StoneHorse Design, Inc.

We had the worst experience with Mara-Gai. After signing a contract with her in October 2020, enduring delay after delay on even conceptual sketches, dealing with her inability to communicate through modern means, and her not listening to the most basic of our inputs (e.g., we want a CONTEMPORY design), we received no useable work product after more than 6 months and had to fire her. Our project, as a result, is delayed, and we may not even be able to build this year. I have never encountered a more unprofessional "professional."

I've had the pleasure to work with Mara-Gai on multiple projects. Here work is extraordinary, and I love every time I get the chance to be a part of her projects.

We highly recommend Mara-Gai and StoneHorse Design to anyone who is looking for professional, smart, experienced, and very personal architecture. She was a true partner ... listening, internalizing, and executing. She truly understood the comfort, warmth, and hospitality that we working to achieve in our new home. We have owned and transformed many homes on our own, so we had a good idea of the values we were targeting for our new home. Mara-Gai was very quick to turn those visions into first class results; building and expanding on our ideas to create the amazing Craftsman that is now our dream home and a real center for our family and friends.

It was a pleasure to work with StoneHorse Design on our bonus room remodel/garage addition. Mara-Gai and her team were on-schedule and always available for clarifications or if questions came up during the construction process. We really appreciated that Mara-Gai provided creative, yet practical ideas for our project and that her fees were very fair. We are very happy with how well our remodel fits-in with the “old construction” and are thrilled with our new space.

They say that divorce, losing your job, and renovating are among the top 3 most stressful events in one's life. A colleague once described being a self-employed musician as "losing your job every Saturday night." So, having experienced all 3 my advice to anyone embarking on the latter is to make sure you've got a kickass architect in your corner. In the 3 years it took to bring to fruition, our renovation-addition took an inordinate number of unexpected turns, pushing us to emotional and physical limits. I dare say if StoneHorse Design Inc. (Mara-Gai and Nathaniel) hadn't been there to "drive the bus" this project would've crashed and burned. An unusually small and narrow lot in a historically contributing subdivision meant there was a list of codes and regulations long enough to choke a horse. Figuring out what could be built was a puzzle that alone I would still be working on. Anticipating that this was likely my sole chance to create a home I could live in for the foreseeable future, I asked for a lot on an impossibly tight budget; update 80-year old electrical and plumbing, modernize and expand the kitchen, create an energy-efficient envelope (windows and appliances), add a master bedroom and en suite bath (that would someday accommodate aging parents), add a 2-car garage with ADU above (passive income). I was determined to respect the Minimal Traditional style while building something that reflected my lifestyle and Mara-Gai helped me stay on that path throughout the design process. As well she took the time to learn my aesthetic, which abbreviated our conversations, streamlining a part of the process that can typically drag on. If there's one quality I appreciate most about Mara-Gai it's her ability to empathize; I am a single, female, self-employed artist. That is a specific kind of vulnerability and I understood from our first phone conversation that this woman would go to the mats for me, which is exactly what she did. Beyond being a brilliant designer, Mara-Gai far surpassed what was expected of her, ferreting out better bids from reliable subcontractors, calling in favors and giving advice on how to satisfy the entire programme on such a restricted budget. She directed my focus to things that needed attention, anticipated obstacles, gave solid advice, often calling upon personal experience regarding contractors and vendors. And during all of this she brought pumpkin cheesecake to Thanksgiving dinner, floated some time-sensitive purchases on her credit card, accommodated my crazy musician's schedule by holding late-night (cocktail) meetings on my deck, attended my concerts (!), sent us beautiful Christmas cards and gifts, lent us moving boxes, and became a cherished friend. While helping to design this project was a creative joy and pleasure, the truth is that building a house can be rife with heartache, disappointment, bad luck, frustration and mishaps. For all of those things there is Nitroglycerin. But thanks to StoneHorse Design Inc. we are living in our "forever" home, and Mara-Gai will be forever invited to Thanksgiving.

I have photographed many projects for StoneHorse Design. I am constantly impressed with the quality and level of detail in their work whether the home is a renovation or new construction. Their level of experience in the architectural and building industry shines through on every project. Mara-Gai is a very creative person and really listens to her clients' needs. All the homeowners I've met on our photo shoots are always so happy to see her and speak so highly of her warm personality and professionalism.

Mara-Gai helped me design outbuildings in harmony with the existing house she originally desgined and built in 2007/08. She was able to place the additional buildings without cluttering the property and made sure the design included space for today's needs and some for tomorrow's. Aside from my residence Mara-Gai asssistd me in finding a rustic cabin that I had restored for use as an office/welcome station for a local non-profit. She knew exactly where to locate such a cabin worthy of restoration. T.L. Reeves

We hired StoneHorse to design our main house and garage/ADU in 2013. We were very pleased with the results. Mara-gai worked hard with us to deliver exactly what we wanted. The lot in town that we built on was challenging, as it's very narrow, but our home and the ADU were designed very open and airy. Anyone who comes into our house oohs and ahhs, seriously. Thanks Mara-gai!

We are so pleased with the design outcome from Stonehorse. Design and build may be so stressful. Mara-Gai really helped.

StoneHorse Design provided excellent service throughout the nearly two-year home-building process, from the initial questionnaire and interviewing prospective contractors, until the home was completed....and even years beyond! Mara-Gai Katz has a very positive, can-do attitude and if she is confronted with a challenge, she embraces it, engages her brain and figures it out. She actually listens to what her client wants and designs accordingly. Mara-Gai used her imagination and drew on her knowledge of Japanese architecture to design a beautiful Japanese country home that completely suits me as well as the setting. She met all deadlines and budgets. She and I worked well together, which was of prime importance as I was living in Tokyo at the time and had to direct everything from there. Mara-Gai has a keen sense of aesthetics and if you look at the StoneHorse website, you'll immediately see that for yourself. I recommend her for your project without hesitation!

We found StoneHorse Design to be not only knowledgeable, but also willing to listen to our needs. We hired this company to help us in a strategic and phased plan for the work we want to do on our house, which not only is our home, but also is part of the building envelope of our historic working ranch. My husband and I wanted to make sure that our home would be accessible for us as we grow older, while at the same time fulfilling the needs of being the center of ranch operations. We were not interested in having, for example, a designer kitchen, but instead need a working kitchen in which food can be prepared for a crowd. Our home is a modular that was installed in 1995, and so it needed to be a plan that on the exterior would fit in with the rest of the buildings, yet fit within our budget and meet our needs for use and future accessibility. A tall order. However, StoneHorse (led by MaraGai Katz) listened carefully and patiently guided us in making the necessary decisions for them to create the final design plans. We are looking forward to working with them in the plan's implementation and then enjoying the results into the future!

StoneHorse Design, inc. designed our primary residence. We requested a small cabin/cottage to fit in a rural setting located in Montana. The house is the perfect size for two while providing separate spaces for each of us. Because of the small size the plan utilizes spaces in decks and screened porch. Margie Reeves