Seeking Architect/Contractor Referrals

Hi D.,
our home was custom designed and built by a local builder: Stevens Builders. Mark Stevens was wonderful to work with. Everything was on budget and on schedule. He is very customer service oriented and has some award winning designs. We researched several options before deciding on Mark and are thrilled with the results. We've referred him to 3 other people and they all used him as well.Following is the contact info:
Mark Stevens
Stevens Builders Inc. V.P.
4714 Linthicum Road
Dayton MD, 21036
###-###-####

Please let him know that the Wong family in Clarksville recommended him. Good luck!

best,
S.

I'm in the middle of a major remodeling project right now. Nothing is finished yet, but I do have good communication with my contractor and feel that he has good attention to detail. We're expanding the master BR, adding a new master BA, redoing the hall BA, expanding the kitchen, adding a new room under the MBR, and adding 2 porches. The contractor is Hill Brothers based in Wheaton. ###-###-#### So far, they have done all the work themselves and there have only been subs for plumbing and electrical work. Keeps their costs down, resulting in a lower bid for you.

My architect is Dana Haden of Studio D. She's in Takoma Park. ###-###-#### Dana has great ideas and is very thorough. We thought we'd just add a new master suite and kitchen on the back, but she opened our eyes to expanding what we have, which she said would save us money.

Good luck!! Best advice I can give is expect it to take longer than they say no matter who you work with. There will be delays.

Hello- That sounds like a very ambitious project. Like anyone, I would get a few estimates. Some firms come with their own preferred architects but if you have one in mind, the contractor will probably work with them. Firms that have their own preferred architects are Kramer, Jendell, and CASE. There are other smaller firms like Architects at Work based in Bethesda. By the way, CASE has experts in green homes and can help you design a renovation that is good for the environment! Best of luck.

You should interview a number of GCs. Ask for references and don't be afraid to call the references or to ask if you can see the work. Ask what those people did not like about the GC as well as what they did like. There needs to be a certain chemistry between you the homeowner and the GC.

For what you describe I would recommend that you check out
Scott Construction Co.,###-###-#### out of Deerfield, IL.
They are very service oriented. No project is perfect, but there's always a solution that can be found to satisfy the homeowner and preserve the integrity of the project.

Where are you located? I know a really good guy but he's across the Bay Bridge on the Eastern Shore.

I highly recommend Francisca and Tony Alonso. They are a family owned company and they do magnificent work. We are hiring them to design and build us our dream home. They can show you some of the work they have done - you'll be amazed. Their information is below:

AV Architects + AV Builders
"Design - Build with Architectural Vision"
Francisca Alonso, Assoc. AIA
Antonio Alonso, AIA
t. ###-###-####
f. ###-###-####
____@____.com
www.avarchitectsbuild.com