This guy will rip you off. I was warned, but decided to try him anyway. The job was never…read morecompleted, he kept my money, and it ended up costing me twice as much as quoted to get it right. The only positive is that he always smiled as he screwed me over. Avoid this place at all costs.

Update with the design Michael's done for us and the actual project completion. Really pleased with…read morehow the master bath turns out.

We got the permit from the city with plans authored by a different architect but when the project…read morestarted, the difference between actual dimensions on the site and the plans started surfacing and we had to rework on the plans. I reached out to Michael and he was very responsive, he visited the site and quickly shared the updated plans for resubmission to the city. He also closely worked with me and GC to answer further queries from the inspector. Overall, I had great experience with Michael. He is professional, shared his quote upfront and honored it, was very collaborative, responsive and has attention to detail. I am sure he has a bright future ahead and if I start another project I will definitely work with him again.

The folks at Four Branch design are absolutely amazingly good at what they do. They staged our…read morehouse and added some curb appeal. The results were excellent, and the house sold in three days. I don't think the quick sale is entirely the result of the staging, but the staging certainly played a positive role. In addition, everyone at Four Branch Design was great to work with. I recommend them highly.

A client of mine was looking for a good Architect to consult with concerning the feasibility of a…read moreremodel/expansion of his single story home in Bellevue. He had contacted several Architects who didn't seem to want to be bothered with this small of a project. I recommended Michelle Linden of atelier a+d and she has been stellar. She determined that the addition of a second story is in fact feasible and they have moved into the design phase. As Michelle is just starting her own practice (after working five years for a PNW Architectural firm as a registered architect) she is accommodating and affordable. But don't let that fool you - she knows her craft. She has strong technical, aesthetic and communication skills, all desirable traits in an Architect who is charged with translating ideas and dreams into a built space.

We recently bought a condo that needs a complete remodel. We hired Michelle to draw up the designs…read moreand also to take us throught the permit process. We are thrilled with the plans and are very impressed with how efficiently Michelle guided us through permitting. She took care of every last detail, freeing us to do the work we do best.

I contracted with Design Build San Juan (hereafter referred to as DBSJ) for remodeling of my house…read moreon San Juan Island. The initial contract was for DBSJ to act as contractor, but that was later changed so that the homeowner would be considered the contractor, and DBSJ would act as a subcontractor to the homeowner. Services provided by DBSJ were the design and layout of the interior spaces, including lighting and cabinetry, as well as framing needed to support the interior modifications. The initial mistake made by DBSJ was in the dimensions needed for bathroom cabinetry. When the dimensions of the cabinet were determined by DBSJ and the cabinet purchased by DBSJ for the homeowner, it was later determined that the overall depth of the cabinet when chosen did not include the thickness of the doors, resulting in the cabinet being excessively deep to fit properly with the sink/countertop. To correct for this error, new cabinet boxes were purchased by DBSJ, and the wall studs trimmed to permit the cabinet to be recessed. The new cabinets were paid for by DBSJ under warranty and the homeowner trimmed the wall studs with no compensation offered by DBSJ. During installation of kitchen cabinetry, it was noticed by the homeowner that an interference condition existed between the trim ring of a recessed light and a cabinet door. DBSJ would not admit fault, despite having sized the cabinet as well as having determined the location of the recessed light. This error of not including the thickness of the door in the lighting plan layout was the same mistake made in the bathroom cabinet design/layout. The thickness of the cabinet door was not included when the overall depth of the cabinet was used during design and layout of the kitchen cabinetry and lighting. The homeowner elected to cut the cabinets down at his cost and risk in order to reduce the overall depth of the cabinet. No compensation was offered by DBSJ to the homeowner for this extra work which was successfully completed. After remaining kitchen cabinets were installed, the microwave oven could not be installed in its cabinet. Investigation by the homeowner showed that the height of the cabinet was insufficient to allow installation of the appliance. DBSJ had used the external dimensions of the cabinet for sizing, not the internal dimensions as needed to ensure the required clearance. DBSJ ordered two new cabinets at no charge to the homeowner, but which resulted in a three month delay while new cabinets were being manufactured and delivered. The kitchen sink purchased by DBSJ specifically to fit the cabinet sized and procured by DBSJ did not fit as it was too wide. Upon being notified of the situation, DBSJ advised the homeowner to trim the sides of the cabinet box as needed to allow the sink to be installed. The homeowner was instead forced to purchase a new sink, correctly sized to fit the cabinet, and the sink was installed with no other problem. Cutting the cabinet sides would have compromised the structural integrity of the cabinet, and the homeowner elected not to follow the unacceptable advice of DBSJ. It should be noted that this error of using the external cabinet dimension, and not the internal clearance dimension, was the same as made for the microwave cabinet. The same error, but DBSJ refused to acknowledge it and the homeowner was penalized by having to purchase the correct size sink, as well as the delay experienced waiting for the sink to arrive. DBSJ was also contracted to install a total of six new sliding glass doors for the homeowner, and this work was successfully accomplished. However, when the homeowner was painting the exterior trim on the doors, it was discovered that only three of the six doors had been properly caulked. The doors had not leaked, and there was no damage to the house as a result. The homeowner completed the caulking of the doors. The errors noted above reflect an inattention to detail in some of the work done by DBSJ. As noted, some of these mistakes were not acknowledged by DBSJ as being their fault. These errors cost the homeowner both time and money. The unwillingness of DBSJ to own the errors that were made by DBSJ during the work on the project resulted in the low rating. I would not recommend DBSJ to anyone looking for quality design work.

From the owner: "Let's start planning your New Home Design today"…read more Design Build San Juan and Cabinets San Juan provides full-service Design, Drafting & Permit work. We also have a Design Studio in Friday Harbor with Cabinetry, Flooring, Granite and Quartz and Tile on display; We are a GC who specializes in New Construction for start-to-finish Design Build projects, as well as offering a menu of individual services to suit your needs. Our services include everything from new residential construction, remodeling and additions, light commercial construction, to designing every detail for a mid-size one-room remodel. We specialize in drafted plan sets and building permits for San Juan County, WA. We are a licensed and bonded general contractor, lic. #shalei*928no. Our Design Studio is located in Friday Harbor, WA on beautiful San Juan Island. Design Build San Juan evolved from a partnership between Terry Whalen/Shalen Inc. and Lori Williams of Island Aesthetic Design LLC.