Get matched with top architects in Perryman, MD

"I would highly recommend Annlynn Best. She is extremely knowledgeable and professional. I am so pleased with my new kitchen. It absolutely exceeded my expectations. I will be utilizing her talents for future projects."

"The project included removing a sunroom addition from the house. We had items stolen from the house, complete lack of communication (including dropping workers off at the house and leaving them unsupervised on days scheduled as "no work" on the project calendar), and complete lack of detail to the finishing touches. The project also included work on a bathroom where pipes were left uncapped/dripping and the pipe access wall area not finished prior to installing the vanity. The entire project was a nightmare. "

"I am not please with this company in multiple ways. But I will only address the management. Had my light switch replaced to newer white switches during kitchen remodel. Light were replaced, but the first day the switch was wired incorrectly. Mr Raul was very professional and replaced them and showed my son they worked but the same box was connected to my Reese light which were never turned on. So when I got home I turned on the Reese lighting and we heard a big boom. Of course I thought maybe the breaker went out and went to reset but the lights still didn't come on. So I sent a text to the team to inform them on the situation and asked Raul if he could send over a Master Electrician. The next Morning I received a call from Management they wouldn't be able to send someone out and it was technically my problem. I explained we just purchased the home and it went through a full inspection including error they found and fixed before we purchased the home. Also we had the VA do another ins"

"I have reached to ZeroDraft to have an energy audit and understand the pain/major concerns in the house. All throughout my journey, the response from ZeroDraft was handled in a professional manner. I was updated in every stage right from scheduling to in-home consultation. The Energy Consultant arrived on time and explained the process. It took some few hours, and I was explained the issue like: Air leakage in the attic, poor insulation in the basement, aged electric water heater etc. I also, took their proposal to replace the old 50-gallon electric water heater to state of the art: Hybrid electric water heater pump which has a better energy rating. I am very happy with the service, and I am recommending "ZeroDraft" to all al my online friends and will surely utilize their service in any point of time."

"Excellent company to work with; The owner and his son listened our needs and helped us design a functional space that was perfect for our family. Workers were all prompt, reliable, communicative, friendly and worked very hard during cold times. Thanks DD for a great first experience and we look forward to many more."

"My wife and I are first time homebuyers. When we bought our home last January we knew that we would need a complete remodel of our kitchen. It was in especially sorry shape, with cabinets literally falling apart and electrical wiring and plumbing that was out-of-code. Of course, before we could start our planned remodel COVID hit, which complicated our plans for updating our kitchen even further. In hindsight, I severely underestimated just how difficult it is to find an honest, skillful, and economic contractor. Luckily for my wife and I, Horizons Unlimited is all of those things, and so much more. To outline the weaknesses of each of the other firms we spoke with during this whole process would take far too long. Suffice it to say that Horizons Unlimited was the only firm that we found that had impeccable integrity and provided high-quality remodeling services at a fair price. In fact, we searched for many months and spoke to dozens of contracting firms before we found Horizons Unlimited. During this search process we encountered our fair share of folks who were less contractors and more high-pressure salespeople. In one instance, a contractor from a large local contracting firm came to inspect our kitchen and gave us a verbal estimate that fit our price range. Later, after half a dozen unanswered calls and emails, he sent a contract for us to sign that quoted a price nearly double what he stated verbally. His reasoning was that due to COVID there was an increased demand for remodeling, and therefore the price for his firm’s services would be higher. In another instance, a small mom and pop company gave us a remarkably low quote. However, when we asked whether certain work left out of their bid would need to be done in order to meet code, we were essentially told not to worry about having to meet new electrical code requirements. I only describe these two instances to highlight just how different Horizons Unlimited is. The team at Horizons Unlimited is transparent and operates with absolute integrity. Bill is a handshake deal kind of guy. Old school in the absolute best way. Whenever I had a question about the project Bill would shoot it to me straight, even when it was news that I did not want to hear necessarily. For example, due to increased demand for remodeling materials, the cabinet supplier delayed delivering or our new cabinets. The Horizons team kept in constant communication with me throughout, giving me updates and outlining how they were working with the supplier to expedite my cabinets. Frankly, Bill and team were bulldogs on my behalf when it came to issues like this. Any other contractor could have easily sat idle while blaming the supplier for the delay. Not Horizons Unlimited. They looped me into their constant communications with the supplier and made sure that our project wouldn’t be delayed a single day longer than absolutely necessary. However, the single most impressive aspect of Horizons Unlimited was their integrity. People are human, and mistakes can happen. During our project one of our knobs was installed in the wrong spot. Now, it would have been easy to hide this mistake. Frankly, I may have never caught it. But that’s just not how Horizon’s Unlimited operates. As soon as it occurred, the called me up, showed me their error, and before the end of the day they had ordered a new cabinet door so that they could correct the mistake. In fact, Bill insisted that he would not accept our final check until he had fixed this issue for us. They had this fixed in less than a week and I happily delivered Bill his well-earned final check. Also, it’s worth adding that my wife and I made a mistake of our own when we were communicating with the Horizons Unlimited team in designing our kitchen. Namely, we ended up needing two cabinets that were larger, and therefore a little more expensive, than our remodel contract had planned. When the shoe was on the other foot, and we were the ones that had messed up, Horizons Unlimited refused to take our extra money. Essentially, they held us harmless for our little error, even though they took full responsibility for their small error. Like I said. The team at Horizons is honest and trustworthy to a degree that is rarely seen anymore. Their work was of the highest quality, and their prices are more than fair. I have many more remodeling projects in mind and will only ever trust my home to Bill and his team at Horizons."

