much valuable feedback along the way and some of his suggestions I am still so grateful for to this day, such as cabinet suggestions, flooring details, location for outlets and light fixtures, materials to use and not use, etc. etc.  We came to rely on his expertise and it served us well.  Baatar and his team focus on one project at a time and they do not subcontract, this was important to us.  I highly recommend B&B Quality Home Improvement!

We had a great experience with B&B Quality Home Improvement! They exceeded our expectations with…read moreattention to detail and clean work. We had them remodel our basement, three bathrooms and entryway. The price was reasonable and within our budget. We look forward to our next project of kitchen remodeling!

We used Greg at Barnstar to design a new en suite bathroom. He was great. Very punctual and very…read moreprofessional. He was able to suggest various contractors also, and helped oversee construction while we were on vacation. I strongly recommend.

We worked with Greg of Barnstar Architects during a complete remodel of the second story of our…read moreCapitol Hill townhouse. Greg was very responsive and creative, and he helped us out on to paper the vague ideas we had about redoing our second floor. He is very familiar with all the quirks of Hill homes, and also helped us through the incredibly complex process of getting all the necessary permits. He regularly visited the job site as the project progressed at no extra charge, and gave us many mid-project tips and ideas. We were very pleased with Greg's work and can't recommend him highly enough.

Chris put in a walkout to our basement…read more I would not recommend Chris, and here are some issues: - As of this post, he's not licensed in VA (in my opinion, this demonstrates a lack of ethics and professional maturity) - When pouring concrete walls, I had to stop the pour since the forms were about to cave in (in my opinion, this demonstrates a lack of structural understanding and site management) - He had to frame the stairs form 3 times, since the execution was so poor (in my opinion this demonstrates a lack of understanding of code, and lack of attention to detail and quality) - The project took more than four times as long as estimated, sometimes weeks of no show (in my opinion this demonstrates a lack of project management skills, communication, and respect) So no - I would not recommend him. How 'bout them big-boy pants? Some humility would go a long way young man.

Chris Harvey is a real one. The guy operates an honest business and charges reasonable amounts. Who…read morewould have guessed that was a viable business model in 2026? He's very reasonable and seeks to get things right with the customer no matter what.

This guy presents himself as a guru of green architecture, but his main talent is writing invoices…read more To design a top-to-bottom remodel of my four-story house, he visited it once. He flew in a young architect from Colorado (!) to document the house, but they were both distracted by a disaster on another job (frantically redesigning at the last minute) and the drawings of my house were a mess - a door where there wasn't one, pipes and radiators missing, measurements wrong. They brought in a 'structural engineer' who jumped up and down on one part of the concrete floor like a toddler on a trampoline, pronounced it sound, and added, grinning, "I went to school for 10 years to learn how to do this." Maybe he should have studied longer, since it turned out that the floor was cracked through, and only one inch thick in parts (and underneath it was a sewer pipe that could have passed for a colander). Helicon also gave wrong information about the DC code and regulations. As for Helicon's proposed drawings for the renovation, just for one example, we would have had to walk around a bed to get out the back door. When I began to raise questions about the work, he simply refused to answer my emails and refused to go to mediation - although that's what his contract calls for in case of a dispute. When we finally parted ways, he kept all of his hefty fees and retainer, and didn't even return the books and magazines I had lent him as examples. Now, I'm glad to say, I've got a sound, beautiful renovation underway, and a great architect - who just can't believe the drawings from Helicon.

Helicon Works provided me with truly global guidance during a major whole-house renovation,…read morebringing expert attention to the practical/technical details of design and construction as well as the spiritual aspects of making a home. The result is a home that is beautiful, functional, and energy-efficient. I did not hesitate to call on them again when undertaking a second major project.

We hired Yimier (Jimmy) for a straightforward project that needed to be high quality. Jimmy was…read moreresponsive and reasonably priced. The project took a little time but was well worth it. Eventually we hired him for another project which was also done well and completed on time.

Today Mr. John from Kelley Connections Masonry came out and did a phenomenal job building our…read morebricked in mailbox. He was so courtesy and responsive when I contacted him to get an estimate and then to do the work. He was on time actually earlier than he promised and got the job done. I would recommend him to anyone that needs masonry work.

Let me start by saying John was very polite, friendly and courteous. He started work quickly, but…read moreunfortunately the work performed was extremely problematic at best. The job to be performed was to demo and replace the 8'x8' concrete apron at the base of our driveway. From moment one I was a bit concerned when I was asked to put 60% down, but John was so cheerful my apprehensions were assuaged. Now on to the litany of problems that then took place: First during demo and framing, no masonry/cement saw cuts were used to prepare the junctions between the new apron and the existing sidewalks and driveway. Instead, a ragged line created by the jackhammer was left and was never further addressed. The framing was done with great haste and little attention to detail. The frame for the new apron was not paired symmetrically with the existing driveway, nor were the sides of the apron symmetrical to each other. When it was time to pour the concrete, no further site prep took place. There is concrete overage splashed on every surface surrounding the new construction with an abysmal attempt to clean afterwards. I wish that had been all the issues, but unfortunately the list continues. No straight edge was used to place the expansion joints troweled in to the concrete. This resulted in horribly skewed and wavering lines, further adding to the shoddy appearance of the new concrete. Then to even further exacerbate the inadequacy of the work performed, the surface of the concrete failed to cure appropriately. In an attempt leave as quickly as possible, John had intended to pull the forms minutes after finishing troweling (though luckily I was able to catch this and ask him not to do so). No attempts were made to account for the heat of the summer, and too much water was used when mixing the cement. This resulted in a perpetually sandy top, that was soft enough even after 7 days to gouge with a finger. When this was brought to John's attention this is when a bad experience turned even worse. John came out to inspect the poorly cured concrete and the appalling list of issues when I brought them to his attention. His only response was that he believed he had done good work, and that he would come and resurface the top of the concrete to stop the sandiness. I asked him to inform me in writing when he planned to do so, and to specify what steps he would perform mitigate the issues apparent in the concrete. To my shock and dismay, he did neither. Instead, when I came home from work that Friday, I found that he had come unannounced to "resurface" the concrete while no-one was home, and the workmanship that I came home to seemed spiteful and less than amateur at best. No regard for cleanliness or attention to detail, the new top layer was put on and spread over the existing edges, up on to the grass and surrounding areas with little care. The new surface was then haphazardly brushed with harsh askew strokes, and the pre-existing expansion joint between the apron and the curb was filled and smeared over. I cannot fully describe how dismayed and frustrated I have been with the level of workmanship and lack of professionalism John has shown. The repair looks akin to a hack DIY job at best, and in all honesty I believe if I had attempted an actual DIY job it would have come out with significant more attention to detail. Please don't let my experience happen to you.