Patterson Engineering, Inc. has had the pleasure of working with HLLK Architects on several…read moreprojects. They are professional, have high work ethic and are overall a pleasure to work with.

We are so grateful to Lindsay and the team at HLLK architects for their work on our home addition…read moreproject. They helped provide an incredible design and drawings, and every little detail came out absolutely gorgeous! Their knowledge of the permit process was extremely beneficial to us as well, since this was our first time needing to go through the city. They were in constant communication with our contractor and made regular check ins to ensure every detail was being carried out in the way that we had hoped. In addition to their architectural knowledge, they acted as advocates for us to get the project moving along and completed within a reasonable time frame. We definitely recommend Lindsay and her team for any of your project needs!

We used Mark Lyon's services for a major remodel of our home. We had a number of meetings with Mark…read moreto draw up our dream home and he came up with multiple options. After working together, we came up with the perfect plan, however, we had to put the project on hold for a year. When we were ready to resume, Mark welcomed us back and got to work right away. We proceeded to get the plans ready to submit to the city and he brought in engineers to help with the plans. Now before we got into everything, we did receive a quote, however, what we ended up paying for was above the quote. The additional expenses were explained, however, I would have preferred if we discussed some of these before incurring the expenses. Once we got approval from the city, we did need to meet with Mark and our general contractor as there was some confusion on some of the specs. We ended up working through it all and everyone was happy in the end. Mark made sure that our voices were heard by our GC and that any changes made were our decisions. I appreciate that Mark looked out for us and that he wanted to make sure that we were happy. Even with some of the hiccups we encountered, we definitely would recommend Mark if you are looking for an architect. He is an honest guy and really took the time to make sure that we were able to achieve our dream home.

A Terrific Local Architect With Years of Experience in La Jolla!…read more Mark Lyon has been the "go to" architect guy for many locals and out of towners alike. Mark can save you a lot or time and money due to his vast experience in designing new and remodeled local La Jolla homes and ties to the community. We tore down an existing home in the Bird Rock area, put in underground parking and have enjoyed our Mark Lyon designed home going on 8 years now! No job is too small or large. Give Mark a call on your next project.

I am an apartment owner/investor and want to let other apartment owners know about my experience…read morewith Reverence Engineering. Last year, I obtained an inspection of the deck and balcony at my family's 10 unit apartment complex in order to comply with Senate Bill 721. After learning that our cantilevered balcony needed structural work, I began calling engineering firms. I chose Reverence Engineering because I wanted to work with a smaller firm and I was impressed with my initial call with principal engineer Brett Sauers. During that conversation, he explained in simple terms how he would approach creating plans and seeking permits for a major retrofit of our balcony walkway. From there, I was kept well informed by email at every step of the way. Because I live out of state and was not able to be present for any site visits, Brett prepared an explanatory video for me so that I could see exactly what he was seeing and understand how we could solve the structural challenges. The draft plans were ready more quickly than I expected and Brett personally addressed all my questions with patience and precision. The City took longer than I had hoped to do its plan review, but Brett's staff sent me weekly updates. In addition, they walked me through all the forms that I needed to sign so it ended up being a pain-free process from start to finish. I really couldn't be happier with the attentiveness of Brett and his team, as well as the outcome. They deserve accolades for exceptional structural engineering work, at a very reasonable cost.

I submitted a request to Reverence for an Architect in early January 2026, I received a call back…read morefrom Brett to go over the services Reverence provides and their approach to support the clients. At the end of the call, Brett stated he would work on the contract and send over for review. The following week, I called Reverence to better understand the timeline for contract creation so I could maintain realistic expectations; I was told I should have the contract that day (January 13) or the following day (January 14). I contacted Reverence on January 20, after not receiving a response and was advised a message would be sent to Brett for an update. I again did not receive a response (no callback nor email) and contacted Reverence on January 22 and again on February 2, and was provided a similar response (that I should receive the contract soon if not today or the next). I subsequently left a message on February 4, indicating that I no longer wished to proceed with their services and would look elsewhere. I have no doubt that Reverence provides customers with solid service once contracted, however, I find it is equally important to effectively communicate with prospective clients to ensure transparency. I would have gladly waited a few more weeks if that was the standard and was communicated to me. Hopefully future clients will have a better experience.

