Get matched with top architects in Lawrence, MA

"My wife and I were considering having some remodeling done to our house but we were not sure how it would all work. A friend recommended we hire an architect or draftsman to help with the ideas. We submitted the request through Angie's and found Richard from iCornerstone. We live in Tyngsborough and he came to our house from Weymouth and spent the day measuring everything in the house and provided us with an outstanding renderings and diagrams of our house from all the floors. We didn't have any original drawings and neither did the town wit details. Richards work was exemplary and nothing short of outstanding. He really knows his stuff and he kept in contact the entire time. We asked for the changes and he made them to a second diagram with a 3D layout we could show to the contractors for the remodel. I highly recommend Richard and iCornerstone for any of your needs."

"Our house was a 1955 ranch-style house with 3 bedrooms, one bath, kitchen, and living/dining room that we moved into in 1995. We had been looking to add a second bathroom and had originally worked with an architect from NH to do a modest front and rear bump out to give us more room to fit in a second bathroom. This architect had to withdraw from the job and recommended David Kinsella of TBC. David initially made some modest changes to the plan that made sense. After somefurther discussion, in which my wife and I raised the possibility of a larger scale project to modernize the style of the house, David developed a plan that essentially rebuilt the house except for our previously remodeled kitchen and original foundation. This new plan converted our house into modern design with a more open floor plan, completely new roof line, loft space, re-finished basement (and the second bathroom). David was able to fit this into an only slightly expanded footprint in order to comply with town regulations. Throughout the process, David kept our budget in mind and would typically present different price options for us to choose from to allow us to come up with a reasonable comprise between price with style. In addition TBC worked with the town to make sure our design stayed within our zoning and conservation restrictions.
After deciding to go ahead with the project, we interviewed several contractors and decided that TBC brought us the best value for our money and would also allow David to oversee the project as needed. We started the project in June 2011 and completed the project in May 2012. The project did take several months longer than expected, but did stay on budget. The major problem that occurred that delayed the project was that in the summer of 2011, the original subcontracted framers were being sent to other jobs by their boss even though TBC was told they would be coming to our job. Hence, instead of working full time on our job, they were working less than half time. Eventually TBC had to fire them and find a new contractor to step in. At the time we felt that TBC should have replaced them sooner, but perhaps this was difficult due to contractual obligations. (We also found this first group of framers were slobs who did not have much regard for the fact that we were still living in the house.) By the end of summer 2011, the house was not completely framed and roofed and number of rain storms (including hurricane Irene) slowed down progress further. In mid-October we were still living in the part of the house and we agreed at this point that we would move out to allow for a more efficient work flow. From this point construction generally proceeded ahead, except for a few delays do to weather and scheduling conflicts that arose for other subcontractors, no doubt due to the significant delay caused by the no-show framers.
In the end the house is beautiful and works for us better than we could have imagined. While the house has not expanded much in
terms of square feet, the open floor plan and high ceiling/roof line combined with increased natural lighting gives a much more expansive feeling inside. From the curb, the house has modern angular green metal roof with cedar siding and one has to look hard to find any resemblance to the original house.
At the completion of of the project, TBC was very responsive to completing punch-list items and other minor issues that have arisen over the past year. While my wife and I certainly had stressful times during the renovation (and certainly did a lot of second guessing our decision to renovate rather than move), we always felt that David had a personal interest in getting the job done correctly and making sure that we were happy in the end. In that regard, David was very accessible by email or phone before, during, and after the work. In summary, David Kinsella provided the creativity to design a renovation plan that was truly transforming for our house and TBC was then able to see the plan through to successful completion."

"Working with Luis on our project on Arlington St in Fitchburg was an absolute breeze. He was professional, helpful, and kept the entire process running efficiently from start to finish. We received our architectural drawings right on schedule, and the quality of his communication and work was top-notch. Highly recommend!"

"I hired Jose to design and draw our kitchen remodel. He used his experience, knowledge, and creativity to come up with a great design for an old house. He was available when questions came up and changes were needed. He was with us for the entire project was complete and inspections complete."

"Workmen were courteous and diligent. Took a few days, as planned. Wall is now a year old with no problems."

"Excellent! The crew was prompt, polite, and got the whole job done in 1.5 days. Roberto himself was very responsive in making the initial arrangements, providing the estimate, and then following up to ensure it was done to my satisfaction."

"I was completely blown away by the work that we had done. Lisa, who was the designer was very attentive and quick to return emails and really put a lot of thought into my project. She always responded to emails within an hour and was very honest with me when it came to ideas that i had for the project. She provided a detailed drawing of my property with her ideas for plantings, stepping stones, etc. this made my life very easy by not having to imagine what she was thinking. PJ, who was the foreman on the job was also a great guy and on top of things. He always had my best interests in mind when giving his opinion about grading the yard and what would be best for my children, which was my highest priority. Walter was one of the workers who did a lot of the grading and he was also in constant communication with me. Walter and PJ came up with, and implemented a swing-set area that doubled as a retaining wall to bring up the grade on the lower side of my yard and it came out amazing. We had some irrigation issues at first because some areas were being over-watered. Nick, who was in charge of the irrigation came out to my house multiple times, after all of the work had already been paid for, to make sure that my timers were taken care of and the grass remained in tip-top shape. After paying in full, I still got immediate responses from all parties in this company and they provided immediate solutions within a day or two. They could have put me on the back burner to handle current customers, but they remained attentive to my needs. I plan to use them for cleanups and for all of my fertilizing. I highly recommend this company to everyone."

"I found Johnâ s service through a contractor that I didnâ t end up working with. But working with John was a nice experience. I have plans to do some reno work on my townhouse kitchen, and an important part of the job is to widen the entrance between the kitchen and the dining room. Because itâ s a townhouse structure and the management donâ t know where the original blueprint is, and they require an architectural evaluation and drawing for opening the walls. I had to hire a structural engineer/architect to do the job. John came to my house several times. He did not open the wall to probe. He looked at the structures from the basement to the kitchen and did his engineer calculation and gave me the architectural drawings according to how big I wanted to widen the entrance. I donâ t know anything about architect, but his drawing was sent to the City Hall for permit. I did change my thoughts on the all opening a couple of times, and he always responded promptly and kindly, and made changes accordingly. I had expected a much higher price from contractors for hiring an architect, but John was very reasonable, and said for a small adjustment, it wouldnâ t cost so much. I thought everything went well in our communication and the final product and the value of the work. One thing though, when the city building inspector came, he said where we wanted the wall to end was not sitting on a basement column, and that piece of end wall has to be on a column. So this means I had to put back 6 inches of the wall I had originally cut. I was a little bummed about that. I canâ t say if this is something the architect shouldâ ve known (or maybe building code is slightly different every city?), but I wish I could be better prepared or informed about this particular building code. Overall, I thought it was a good experience and I would recommend JFA Design Group."

"We have a great experience with his work,He is very professional and had a lot of knowledge."

"Victor and his crew were great. Very courteous. They completed my job in two days. Including tree trimming, shrub removal, transplanting, gardens cleaned, edged and mulched. Everything looks great. Very pleased. Would recommend Victor and his crew for your landscaping needs."