Transforming Architecture

I love this firm's work and concept. Woman-owned and the work done by women. I am a wheelchair user and feel as though the architects really understood universal design.

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They came to our house, listened to our need and responded in a week or so with useful comments on our detailed plans for a simple building.  They were easy to deal with and professional.  We were very happy with the results and low cost.

There were many elements to Karen's business model that my wife and I found very appealing: 
1. Karen has her services structured as an al a carte type of menu where you could pay for her design services as you progressed without any pressure to continue (e.g. Siting down to discuss design, then moving to design sketches, then combining design elements, then to construction plans and putting your project out to bid). Each step you pay a set fee without needing to move forward for whatever reason. 
2. The set fee structure is a VERY competitive way to go considering architects normally charge ~10% of the project budget. 
3. Karen and her team did a GREAT job listening to the design elements that were important to my wife and I in the initial design process. Every step of the way, we REALLY felt listened to. We met with SEVERAL architects and there was not a single one that was more approachable than Karen. She is EXTREMELY down to Earth and genuinely tuned into what we had to say. cShe was also very frendly to our children and pets. 
4. Given Karen's design process, she and her team came up with three completely different and unique design plans considering our desires from the remodel project. I was VERY concerned about this initially given the design portfolio Karen submitted to us for review. Much of her design work had been of Traditional design and not really the contemporary style we were looking for. Karen did NOT disappoint. The design ideas in ALL three of the design sketches were AWESOME! Not only were they sketches, but she gave us a virtual walk through tour using a software called SketchUp. Then, we were able to choose design elements from each plan that we loved to put together into one cohesive design plan! It was definitely an awesome experience. Karen and her team came up with ideas that we never thought of..... and believe me we thought we knew every possible option before heading into it all. 
5. One flaw that many contractors report of architects is that architects do not have a concept of cost. During the design process, Karen advised us of the projected cost of our project every step of the way. Karen assisted us in putting the final construction plan set out to bid with three different contractors. She recommended one of the contractors VERY highly, of which we ended up hiring. His contract proposal was right on target with Karen's estimate. And, as of July 2015, our project had been completed and we were on budget. 
All in all, I would HIGHLY recommend Karen and her team. As a professional and an individual, Karen is top notch! I feel EXTREMELY fortunate to have met Karen and been able to work with her in this professional capacity.

Provided multiple design choices, engineering service, and project management, mostly via email. Great communicators. Responded promply to every issue. Selected contractor and worked closely with him to produce an excellent result. These are first-rate folks in every way. Just imagine what could go wrong with a long-distance arrangement such as this. Yet all went smoothly, on budget, on schedule. You can trust these people.

Our renovation went extremely well!  Karen was with us every step of the way after the drawings through completion.  she is fabulous, very transparent and great at resolving differences of opinions (of design between spouses).  she is just wonderful to deal with and we would absolutely use her again.

more details about how we worked together:
My husband and i did a kitchen renovation recently and used Karen Pitsley of Transforming Architecture.  We were thrilled with the work done by Karen and her team and cannot imagine doing another project like this without her.  She was with us every step of the way and provided these services on a fixed fee basis.  first she listened, then offered three very different options.  from that we tweaked one for our final plan.  then she developed the detailed drawings for the contractors and cabinet people.  She helped bid out and select contractors from very reputable ones she had worked with previously, and kitchen designers.  she was with us during the renovation every step of the way and to assist when issues came up.  honestly we've heard many horror stories about kitchen renovations but ours was relatively easy thanks to Karen and TA.  We love her and will absolutely use them again for any project like this!

*AWESOME*!  How much space do I have to explain?  Eight years later, I am gladly singing praises for Karen Pitsley/Transforming Architecture! 
I shopped different architects knowing exactly what I wanted and had several of my own drawings to present of the major, multiple level renovation of my home. Karen impressed me from the start by just wanting to talk about me, my hobbies, my family, the history of my house, my future plans.  Karen reviewed my drawings and we talked more.  This simple, first impression was key to her success of being chosen above the others. However, the fact that Karen took the time to understand me and my desires and expectations was the key component to the overall success of my project.
Karen continued to impress me during every stage of my extensive project:  the unique fixed priced stages of her services, her insight of my wants and needs and the talent to design the exact home for me (which by the way looked nothing like my
notebook drawings), her skill to squeeze every inch of living space available in every room and on every floor, her commitment and dedication to ensure my home was built by the contractor to her specifications and our approval, the kindness to celebrate upon completion. 
My house grew from 1,100 square feet to 3,500.  ZERO CHANGE ORDERS OCCURRED DURING MY WHOLE HOUSE RENOVATION.  Hopefully, my emphasis is understood, because a great deal of money was saved because of Karen's exact, detailed blueprints and the talent to know that I would love it ? and I do ?still ? EIGHT YEARS LATER! 
I proudly have given my permission for Karen to use me as a reference. Sheof course has impressive, before/after pictures of my home, but I will be glad to provide more details if desired.