I recently worked with Justin Zhou on a garage conversion. I was surprised how smooth the process…read morewent. I was nervous because I did not have any experience working with an architect. Justin made the process go smoothly by answering all my questions and responding back quickly via email, text or phone. When I had comments he made adjustments in a timely manner. The experience was well worth the price.

This is a reliable team. Very responsive project manager! Definitely recommended for house project!read more

I have a simple single family home near Windansea beach. It was built in the early 90's, and has…read morerequired, up to now, very little maintenance. But it needs some work now. I visited Mark Bucon's office, as I walk by nearly every day, thinking as long as I was going to fix the broken things, maybe I could improve some things that are outdated, or that were designed inefficiently to begin with. I made a career in commercial real estate development, and felt confident of my ability to assess the needs of updating my home myself. However, very quickly, evaluating my own home became overwhelming. I knew I needed a second set of eyes. Mark has a real eye for detail. With my permission, and total disclosure of his fees, etc.... he measured up my house, shot grades, all that kind of groundwork that is needed to make smart decisions regarding building changes. Just having that information alone kept me from making expensive mistakes. After that groudwork was done, he, again with my permission and knowledge of his costs, drew up some easy to read concept designs to address all of the broken things, and various ideas to update the look and functionality of the property, and didn't waste time designing things outside my budget. He has tremendous knowledge of the suitability of the materials that will endure in the environment they'll be built in (here a marine environment). He has an excellent eye for what will look and function well, as well as just being practical. He never tried to upsell me, or marry me to any particular product or contractor, or anything like that... just design ideas and options. I was also able to get a handle on the costs for the various options... very helpful in prioritizing what will likely be a multi year project; one thing at a time, as I am working with a small budget for an expensive neighborhood I do not want to leave. Before calling Mark, I did call other architects and contractors prominent in the area, who all left me feeling a little abused. Like they did to my neighbor... just drew up some outlandish plan covering every square inch of their property.. costing millions to build, and charging my neighbor a lot doing so... Neighbor ended up just moving. In addition to being a damn good designer and architect, Mark was just friendly and low, low pressure. He came out to my home several times to dig around himself looking for details on the foundation, the property line markers, stuff in the crawlspace, condition of the roof, etc... Normally, I would have been asked to find that information out on my own and deliver it to him, which is costly and problematic. So now, I have solid ideas, options, information on costs and materials, and time to decide what to do while looking for the funds to renovate. Bottom line, Mark approached this project with a holistic, "multi-generational" view. His best idea, although the most expensive, would allow my family, my grown children, and their families to live at the property after I'm gone (or, even if I am here). Mark lives in the area, and knows the rules as well as anyone I've spoken with. It's nice to know I can house my whole family if times get rough (I didn't think that would be possible before). And, probably the most important point, if you are still reading this novella, Mark won the trust of my highly skeptical wife, who generally distrusts anyone proclaiming to be able to help with renovation of the house... That is her purview, and she is protective as hell... it's one reason maintenance is deferred... She would just chase away the people I would hire to fix even the simplest thing. When the time comes for actual drawings, I will absolutely stick with Mark. He knows the staff at the City.. he knows the rules, he is a good advocate, and has given me a lot of peace of mind that I won't screw this project up, like I have seen in so many other renovation projects. I highly recommend Mark Bucon, well above the other local arrogant professionals who really do just want to draw up a random set of plans for an overbuilt project, charge you $30k, and not even bothering to ask what you really want, which in my case, is to live here comfortably and affordably for decades to come.... everyone else wanted to look at what I can do to improve the property and sell it for a big profit... they didn't understand that is not what I am seeking.. Mark did. Thank you Mark Bucon!

