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.

Kurt has been a pleasure to work with, his extensive knowledge of design and architecture have been…read moreexactly what my customers have needed. I look forward to working with kurt in the future.Its hard to find people with his level of honesty and integrity.If your in need of an architect with years of experience, I recommend you begin with Kurt.

Kurt was such a great architect to work with! He was very responsive and understood exactly what I…read morewas looking for on a major home remodel/addition. He coordinated well with my contractor and knew the necessary code requirements to push the project through the county. I would highly recommend to anyone!

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.

We are so grateful to have found the Kastrop Group. We worked with Marie Barron--she is…read moreexceptional. Her judgment, organization and follow-through made an enormous difference on a complicated, time-sensitive project at our commercial property in Palo Alto. We initially contacted Marie to prepare drawings. The project had reporting requirements for Santa Clara County, and delays in our contractor's handling of the permitting process had already cost us significant time. Marie and Brian came out to measure the property, and the drawings were completed promptly. We then asked Marie to coordinate the permitting process as well. Marie brought together information from professionals across several disciplines, clarified requirements with the City and proactively followed up to keep everything moving. Throughout the process, she kept us informed and included us in correspondence. We never had to chase her for an update or wonder where things stood. Her thoroughness and initiative lifted a considerable burden and were instrumental in moving the project forward. Marie was also thoughtful about our time and budget, advising us when something could be handled ourselves rather than requiring her assistance. Her competence, honesty and kindness earned our complete trust. We will gladly work with the Kastrop Group again and cannot recommend Marie highly enough.

The Kastrop group are very professional company. My house was a total re-build and both Mike &…read moreBrian made this incredible task go very smooth. I would definitely use them again and would recommend the Kastrop Group !!!

Working with Anna was great. Her deep knowledge guided us seamlessly through design, expertly…read morebalancing our vision with local code requirements. She was able to work around limitations, turning constraints into opportunities. She was always giving us great advice keeping in mind the desired end result. Highly recommend for anyone seeking a partner who listens and delivers.

Working with Anna has been an absolute pleasure! We had some previous work on our home that…read morerequired revisions, which meant documenting existing conditions and navigating a process that could have easily become overwhelming. But Anna had a way of making everything feel manageable. She was upfront and communicative every step of the way, so I never felt left in the dark. That was especially valuable during the back-and-forth with structural engineers as she always made sure I understood what was changing and why, which made the technical process much easier to follow. Her responsiveness was top notch as well. Anna stayed on top of everything and turned things around quickly. I highly recommend her if you need an architect who is knowledgeable, reliable, and genuinely easy to work with.

I called up Hastings Construction to have them repair a fence in the backyard at an elderly family…read morefriends house. Justin, his office staff, and the guys that came out to do the job were prompt and professional every step of the way! After an initial discussion with Justin about the job, he sent me a quote to sign and had his crew along with materials there first thing the next morning. The job was completed in just two days and the fence looks great! In a day an age of flaky contractors and poor workmanship, it is refreshing to find a company that is professional and does high quality work. Kudos to Justin and his great crew at Hastings Construction! Jason H.

We hired Hastings Construction for a ADU we had built. They built from the ground up and handled…read moreever aspect of the project. Justin and crew did a great job, everything went smooth and quality was great. Everyone was very professional and we would definitely work with Hastings Construction again in the future...

I called Sam about a year and half ago to quote me for my home addition and he was very…read moreprofessional but I decided to go with someone else (family referral) Biggest mistake I have made. Two months ago I moved my office and I needed to make changes and needed a new layout. I called him and I was thinking since he didn't get my last job he would have been passive. Him and his partner Vardan took the job and delivered. These guys are young with a modern prospective and know what they're talking about. On top of that he was open to help me with my house addition. They faced a lot of challenges with the city but got everything done in timely fashion.

This guy knows his stuff. all you have to do is tell him how many rooms, bathrooms, etc you need…read moreand he'll create an amazing space for you. price was great and he even designed so constrcution would be most practical on price. true creator. i didnt go for the lowest bid when i was searching for an architect. i just asked to see his previous work and was convinced that he'll get the job done right.

Guy is a great architect and a really nice guy. He drew up the plans for our recent renovation and…read moredid a fantastic job at a very reasonable price. It was clear that he put a lot of thought into everything, and he made some really insightful recommendations. We are extremely pleased with the final plans, and look forward to living in this well thought-out space for many years to come. Highly recommended! Thanks Guy!