"We just finished a spectacular custom home project in McLean, VA and we are so very grateful to Seth Ballard and his team! If you are considering hiring his firm, look no further. There can be no better architect in the DC/VA/MD area – and his pricing is more than fair. We first picked Seth because we loved his architectural style and heard that he had a reputation for ensuring that his plans are executed with impeccable precision and attention to quality. Also, his references were stellar….without exception, his former clients offered glowing praise for his talent, diligence, and follow-through. And now that we are former clients, we understand why. We always knew we were going to have a gem of a home with Seth at the helm. What we did not fully appreciate at the beginning was his proven ability to help us STAY ON BUDGET and his deep bench of connections with first-rate contractors and subcontractors who were prepared to bend over backward to meet Seth’s exacting standards. Here are just a few highlights from our experience: CONCEPT PHASE: During the initial meetings at our home, Seth went the extra mile to learn all about our lifestyle, future needs, architectural likes/dislikes, and budget. During this stage of the process, he would effortlessly make freehand drawings to help us visualize potential styles and layouts. We ultimately elected to go with a craftsman design, with lots of wood features inside and out. PICKING THE RIGHT PROPERTY: Seth joined us for car rides through the local neighborhoods, helping us to scout out the property that was best suited for our construction plans – free of any potential HOA or permitting snafus. DESIGN: With Seth’s guidance, we iterated on different design options. The design phase was high-tech and highly visual. Lots of 2D and 3D elevations, plus 360-degree videos. At each step, Seth clearly identified the estimated construction cost, and we would make decisions about what to dial-up and what to dial-down. For example, we elected to go with a cheaper asphalt roof (rather than slate), but with a more premium window. There were literally dozens of choices like that, and Seth did a superb job of helping us to make the right trade-offs and to “value engineer” the house. PICKING THE RIGHT CONTRACTOR AND SUBS: One of the things that distinguishes Seth from the competition is that he works closely with a handful of contractors and subcontractors who have already been “pre-screened” for excellence. Seth connected us with a general contractor who was not only honest and diligent, but whose carpentry was truly “artisan grade.” Seth also drew upon a stable of outstanding subcontractors – in areas such as HVAC/plumbing, electrical/lighting, structural engineering, cabinetry, tile, drywall/paint, countertops, hardwood flooring, landscaping, etc. It was perfectly clear that these subs were striving to deliver the highest quality and exemplary service. Why? Because Seth was an important source of repeat business for them. This made them extremely responsive. BUDGETING: Seth developed detailed spreadsheets estimating costs for every aspect of the project, as well as options for “enhancements.” Once we made our choices, he was instrumental in securing a FLAT FEE CONTRACT with the builder (inclusive of subs) for everything we wanted. To provide even more control over the cost, the agreement specified that certain items would be “owner provided, contractor installed.” This meant that, regardless of whether we bought pricey appliances or tile or flooring, it would have no impact of the builder’s fees. To his credit, Seth’s estimates were quite accurate, and the project stayed on budget. ARCHITECT FEES: We negotiated a flat fee for Seth’s architectural services, and got way more than we bargained for. We had no idea Seth would stay so engaged throughout the project -- micromanaging every detail, and even offering interior design suggestions (e.g., stains and paints, cabinet and window designs, furniture layouts, etc.). It became clear that, regardless of how much we had agreed to pay in fees, Seth was “all in,” and was committed to ensuring that the end result was perfection. To be sure, in any large construction project, there will be some hiccups. But this was yet another area where Seth shined. Rather than being indifferent, or pointing the finger at those who were actually at fault, he would step up to “own the problem” and take charge until the issue was resolved. In one such case, he developed a design tweak that saved us money and produced a more beautiful result in the process. We never had to stress too much, because we knew Seth was 100% engaged and we could trust that the final work product would be a treasure of a home. One final thought. While Seth’s tremendous talent is obviously perfect for large custom projects, we have no doubt that he can deliver outstanding value for smaller home renovations too. When we did kitchen/bath renovations in our prior home, we naively thought that a “design-and-build” firm would deliver the best solution. With the benefit of hindsight, we could have done so much better hiring Seth as the independent architect and separately hiring a builder who would be accountable to the architect. The result would have been better quality construction, a better value, and far less stress. So whether you are about to embark on a modest remodel or getting ready to “dream big” with a new custom home, look no further than Ballard Mensua Architecture."