We had the pleasure of working with Jill Finn of TANGERINEdesign LLC when our longtime designer was…read moreunavailable -- so she walked into a situation where we were already feeling a bit off balance. But from day one, Jill exceeded our expectations. The project involved tearing down an old, dilapidated screened-in porch that had never really worked for us -- too cold in the winter, too hot in the summer -- and transforming it into a usable interior room. We wanted to keep the light and airy feel of a porch while gaining insulation, comfort, and year-round usability. We also wanted ideas for built-ins: maybe a window seat, maybe bookshelves -- we weren't quite sure. Other contractors over the years had taken one look at the porch and declined to get involved due to its age and condition. Not Jill. She had ideas right away. Jill brings so much energy, creativity, and practical knowledge to the table. Even while juggling big personal commitments (like her son's graduation across the country), she delivered several strong design ideas within a few weeks -- and they were fresh, inspiring, and budget-conscious. She collaborated easily with our civil engineer, adjusting her drawings quickly to meet his needs. She also understands our local codes and regulations really well, and met directly with our contractors to make sure her designs were realistic and executable before we got too far into the process. On top of all that, Jill has a fantastic personality. She made the experience fun and engaging, and she brought a sense of momentum and confidence that really helped us move forward. I can't recommend Jill highly enough -- her creativity, responsiveness, and enthusiasm make her a true gem. If you're considering working with TANGERINEdesign LLC, you're in excellent hands. Karen & Greg Marriner 6/22/25

I recently called on TANGERINEdesign LLC to help me with some retro permit work needed prior to…read moreselling my home. I wasn't sure what the City needed, or how to complete it, but Jill knew what to do, how to get it done correctly, and guided me through the process. As for the process, it was quick!... from on-site measurements, to drafting the necessary documents, to submittal and approval, it could not have gone smoother! I'm so thankful to have found TANGERINEdesign LLC and appreciate Jill's genuine work ethic by sticking to the timeline & price she quoted me.

I want to express our gratitude for Zenith Engineers Inc. prompt, professional, and outstanding…read moreservice throughout our remodeling project. From the very beginning, we were impressed with Senthil, Ryan and other members of Zenith team's level of professionalism, prompt response, architectural knowledge and effective communication.This level of service was seamless through our entire engagement with Zenith Engineers Inc., from obtaining the building permit to successfully passing all necessary inspections by the SF Building Department. No one questions their architectural work because they are so good at what they do. We had some initial concerns after reading negative reviews, but as the project progressed, it became clear that those comments were based on personal grievances, rather than valid concerns. The team at Zenith Engineers Inc. has a high level of professional ethics and integrity. Zenith's management team had explained to us early on in the project, the strict adherence to code and compliance was paramount throughout the project. If Zenith compromises to satisfy unsatisfied clients, the building will end up being non-compliant and more importantly unsafe. We truly appreciate Zenith's commitment to quality and integrity, even if it means earning a few negative reviews along the way, which seem rather unfair to them as they are simply doing their job. I am extremely satisfied with the professional and excellent work the team at Zenith Engineers Inc. provided us and will hire them in a heartbeat for all our future structural and/or seismic engineering needs. Thank you Senthil, Ryan and the Zenith engineering team for your professionalism and support. It was our best decision to work with you and experience such high standard of professionalism, work ethic, and integrity.

After having used Zenith for multiple projects in the last few years, looks like it's finally time…read moreto look for someone else for the next one. We started using Zenith because of its responsiveness and effectiveness when it came to structural design. With them as part of our team, we were able to keep up with the City submittal and response timelines we had set. Fast forward to today, and we can't get a hold of anyone. When we do, it's always an excuse for why they didn't respond, without a resolution. We sent them the last City comments 30 days ago and have yet to get anything viable to re-submit back to the city. Given that this is a 30-unit hotel project, going with a different firm now will mean a complete re-design of the project; an absolutely painful exercise that will set us back months. Zenith knows that. So it's absolutely shameful for them to act in a way that would even suggest that our only choice is to get the entire project re-designed by another firm just to have it keep moving forward. So much for "we respond to emails within 30 minutes and always answer phone calls" as outlined on one of their online profile. Knowing how we were treated on this round of City comments and the fact that the entire company seems complacent about what they try to embody in their rhetoric, I would stay away for any future project.