After interviewing six architects, we selected Karen (Transforming Architecture).  The reason for our choice was primarily because she is extremely well organized and methodical in her process.   We also reviewed pictures of various projects that she has designed which showed us she was well suited for the task.  After signing the contract, she sat down and walked us through the process.  We exchanged ideas and she identified ways for us to help communicate our vision to her.  She completed the pre-design step (field measuring) within a few weeks after our first meeting. 
After the pre-design step, she started working on the Schematic Design for the overall project (all three phases).  This is where we would communicate our vision to her and she would provide three schematic (conceptual level) designs and 3D renderings.  We communicated our thoughts through a series of pictures found on various websites as well as providing a list of our requirements and preferences.  Within a few weeks, Karen produced a set of three designs and 3D renderings for us to review.  The purpose of these designs was to provoke new ideas and directions that we didn't think of on our own.   After further discussions, Karen completed the schematic design step for the entire project.
Once the Schematic Design step was completed, we began working on the construction documents of Phase One (deck).  During this step, she provided us with detailed options/questions regarding color, features, etc. and we made our selections.  After the construction documents of this phase were completed, we began the process of selecting the builder.  Karen sent the bid (construction) documents out to several builders and I interviewed each of them.  In the end, we chose one of the builders she had recommended.  We are currently planning to begin the deck construction in early summer 2014 as the weather begins to warm up.
Karen has an outgoing personality and is fun to work with.  She is very creative and shares her ideas and thoughts.  Throughout the process, Karen has been very patient and understanding with us.  I don't know if there would be many other architects that would be the same way.  Because we don't have an urgent timetable and because of my meticulous nature, we have slowed the process up considerably.  In fact, I would guess that I am probably one of Karen's most challenging clients.  We have been able to carefully and thoroughly consider the designs as well as socialize them with our friends and family to make sure that we are heading in the right direction. 
So, although we chose Karen because she is well organized, independent of any builders and has compatible aesthetics, she has also shown us that she can be very imaginative with her designs and is very patient with her clients. Overall, we are very pleased that we chose her to be our architect.  We would recommend her to others in a heartbeat.

The cost was approximately $1000-$2000. I can’t quite remember.

They were excellent.  We are still deciding on whether to pursue these plans.  Karen was very professional, easy to work with and knowledgeable.  Appointments were kept in a timely manner.  We got a good value for the money.  I would recommend their services to anyone.

They are a five star company.  They were always available when we needed them.  They were extremely professional and specifically  Karen handled the subcontractors in a super professional way.  She's very creative and has a good abilitity to visualize outcomes that prevent construction issues such as where to put windows and railings, etc.  She anticipates things well.  She handled the structural redesigns on the road.  She gave us the corrections to the structural problems the next morning.  Their prices were very economical.

Our experience with Karen was excellent.  She strives to provide value.  She is professional and creative as well as budget conscious.  Her experience with remodelers was very helpful and knowing she was there and interested in the quality of the project was reassuring.  Her flat rate method of billing was simple and straightforward and allowed us to have greater confidence in our own budgeting.

Ms. Karen Pitsley, owner of Transforming Architecture, provides fix-fee, phase-based architectural services.   Interested in a screened in porch addition, my husband and I paid $1800 for phase 1 of the planning.  My husband received and signed the contract.  After the contract was signed by my husband, before any work was started, I discussed my hesitations with Ms. Pitsley and she said “I understand, but I have a signed contract.”  Though her comment was dismissive, heavy-handed, and disrespectful, Ms. Pitsley was correct so I let her into my house to earn the phase 1 work for which we had paid $1800.  Little did I know, after she took measurements, she was already in phase 2 and we owed her another $3800!  To be honest, the whole misunderstanding was my fault because I never saw/read the contract (she e-mailed it to my husband only).  Despite being at blame for letting this occur, I feel cheated because Ms. Pitsley simply drew the footprint of box on the back of our house and congratulated herself.   Please find an architect who produces a deliverable before they present you with a $5600 bill.