We worked with Bennett Frank McCarthy on the architecture of a new custom home. Shawn Buehler was…read moreour architect. Our experience was mostly positive. I came to Shawn with a home layout I had designed rather amateurishly and a photo of a home to use as a starting point. Shawn translated these items into proper construction docs. I liked many of his layout suggestions. He is very knowledgeable about architectural styles and has good sense of composition, especially exterior. He is straightforward and a pleasure to work with. While we are happy with the construction docs that he created, there were some areas of the process that could have used improvement. -A timeline breaking down the phases/milestones so we knew how long things should take and what to expect. -It's a busy firm, so occasionally things got delayed because of other projects. It wasn't a very big deal for us because we were not on a tight timeline, but it's something to keep in mind if you are. If you have some sort of timeline in writing from the start, it may help. -Kitchen design is not really Shawn's strength, so you should probably get your own kitchen designer or spend time figuring it out on your own (which I did). Posting your designs on Houzz.com is a great way to get feedback. -It would have been helpful to receive a list of all the fees that we should expect when building our home (permits for city, county, etc.). I needed to do that research on my own. I managed to find most of them, but there were a number of fees (totalling maybe $5k) I never found that turned out to be surprises during the process. -We hired BFM to also file for all the building permits on our behalf. It's a tedious and sometimes confusing process and Shawn told us that his assistant had done it many times in the past. BFM never provided any sort of checklist of what they were doing and rarely gave status updates. I found I needed to make calls directly to his assistant (who also seemed to be figuring this out as as I was), as well as MoCo and work with the builder's project manager for help. Near the end of the process, the builder's project manager clued me in to a page buried in the county's website that lists the steps and shows you what has been approved and what hasn't. One thing to keep in mind also is that BFM does not normally provide 3D renderings as part of the process (they offered to contract it at an extra fee if desired). Other architecture firms we met do include that and say it helps homeowners visualize the space. One customer I met who used a different firm said she found it very helpful. I have no experience, so I can't say one way or the other. All those things said, I should reiterate that Shawn is a talented architect and someone you can trust to give you fair and informed opinions. Our builder has told us that the construction docs that Shawn and BFM produced were very thorough. At the end of the day, a well designed house and good plans are the most important thing, so I think I would still recommend Shawn and BFM.

Shawn Buehler did a phenomenal job designing our new home. We found him to be such a great listener…read morethat the initial proposed design pretty much hit it out of the park. The result is truly a beautiful home that meets our every need (and wish!) while working brilliantly with our unusual lot shape. We get so many compliments.

I requested a quote via Yelp. Seth immediately emailed back providing a phone number to continue…read moreour conversation. I called him and he immediately went to work with my request for building a conex box residence in DC. Seth took his time with me and spoke with me like I was his only client. He asked all the right questions and went out of his way to explain the process in detail. He even researched the property while we were talking. All in all, It looks like I won't be needing his services. However, if he treats his clients the same way he treated me (a complete stranger on the phone), you are in good hands.

Seth and his associates have been great to work. Seth helped my wife and I really understand the…read morerenovation process and connected us with his trusted group of builders and subs.

Working with Jason of Emotive Architecture, renewed my faith in housing professionals. I had been…read moreburned by housing professionals over the years and was very cautious about who I worked with this time around. Luckily, Jason came into the picture early on. He immediately took ownership of the project and was truly invested in making my project a huge success. He was so meticulous and thorough with the permit drawings, that I was able to get a building permit through DCRA in one week, which is unheard of. While the care he took with the drawings was outstanding, I think the most important aspect of working with Jason was that he made me feel extremely comfortable with the process and gave me no doubt that I was in good hands. I am a single woman handling this project on my own. Jason went out of his way to vet the contractors and review their bids. He even visited one contractor's work site. He also provided input on the million and one Houzz photos I sent him. I inherently trust Jason's opinion, work ethic, and professionalism. He's not only a great architect, but he's a great person who is fun to work with. With the transparent design contract, submitting deliverables ahead of time and being extremely responsive and accessible, I highly recommend Jason for anyone's remodeling project.

I hope there isn't a character limit here, because I don't think I will ever be able to fully sing…read moreJason's praise. In December 2012, I purchased my first home - a row house that was in need of a complete gut renovation. Jason was recommended to me by a friend, and I am eternally grateful for her sage recommendation! Skill and Workmanship: When the professionals at DCRA (including former architects) are asking for your architect's card because of how spot on his work is, you know you're working with a top-notch architect. When a zoning reviewer's call is overturned based on your architect's interpretation of a code section, you know you're working with an architectural genius. Jason = architectural genius. That is all. Customer Service: As you may imagine, being a first-time homeowner is stressful in and of itself. Buying your first home and stripping it down to the studs (think Extreme Makeover: Home Edition) is pretty insane. Thankfully, I had Jason to guide me through the entire process. From summer 2012, when I hired him, through present day, Jason has treated this project as if it were his own. There was not one renovation decision that I made without consulting Jason (and with a gut renovation that spanned a year and 3 months from design to completion, there were LOADS of decisions made). He was ALWAYS available and made me feel like I was his only client, even though I knew I wasn't. Jason is more than my architect; he has truly become a family member (the kind you don' t mind when they stop by unannounced). If you're looking for just a "good" architect, Jason is out of your league. I recommend him for homeowners who, like me, wanted near perfection. I certainly found that and more in Jason, and he was worth every single penny I paid for his services. Any and every renovation I do will always begin with Jason.

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.

