Unreliable. They were perfect until we signed with them, then they changed the rules of the game…read moreand decided to try to siphon as much money as they possibly could from us. We got nothing from them, not even an idea, anything to go with, and they still took $2000 from us, claiming they worked for hours. On what? No one knows for sure. Scam.

One of a kind architect, experience in the field of remodeling, new construction, and commercial…read more Knows his way around the city and county politics to get projects done. Had helped our family construct and remodel numerous homes.

We have worked with Miguel on several projects. He is creative and always keeps the idiosyncrasies…read moreof the client in mind. While creative, Miguel always seems to have a strong internal clock that ensures all elements are done on time and in the appropriate order. Miguel has an excellent understanding of design as well as the highly nuanced needs of building departments, coastal commissions, builders and their unique needs. This facilitates a smooth process throughout the building process; he knows who to talk to, when to push and what items will be difficult. Miguel has a superb understanding of the internal harmony of the project and client. He has designed furniture for us that resonates well in the homes he designed. As a trusted confidant Miguel saves enormous amounts of client time by sorting through the infinite choices, and preselecting a small variety of finishes, trims that enables the client to make efficient final choices. Miguel also has the ability to integrate client ideas into a final design that become a seamless composition.

Miguel Podolsky is an exceptional and extremely professional architect I have had the pleasure to…read morework with on several projects both residential and commercial. He is innovative yet extremely detail oriented which is a unique combination in my experience. It helps tremendously with the permit process which can be very cumbersome. He knows the codes inside and out and everyone in the various departments both city and county. It is obvious he is well respected. He does not turn in "incomplete plans" that have to be done over and over costing time and money. Miguel he has the unique ability to truly listen to what YOU want and then turn on his creativity and make your ideas infinitely better. I love working with him and would highly recommend him.

Super appreciative of Dan's help on drawing plans for the remodel of the lower level of our home…read more(expanding a bathroom, removal of kitchenette and re-configuring a living room and 1 bedroom area into a 2 bedroom area which was challenging due to limited outdoor light access and retaining walls/posts). He listened to our objectives and gave us options beyond those that we had originally thought of as the only solutions; was responsive, and his plans were excellent. Thank you!

We renovated our house and Dan was mastermind behind it. We truly couldn't have done it without…read morehim. Every detail was beautiful!

Larry designed our Santa Cruz Craftsman Bungalow inside and out. We absolutely love it. He is very…read moredetail-oriented, communicative, and takes great pride in his work. He is experienced, has a great aesthetic eye, and his fees are quite reasonable.

Chad Williams designed and provided construction management services for a 1200 square foot ADU,…read morecompleted this year at our property near the top of Hecker Pass Road in Watsonville. The home he designed turned out great--very unique, and highly energy-efficient. Chad knew how to design in some custom touches that made the home very site-appropriate for our rural setting. He also was great in navigating through the vast number of permits required for the job, and lined up some great subcontractors to execute all aspects of the build. I highly recommend CW Design for your next complex project such as this. Bob Climo

I called asking for only structural engineering services. This company does not offer only…read morestructural engineering so could not help me. However the person I spoke to over the phone was very helpful and gave me a referral to someone who might be able to help. He was honestly just very helpful even though he had nothing to gain from the conversation.

Robert designed our original remodel which included a second floor (mostly over our garage). He is…read moreexceptionally skilled and thoughtful and deliberative in his design and, while we basically knew what we wanted, he was able to suggest several tweaks that we ended up incorporating. Almost 9 years later, I will say literally our only regret is the stove we purchased, which had nothing to do with him. His recommendations and design were awesome. We're using him again for another remodeling job and have been very happy with his suggestions. Highly recommend him to design your remodel!

Leif Rideout is an outstanding architect and a good guy. My builder said Leif is one of those very…read morerare architects who "gets it" about the realities of construction and the expenses involved in various design alternatives. Leif saved us a bundle by using that knowledge to design a very attractive addition to an existing century old house that blended the roof lines in a way that was far less expensive than alternatives proposed by others. Leif has a great sense of design and tempers it with common sense about construction. He accomplishes that without sacrificing visual appeal. The result is a great looking very functional structure that doesn't blow your budget when its time to build it. He has all the latest CAD tools and uses them to optimize efficiency. He is really good at squeezing every last available square foot possible into a design and still complying fully with zoning lot coverage rules. He is also very aware of sight lines and what can be seen from different vantage points. He can design additions that add a huge amount of space yet maintain curb appeal and are nearly invisible from the street. Leif also plays well with others. My builder said he will recommend Leif on other projects because Leif "gets it" about construction and is a pleasure to work with. Leif is also a great guy. Honest, smart as hell, easy to work with. I recommend him highly and without any reservations.