I recently had the pleasure of working with EAS Designers, and I couldn't be more satisfied with…read morethe experience. From start to finish, their team was professional, responsive, and genuinely committed to delivering good-quality results. Despite the recent city legalization challenges, they handled everything with transparency and expertise, keeping me informed throughout the entire process. Their knowledge of local regulations and attention to detail really set them apart and gave me peace of mind. If you're looking for a reliable and trustworthy design team, I highly recommend EAS Designers. I would absolutely work with them again and encourage others to do the same!

Arash helped us with our on going Kitchen Remodeling issue where electrician cut notches on the…read morewindow header compromising it completely. Arash visited the site on a short notice, evaluated the situation and provided with multiple cost-effective, time-effective, not too invasive solutions to bring back the strength of the header. He also took time to answer all our questions, inspected the floor above to check the load and structure etc. Very satisfied with the service. He recommended options that are feasible and quick. The whole onboarding process was quick and easy with Siavash. One day within a call got the appointment. The consultant came prepared looked at our designs. They did not upsell their service in fact they did the opposite to keep our interest in mind. I would work with EAS again when needed. Definitely recommended.

Blair Barry is honest and truly talented. He helped me a few years ago and I have just reconnected…read moreto start a new project which he has already helped me so much with. You can actually call him and he will pick up the phone and return a call quickly which is rare these days for businesses. Highly recommend his company.

We contracted w/ Barry and Winn Architects for a major home remodel. While the project started in…read morea good place, we ran into continuous delays and SLAs not met and felt the team did a subpar job clearly articulating expected project costs and contract deliverables. We decided to work with a different team after learning that initial project costs for required drawings and documents for permits would be 2-2.5x the cost of what was originally communicated. Equally as frustrating- there was clearly a disconnect and a need to resolve but it felt like the team at B&W were simply more interested in getting signed contracts for more services and additional revenue which we found pretty frustrating.

Contacted Shawn after reading reviews here on Yelp and after seeing photos of his work on Houzz. I…read morewanted to update my kitchen to make it brighter and fit in with the style of the rest of the house but needed help with what to do. Shawn took a look around, listened to what I had in mind, and thankfully told me what would or wouldn't work. He picked a beautiful quartz counter top, gave me options to choose from for the paint, faucet and hardware. He has a great team working for him. They were respectful and trustworthy. The refinished cabinets look like new. They do high quality work. He made his best effort to get things done within the time frame discussed but, as with any renovation, there were some unexpected issues that led to minor delays and affected cost. I really appreciated how his main concern was that I was happy with the end result. Before and in process photos attached (forgot to take a picture of the final product and don't want to clean the kitchen right now).

We lucked out big time in finding Shawn and his team. After interviewing 7 options last Spring for…read moreour kitchen/interior living space remodel, we knew Shawn was our guy. We've now been in our finished kitchen and house for a few months and love it more every day. We still can't believe the transformation and beyond the beautiful upgrade across the board, his design and recommendations made it SO much more functional. From the design process to communication and his project manager/workers, everyone was a true professional. No kitchen horror stories and they finished exactly on time. There of course are small things that came up in communication between what we decided with Shawn (keeping our dishwasher) and what the workers on site knew about (tried to give it away 2x), but that is common in any project, and most important to us is every small thing we noticed/flagged was fixed without question. We've already referred Shawn to anyone who asks. He took our space from a very dated 1960s vibe to modern but with character, and a design that matches our ranch style home. Thank you Shawn for making our house feel like us!

Mabel is friendly, thorough, communicative & professional. Highly recommended. She did her due…read morediligence on our job request before submitting a very detailed & price-competitive estimate.

Mabel was amazing! Super responsive and her plans were fantastic. She took the time to meet with me…read moreand my husband several times and had fantastic input to our "vision" for our remodel. She's extremely knowledgeable and was able to answer all our questions no problem. Overall she is a pleasure to work with and I would definitely recommend her to anyone looking for an architect.

Wafa was very responsive to my call inquiry about a new property I acquired in Sonoma County. She…read morewas generous in giving me her time on a zoom call to go over the scope of the project. Though I elected to forgo my plan to redesign the roofline, if I had decided to go through with it, I would absolutely have gone with Wafa. Her knowledge and experience is strong and she was very easy and pleasant to talk with. We elected to keep the house roof line as it is, and focus on interior upgrades and improvements. Thank you Wafa, for being so kind and amazing. We will definitely choose to use her services in the future when a new architectural need arises. Recommend.

