Bill Hubner and his colleagues worked with us over a period of three years when we were remolding our home. The first year we dipped our toe in the water and they respected and accommodated our needs and the road we were traveling, listening--not just hearing--but listening to our needs. They gave us suggestions of different things to consider and were available to answer questions or have idea sessions. They took our lead for weeks and several months would go by and we wouldn't be in contact. They were never pushy.
In the second year, we were ready to jump into doing the project and they jumped in with us, giving their undivided attention and energy. The scope of the project was large. We added an addition, remolded the kitchen, and every room had something done to it--either upgrading it or re-doing some things to have in be in sync with the remolding. It was very important to us to be sure the old house kept its integrity and flavor. They were just outstanding, working with us in making sure this happened; all the way from the structural design, to the kind of wood to use, to the flow from one room to another. At the end of the project, our newly remolded home looks like it was the original home--they did such a good job of merging the two.
They know their craft exceptionally well, and at the same time it is always about us and not them. In short, It never became "their project" of what they would like to see. They constantly had their ear to the ground of what our desires were and they frequently came up with creative solutions, keeping in mind our tastes as they created the architectural plans, and outlying in detail what effect it would have on the budget. They constantly had their eyes on our budget, and when things would come up that were going to increase the budget, they gave us the trade-offs of staying within budget. Also, they were attuned to see where they could make up an increase in cost of doing something a certain way, by either cutting back or trying a different approach in something else. Moroever, as is common in these projects, things change and they were superb in adapting, and frequently on the fly--coming up with solutions; again, frequently creative, while being attuned to trade offs, and where necessary, the effect it had on the budget.
When we went to the construction phase, the people who bid the project were exceptionally impressed in how detailed and thorough the plans were; thus, helping us get a very good handle on what the project would cost. Once we got into construction, Bill and his team were with us every step of the way--handling large issues and small. For example, we had some issues on our fireplace and Bill was there working with the contractor and the sub-contractor on how to properly build the fireplace. He also helped us pick out the stone that would look best given the effect we were trying to create in our family room. On the other side of the spectrum, no issue was too small to find a solution. For example, we had a space we needed to fill between the stove downdraft, countertop, and stove--about 1/2" wide and 2 feet long. Bill came up with a very simple solution to get built an aluminum piece. He found a place to do it, and had it made so it would be installed just before we moved back in.
Finally, Bill and his team jumped in to help supplement my contractor. I did not make a good choice in picking my contractor, and thus, I ran into issues where the contractor was not managing the job as well as it should have been managed. Bill and his team saw what was happening and supplemented the contractor by helping to manage him to key deadlines. Where he could pick up the slack to do something like get certain interior items, he did so. Over the past 6 months since we moved in, he has checked in with us periodically to see how we are doing and if there are any issues that he can help solve. There were indeed a couple. One of them was a loud wind sound in our kitchen when it was windy outside. He came over and after several hours, we were able to pin it down to air that was coming through the duct for our stove downdraft. He was able to work with the contractor to get a louver built at the end of the draft to the outside that would stay closed unless the downdraft was turned on. He then got the contractor to better insulate and caulk where the downdraft and stove and piping met. These are just a couple of examples of their superb customer service to do whatever needs to be done to get the job down professionally and to the satisfaction of us.
In short, Incite Architecture is a terrific group to work with, lead by Bill. They are sensitive to your needs, their egos are in check, their work is excellent, and their customer service is off the charts. The two best examples I can give you of their excellent product--a well designed home--are this: 1) my wife and I have frequently said over the last 7 months since we've moved back in, "Wow, this is a beautiful house, you know?!" That can happen in a spur of the moment when we come down in the morning, walk in from outside, or randamly walk through a room. It just jumps out to us how lovely and gracious our home is and fits together. The second is from people who have walked through our home and those who have just seen it from the outside. They say, "Wow! You can tell your architect knew what he was doing --this is so very good. All the details, in this corner and that corner. Just impressive!" Or couples walking down our street will volunteer to us, "Your home is beautiful. Very gracious. Your architect did a superb job!" He did.
Needless to say, we give Incite Architecture the highest recommendation. We couldn't be happier with their work. They were wonderful to work with, they're very down to earth and personable, and their customer service is extraordinary. You will be happy you chose them and you will sleep well at night knowing they are on your project.
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