I whole heartedly agree with the other reviewer! Leif is such a joy to work with and such a great…read moreperson. He is mellow, flexible, extremely knowledgeable, very creative, and his work passes through the permitting process with flying colors. His designs are elegant and practical and he really understands our design aesthetic and sticks to it. We have a huge fixer upper that we divided into two living spaces, one for us and one for my mom. It turns out that Leif did work on this house for the previous owner 20 years ago, adding an addition that joined the main house with the cottage in the back yard that is on a steep slope. The addition Leif originally did is a wonderful light-filled space. The cottage it connects with was not part of the remodel he originally did (the original cottage was not Leif's design), so we hired him to design the cottage to continue the work he did on the connecting section. The results are just amazing. It's now a light filled living space with triangular decks overlooking lovely views. Leif eliminated numerous problems such as water runoff flowing into the cottage, butterfly roofs that leaked, and a really ugly entry now transformed into something from Dwell magazine. Our style is California modern, but Leif can do all sorts of styles. When working with our builder who is herself a seasoned veteran, he added a lot to the process, including explaining the expansion and contraction of our clay soil, which caused damage to a concrete slab. (Normally you would have to hire a soils engineer to explain stuff like this.) He is also extremely knowledgeable on keeping the cost of a project down and how to get beautiful effects without breaking the bank. Leif also does design/build, but we learned this after we had already hired our builder. I would trust him completely with any sized project, and he will be our architect for all future projects. You can see his work if you drive by Santa Cruz Montessori or look at their website, and I got him in touch with Tara Redwood School to design the interior of their temporary building where the old Soquel post office used to be.

I have had the pleasure of working and collaborating with Acadia Architecture on several projects,…read moreand every experience has been exceptional. Davide is a true visionary. His creativity, ability to see the bigger picture, and talent for turning ideas into thoughtfully designed spaces truly set him apart. He brings an incredible level of passion, innovation, and expertise to every project. What I appreciate most about working with Acadia is their professionalism, attention to detail, communication, and willingness to collaborate. They don't simply approach a project from an architectural perspective--they take the time to understand the vision and find creative ways to bring it to life. After working together on several projects, I can confidently say that Acadia Architecture is a team I would be happy to collaborate with again and again. Davide's vision, creativity, and commitment to excellence make Acadia Architecture truly stand out. I highly recommend Acadia Architecture to anyone looking for an architectural team that brings vision, creativity, professionalism, and genuine passion to their work.

We purchased an older, fixer upper on a hillside in Portola Valley with the hopes of rebuilding it…read moreinto our dream home. We aimed to generate income by converting the former primary bedroom into a rentable, attached JADU. This mean building a new primary BR on the back, downhill side of the house, along with creating a new family room, and office. The front of the house was definitely old style, and did not, in any way, match our vision of a contemporary, hi-tech, look. I had interviewed other architects who had suggested we add a new front foyer, but I wasn't thrilled about the look presented, which was basically to add a gable roof addition ("A" frame shape add-on) at at the front, that would be harmonious with the rest of the house. In my first meeting with Davide, he suggested something that changed the whole dynamic of the house. He suggested that rather than be constrained by trying to harmonize the new entry with the old architecture, we could add a new layer to the front of the house, and change the look completely. This also creates a new corridor at the front that greatly improves the flow/circulation from the front to the back. It was a genius idea! This new layer at the front of the house gives us a spectacular new front entrance, plus a new corridor with tall ceilings. He also very skillfully raised the ceiling heights in many parts of the house so it feels like the rooms were expanded (when only the height changed). I am attaching a photo of the original house and Davide's concept for the new design. I want to add that we are not demolishing any part of the old house so we are not losing any existing square footage. We are just adding and "splicing the old with the new". For the new room additions at the back, he integrated the complex siting of the hillside PBR & family room to flow seamlessly into the same level of the existing house on. I have very strong ideas of what I want in terms of design, and Davide has been very patient in working through my ideas. He uses his critical eye and design experience to guide me so I don't get off track, and we can get to where it is I want to end up. We are now in the building permit process, and I can't wait for construction to start. I will be updating this post when the house is finished with more photos, because I want to show off the dramatic transformation between the "before" and "after". If you are looking for a miracle transformation, Davide Gianella is the architect who can make this dream come true for you! I can recommend him 100%