I converted a study room in my three cars garage without a building permit years ago. It was…read morealways been my goal to legalize it but didn't have time and energy to do it until my retirement now. I didn't have any idea as where to start the project. I joined a Facebook ADU Group and started learning about the permit and construction process. It was suggested that I should start finding an architect to draw up a design plan and submit it to the City for approval. I read through many Yelp reviews and found Wafaa at waArchitecture + Design for she had great reviews and the professionalism I was searching for. Wafaa helped me designed and received building permit for converting my existing garage room and laundry space into a 270 square foot JADU of one bedroom. Waffaa was responsive, patient, and flexible during the design phase. What impressed me the most was that her and her team's speed of correspondence. There were no revision requested from the City and my JADU design plan was submitted the first week of February and was approved by the City of Fremont at the end of April. If you are looking for a responsible, highly skilled professional Architect, look no further, I highly recommend Waffaa of waArchitecture + Design.

I hired DG Design (Dino Garcia is the owner) to provide design consultations and architectural…read moreplans for the renovation of my house, which included a MAJOR face lift to the front (s.f. addition, outdoor living area, etc.). What I liked about Dino is that he was - very down to earth (unlike many of the architects/designers out there), - very patient (I'm sure we drove him nuts with all the changes and questions we had :)), Dino came up with many ideas, which is what I'd expect from my designer. Dino provided a 3D version of the design, which really helped us visualize the house. Dino provided not just design services, but also provided structural engineering plans, and even went to the county office and had the plans signed and approved. Dino continued supporting us, free of charge, throughout the project in a very timely manner for any questions we had (working with contractor to clarify how to implement plans, confirming whether we can slightly deviate from plans, supervising contractor's work when being asked, etc.). On top of all of this, Dino is very price competitive (you'd be amazed with the price delta we've received for our project). I truly recommend you contact Dino (dinofg@sbcglobal.net) if you're looking for a designer / structural eng. (please note that for many projects all you need is a designer, and you don't really need an Architect, which is much more expensive!!!)

Dino is a very talented designer who did a beautiful job designing our new home in Palo Alto…read more After he finished the plans, we interviewed six contractors to build the house, and I think virtually all of them commented on how detailed and professional the plans were. This is very important so that the builder knows exactly what you want and does not take "artistic license" where the plans don't specify what is called-for. Dino understands this and works with you to understand what you want and how best to implement your preferences into the design / plans. He is also reasonably priced for the final product that he delivers, and I would recommend his services.

We found our way to Winder Gibson through our realtor and could not be more grateful. We worked…read moreclosely with Geoff and Daniel to design our dream home. They were an absolute pleasure to work with and took on all details at every stage, including handling a difficult neighbor. At the same time, they were efficient and budget conscious, helping us stay on track both financially and time-line wise. They made what could be an overwhelming process move smoothly and enjoyably. We unreservedly recommend Winder Gibson.

My wife and I had the pleasure of working with Geoff and his team on a full demolition and new…read moreconstruction of a single family home with ADU in San Francisco. We loved our experience and wholeheartedly endorse Winder Gibson to anyone looking for a full service architecture firm. From the outset, Geoff and his team demonstrated an exceptional understanding of our family's needs, which they transformed into a beautiful house design that resonates with our aspirations and lifestyle. We are currently transitioning to the construction phase, and are excited to raise our family in such a thoughtfully designed space. Also, Geoff and team are true experts at navigating the San Francisco permitting process. They efficiently moved us through permitting, both reacting to feedback from the city and helping us manage our neighbors. Honestly, we could not have permitted the house without their guidance. In a city where building homes can be difficult, the one two punch of beautiful design + the knowledge and skill to get it across the line was invaluable. We are so appreciative of Geoff and team.

My husband and I highly recommend Martinkovic Milford Architects! Blake, Amanda, and Amelia were…read moreour brilliant team of architects overseen by Brian Milford. They designed our dream home and also monitored the construction/renovation process in addition to recommending a great contractor to build our home.

Disappointed by my experience here. I got more value from a 15 minute phone conversation with a…read moredifferent architecture firm than I did from my interaction with this firm, which involved multiple hours of billable research.