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nearly every day, thinking as long as I was going to fix the broken things, maybe I could improve some things that are outdated, or that were designed inefficiently to begin with.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.

Jim Gabriel has designed two homes for me and I hired him after interviewing three other firms. I…read morewanted simple, but spectacular- and got two award winning homes in return. Not for cookie cutter types and you don't need deep pockets. The HGW firm is excellent overall- and handled all the construction permits and the dreaded CA Coastal Commission submissions with ease. Highly recommended.

I was referred to Reyes Architecture by an engineer that is working on my house project. My…read moreproject required serious attention from the best architect and engineer that could be found in Southern California. Phil Reyes expertise was the reason that my project is now moving forward with the City of San Diego. Reyes Architecture developed the design and plans that the city required. Phil Reyes has been very successful at getting the plans approved. His efforts and expertise saved me a large amount of money, that I would have had to pay, if not for Phil. I highly recommend Reyes Architecture and would definitely use his firm again. Carson Estes San Diego, CA

We recently moved into our new Mission Hills house. Phil Reyes designed it. We were referred to…read morePhil by the former head of City Planning. He said Phil could solve difficult problems. Mission Hills lots are sometimes tricky to build on--with quirky angles, canyons, problematic soils and tempermental zoning. Phil did a superb job. He is very good at three things: (1) Listening to clients and coming up with good, simple, elegant designs; (2) Patiently working with the city to obtain permits and get through inspections; (3) quickly and accurately answering questions raised by the structural engineer, contractor, site supervisor and framer. We love our house. It is one of the best built in the entire neighborhood. It is simple yet spacious. It is brand new but has the warm feel of a Craftsman or Spanish home from the 1920's.

After I discovered some construction defects in my master bathroom, I contacted Mike Howard to help…read moreme redesign the room. We scheduled a consultation and Mike came up with the design of my dream. We went shopping to the tile store and picked out fixtures. Since the HOA was in charge of the contractors there were many delays and Mike was there when I needed him to answer any questions they had. I wasn't happy with the work they were doing and asked Mike for someone to do the tile work. I met Matt Johnson, Kustom Kreations Tile and Stone. The best contractor I ever hired. Mike, listened to what style I liked and put it down on paper. The project was stressful but Mike was always there to support me.

I hired mike for a consultation. He gave me some great ideas and suggestions and showed me how I…read morecould turn my "cookie cutter" condo into a space with architectural interest and individuality. I have been implementing many of his ideas and have been happy with the results thus far. I strongly recommend Mike for your future design projects. You won't be disappointed. Thanks again Mike!

I've been working with Matt since 2022 on multiple residential improvement projects, and he has…read morebeen excellent throughout the entire process. From the very first project, I felt confident in his work -- especially when the City reviewer commented on how clean and well-prepared the plans were. Matt is knowledgeable, responsive, and generous with his time. He takes the time to explain the process, answer questions, and help work through challenges as they come up. We had a few construction changes along the way, and I really appreciated his guidance in developing practical solutions that kept things moving forward. With inspections and permitting becoming more demanding, it has been extremely helpful to have someone like Matt involved. He is a great communicator, easy to work with, and clearly takes pride in the quality of his work. I would highly recommend him to anyone needing drafting or residential design support.

This company are complete rock stars at the design and permitting process. They are a great value…read moreand have so much knowledge on the permitting process. We have been involved in a complex mixed use redevelopment and Balance Dynamic has been with us for the 18 months it's taken for various permits. Their dedication and flexibility have been lifesavers. Nothing phases them and they know exactly how to work through the city's permitting system. Designs are top notch, communication is great, and they are extremely professional.

Sillman Wright provides high quality work in an efficient and timely manner. Their employees are…read moretrue professionals. I have worked with their team on multiple projects over the past couple years and would gladly do so again. You will not be disappointed!

Sillman Wright is a great architectural firm. Don't pay attention to negative reviews from…read morenon-customers. I have had Larry Sillman design many projects for me and they have been fantastic. Schools, churches, office buildings, residential projects, etc. have all been top quality. I would recommend them highly to anyone that needs a great architect that listens and does not compromise in their artistic expression. These facilities are aesthetically gorgeous, within budget and function intuitively for the end-users.

We highly recommend. From the beginning to the end quality and consistency is everything they offer…read more.

We hired Ambrosini Long Development to build an indoor/outdoor space as part of the renovation of…read moreour beach house, and we couldn't be happier with the results! We first discovered them when we saw a stunning custom home they were building down the road from us in Point Loma--as we watched the daily progress on our morning walks, it was clear they did beautiful work. After meeting with Kyle and Jeff, we knew right away they were the right team for our project. From start to finish, Kyle and Jeff were incredibly communicative and professional. I had heard too many stories from friends who had bad experiences with contractors, so I did my homework--met with several teams and got multiple bids. In the end, we felt most confident in Ambrosini Long, and it was absolutely the right decision. Their attention to detail, thoughtful design suggestions, and the quality of their work were exactly what we were looking for. What really stood out was their transparency--they walked us through every step of the process, discussed different options, and even shared trade invoices with us so we always knew where the budget was going. During our project, unexpected things came up--as they often do with older homes--but Kyle and Jeff were incredibly knowledgeable and creative in how they approached each challenge. Their experience really showed, and they worked closely with us to find smart, effective solutions that kept the project moving smoothly. The final result exceeded our expectations. The space is beautiful, functional, and perfectly tailored to our home and lifestyle. We highly recommend Jeff, Kyle, and the entire Ambrosini Long Development team--you won't regret choosing them!

Stay away from this business at all costs, just as previous, legitimate reviewers, such as Darius,…read morehave indicated here. I hired Sean Canning at Ten Seventy Architecture to design an ADU for me in the Kensington neighborhood of San Diego. After I paid him approximately $5000 in advance, he failed to produce a viable design, even after I provided him with multiple opportunities. He put a recent SDSU grad, who isn't an architect, in charge of my project as the designer and incorporated none of what I had requested. For example, multiple times I shared my desire for bays of windows and a "tree house quality." Below is a picture of the design that I got for my $5000. Furthermore, by their own admission, what they presented me, for the thousands that I had paid, was filled with technical errors. I therefore cancelled the project, because I had completely lost faith in their abilities and didn't want to continue to throw good money after bad. Now, they're trying to extort more money out of me, threatening me with legal action because I cancelled the project. Be warned!

When I need to pull out the big guns, I call Sean and his team. Sean is an architect whose…read moreexpertise is invaluable to many stages of a projects including preliminary conceptual planning, value engineering, and City review cycles. He has a thorough, meticulous nature which is a critical quality to have in an architect (I learned the hard way). It's a beautiful thing to work with someone who knows a lot of key code by heart and brings clarity to confusion. I recommend Sean highly, but don't need him when I do! ;)