"I recently had a second floor added to my home in Arlington by DC Home, and I couldn't be happier…read morewith the results! The contractor was professional and attentive to our needs throughout the entire process. They worked efficiently and delivered high-quality craftsmanship. The new space has transformed our home, and it's exactly what we envisioned. I highly recommend DC Home for any home improvement projects!" "I recently had a second floor added to my home in Arlington by DC Home, and I couldn't be happier with the results! The contractor was professional and attentive to our needs throughout the entire process. They worked efficiently and delivered high-quality craftsmanship. The new space has transformed our home, and it's exactly what we envisioned. I highly recommend DC Home for any home improvement projects!"

The tile I liked needed three weeks to come in. He said as much before I paid anything and showed…read moreme two he could have by the weekend, then let me choose.

Charlie Moore and the architects at Moore Architects were a pleasure to work with. After a couple…read moreof visits with us at their office and our house, they came up with great plans for our project that incorporated our needs and as many things on our wish list as we could afford. They were also invaluable keeping the contractor on schedule and honest. They saw things during their weekly site visits that only an experienced eye would pick out. Thanks to Moore Architects, we had a great experience expanding our house. Thanks, Charlie, Chris and everyone at Moore Architects.

I was looking for a specific service (structural inspection) & started a project request via Yelp…read moreto receive quotes. Bitarchitects provided a prompt response, prompt call phone consultation & next steps. Within 1 week of contact I was able to discuss my concerns, the engineer completed a thorough walk through of my home & gave me ample amount of time view discuss my concerns. More importantly they didn't drag out the walkthrough for hours!! I appreciate the honest responses to help distinguish between normal settlement & items that are concerning. I'm waiting on the written report (inspection was completed one business day before writing this review) to proceed with the fixes. I strongly urge spending time & money on an inspection from a structural engineer before spending $$$$ for repairs that aren't needed. Prior to contacting I had 2 vendors try to sell me solutions for problems I didn't have. The price I paid for the inspection literally saved me $$,$$$. My selection of Bitarchitects was because they heard my initial concern, were quick to provide service, & provided communication from initial inquiry to the day of service.

Oooh! Editing to add photos of the text messages, that the junior assistant and I exchanged, in…read morewhich I alerted him that his approach was likely illegal (as I mention below, MULTIPLE opportunities given to him to walk it back) and which he took to mean I was threatening legal action. Eye roll. What a clown show. Well here's the update that I promised, unfortunately it's not in the direction I was hoping. I got an immediate response to my review below, with multiple requests to remove the review. I stated that I was open to updating or removing it, if things improved, and we ended up having a couple positive meetings. So much so that we elected to continue to work with them on the next phase of the project. So over the weekend (Sept 12-13), they sent us the contract for the next phase. We signed it and sent over the requested payment. I was hopeful! I was mentally drafting a positive update to this review! On Monday I received acknowledgement of receipt of the signed contract. Immediately following that, I got an email that said, and I quote "Before we can resume, please remove the Yelp review so we can start fresh and have a positive experience moving forward as we help you with your project." Guys, my jaw DROPPED. (My husband sent me a simultaneous "WHAT THE F***" text lol) Let me reiterate, we had signed the contract, sent the payment, and THEN received an email saying they wouldn't begin the work until a brand new condition had been met. We were completely floored. But okay, I thought, benefit of the doubt, the guy that sent that email has the position of junior assistant on the website, maybe he doesn't realize that what he's doing - withholding work that has been paid for unless we meet a new requirement that we never agreed to - constitutes a word that rhymes with shmextortion. So I responded that this requirement is unethical, inappropriate, and possibly a breach of contract. I gave him every opportunity to walk it back, and then reached out directly to the firm owner to verify that this was in fact the position that Bitarchitects was taking. The only response I got is that we can terminate the agreement, so that's what we did. To their credit, they processed the refund relatively quickly. So yeah, I don't know. I can only speak to my experience, of course. The other positive reviews indicate that other people have had better experiences with them. But this all does make me wonder if other reviews have been manipulated in a similar manner. So caveat emptor I guess. Because I fully expect they will respond and try to spin this in some way that makes me look like I'm the unreasonable one, I'm attaching screenshots of the actual email exchange (just the initial exchange, because the junior assistant started texting me after that email and it went on for a while, until I went back to email to contact the owner). Redacting names and email addresses as a professional courtesy.

Vitullo Architecture does not have an active presence on Yelp, but it does on other well known…read morereview websites. So we decided to change that after we hired Vitullo Architecture. They helped us conceptualize a tricky kitchen renovation in our 70 year old home. He was full of great ideas, and took the time to sit down with us and hash out all of the details--without speaking too much "architect-nese" and scrambling our brains. In addition to knowing which walls we could safely demolish, he also had a keen eye for identifying creative ways to enhance the aesthetics of the vision. Everything he recommended was clear, logical and catered to our budget. They're very accustomed to working with older homes like ours and is familiar with the nuances that plague them, but his scope goes well beyond this. We received great value for the cost of his services. The contractor we eventually hired (https://www.yelp.com/biz/bbc-construction-remodeling-silver-spring-2) even took note to how professional and clear the designs and drawings were...and they certainly are--so much that I can place it in a frame and hang them on a wall; because he provides the finished technical drawings on large oversize engineering print. Another plus is that they were also very communicative and remained available to any questions the general contractor may have had before and during a project and he was able to provide us county permits in break-neck speed. This was a wonderful experience and we are very pleased with the level of accuracy and professionalism represented at Vitullo Architecture. Definitely a number I will keep saved in my phonebook.

We've worked with Rick and Vitullo Architectural Services for many years and we continue to do so…read moreto this day. His insight and his ability to develop efficient, useful space, is exceptional. Rick's ability to work effectively with both the contractor and homeowner is one of his greatest traits, he is very adept at guiding the project through to completion. Lastly, Rick's in-depth knowledge of the regional building codes, permitting and permit acquisition process is immensely helpful, making the process so much easier for everyone involved.