Richard Olander Architect

My wife and I and our 3 kids had been living in a 3 bedroom,  one and three quarter bath, 1650 square foot home that hadn’t been updated since it was built in 1954.  Because of our growing family, we needed to add another bedroom and improve the existing kitchen and living areas all on a pretty tight budget.  Neither my wife, nor I had ever remodeled a house before.  We thought we’d need an architect to make this work and we’d heard of Richard from several other families who had used him to help them remodel their houses.   We interviewed Richard as well as several other architects and contractors.    We first met to discuss the feasibility of remodeling in the first place.  What did we want to do?  How much would it cost?  Would we have to move out?  In the end we picked Richard because his references spoke so highly of him and his work was so good.  Also, we just felt a natural chemistry with Richard.    Once we decided to go forward with the project, we met with Richard several more times to discuss possible solutions to our needs.  Should  we build out?  Should we build up?   Richard took our wish list and came up with many drawings offering possible solutions.  Once we agreed on the basic design, Richard went to work creating the actual architectural plans.  After several more meetings where we tweaked the layout, we finally settled on the plans.  Richard had come up with came up with a great, cost effective solution that seamlessly tied in the new construction with the old.  We printed several copies of the plans and sent them out to various contractors for bids.  After hiring a contractor we began construction.  From the very beginning to the very end, Richard would come by to make sure construction was going according to plan.  We had lots of questions and concerns, and he answered them all with incredible patience.  He was very knowledgeable about building techniques and was extremely helpful with asthetic choices.  After about 10 months of construction, we moved back in to our home which had been transformed a cramped and antiquated tract house to a thoroughly modern, functional and beautiful living space that completely addressed all our needs.  Richard spent a lot of time and effort getting the details right which was extremely important since we were only adding 750 square feet.   All throughout the project he was there for us.  Richard is smart, ethical and just a really nice guy who knows what he’s doing.   If you could see what our home looked like before and what it looks like now, you’d know why I recommend him so highly.

We feel very fortunate to have Richard Olander as our architect. He came very highly recommended as doing beautiful work and having great ideas and he has been a complete joy to work with.  Throughout this long process he has been very patient (we are a little picky) and always available to answer questions and give opinions. Richard has designed a house that meets all of our needs, desires and dreams.  He was interested in what we wanted and in how we live when designing the floor plan. He always gave us different options to choose from, even with the details, and he always took time to discuss and offer his experience to help in making decisions. The contractors who bid on the project were all very pleased to see that everything on the plan was well thought out and designed with the builder in mind, as the contractors we interviewed said they often receive plans that are not realistic. We also appreciate that he was mindful of our budget.  Our house is still under construction but we are extremely pleased with the results and have had many,many compliments from friends and neighbors.