We had a great experience working with Kathy Rogers at Sogno Design. I must admit that when I started the process of a home remodel I wondered, "What could an architect do for our remodel that an experienced contractor couldn't"? By the end of the project, I got it. I still to this day don't really know how Kathy got such a functional and beautiful bathroom into such a small space on our second floor. But she did. She also made a couple changes to the design of the stairs leading to our second floor that turned it from something that felt like just a stairway to now something that feels more like a ... cathedral (I know that sounds odd but trust me it's good). She raised the ceiling as far as it could go (all the way to the peak of the roofline) and added a second window that lets additional light cascade down onto the stairs. Small tweaks - huge difference.
For our remodel, we worked with the experienced team of Kathy and Beth Quade at Broad Construction. They'd worked together before, and it showed. There were none of the small, but critical and often costly, miscommunications between the two that I've heard other friends describe from their remodels. They were in touch constantly and clearly worked together very effectively. Beth put the superb craftsmanship into the vision that Kathy put down on paper. A few of my picky relatives living in old homes on the East Coast marveled at the quality of the details that Beth fashioned. She and Kathy really maintained the integrity of a Craftsman home and clearly delivered quality work.
The last part, and perhaps most important in the current world, is cost. We told Kathy what our budget was, she asked a few questions, and she delivered to it. Beth went a step further, giving us options every step along the way on ways we could shave costs off. I also appreciated that they were both honest. Beth told me that we were working on an old home, and we were likely going to find something, somewhere, as we opened up wall, floor, and foundation, that would add to the cost. She was right. It wasn't killer, but it was there. But at least we knew that it was coming from the beginning.
All in all, a great experience. I'd recommend Sogno Design, and Broad Construction, highly. read more