Mark was fantastic at giving me some initial information and assistance as I am looking at doing a…read moreCustom Home. I have not started the project yet, but Mark invested the time to provide assistance and his expertise as he met with me and my General Contractor. Very professional.

I was referred by an interior designer to Jennifer to get help with a smaller project. Seems like…read morearchitect in the Bay area don't want to take on a smaller project. I spoke to Jennifer and I think it is her assistance by the name of Torrey multiple times about my project. I am very thankful for their honesty and kindness. These 2 ladies know what they are doing, they return calls as they promise and they are detailed oriented. Thank you Jennifer for taking time to speak with me today and explain to me hwo to go about changing plans for my project. After having a horrible/dishonest experience dealing with a design company up here it was very refreshing to know that honest people are out there.

We recently used Jennifer at EOS architecture for a large Eco-oriented project. Their office is…read morelocated in OB. She could visualize & put our aesthetic/style into a plan. Jennifer is extremely professional, honest, and fair priced. I would say she went above and beyond the calling. If we had changes, she would quickly ammend them on the blueprints. Not only is she spatially minded, but design oriented. We found her through a mutual friend. She was our first choice after interviewing a few other architects. Her intern Christian was equally delightful to work with. I would highly recommend EOS. Many designers come into our establishment & compliment the space. We are thrilled to have worked with EOS. It was the right choice.

Scott did our second story addition plans, including taking them through the city for permits. It…read morewas a big and complicated Craftsman style renovation, from 1200 to 3600 sq. ft. and it went very smoothly and we reallly appreciated Scotts design, and help during construction. He is very easy to work with and doesnt have the 'nose in the air' bit that a lot of architect have, and reasonably priced.

Larson Design did the plans and permits for my new restaurant. It was large beauty shop before…read morethat. Denise drafted the plans for the environmental health permit, designed and drafted my construction documents and got my building permit from development services, and the sidewalk cafe permit. She knows a lot of people at development services and was able to resolve some difficult issues quickly. She was responsive and easy to work with, and had a clear understanding of the hurdles of changing a beauty shop to a restaurant. We were able to get the restaurant opened on time and on budget. If you need any design/architecture work, commercial or residential I would definitely give her a call.

Larson Design played a fundamental role in the development of my gym. As a first time small…read morebusiness owner, I wasn't really sure where to begin and Denise went the extra mile in helping me get the ball rolling on the project. Along the way, she routinely checked in to see how the gym was progressing and continued to offer suggestions on how to make the space even better. I am very pleased with how the gym turned out and know that it will continue to get even better with the aid of Larson Design.

We purchased our home not even a year ago and I had a decision to make when it came to a home…read morerenovation to make it our own and I'm glad I chose to work with Bela Development. Throughout the process Eric was constantly in communication with me and flexible to my particular needs and changes to scope as the products progressed towards the finish line. Bela Development took our 100 year old San Diego mission revival home that was looking a little rough around the edges and cleaned it up, modernizing our kitchen, upgrading ancient electrical & plumbing, improving our HVAC design, & completing a whole home re-stucco. They even returned our 1980s fireplace back to a spanish-style fireplace with a upgraded twist. There was a bit of every trade involved in my scope and Eric knew who to call about it. I am not ashamed to say that I was a very particular client to work with and they did an excellent job getting our home across the finish line because Eric had the same attention to detail that I did. It was great working with Bela Development, and I'd recommend them to any of my family or friends.

We chose Bela after reviewing 3 GC's, it was a very easy decision , Ben was extremely transparent…read moreand with no any sales maneuvers , we wanted to know exactly how much things going to cost , he broke it down for pre construction (design + materials) and than the actual construction, with budget sheets and construction schedule, the guys were extremely friendly and clean which is very important for me. Looking forward for my next home improvement project