Get matched with top architects in Madison, VA

"?Evolution Drafting has been very difficult to work with. I have been passed from employee to employee, with unreturned calls and missed appointments. I am still waiting on a meeting to review the changes we want, yet I keep getting emails with their own concept of our project instead of a proper Teams or Google meeting. I was even sent an email to schedule a ?revision if needed,? which makes it feel like I am being blamed for not accepting a design we have never discussed in detail. My time is as valuable as theirs, and the lack of clear communication and follow?through has been extremely disappointing.? I understand that things happen in life, but I also know they have a phone, and a simple call, text, or email would prevent me from wasting my time waiting on them. I have already paid, and it appears I will not receive the final product until after Christmas and New Year?s. I am disappointed.? "

"Rating 2 star because quality of tiling work is decent. This company is not cheap, but overall work quality is cheap. After completing the bathroom remodel, we found the hand shower was not working. They first blamed Delta, saying it faulty. I called delta customer rep in front of him and delta pointed out the problem with installation. Cutting the new bathroom tile was expensive, so Sosa did something from the back of bathroom by cutting a drywall, and both rain/ hand shower started working. We had the feeling that something is not correct because there was not enough water pressure and water was not warm enough. And here it happened exactly after 2 months, the shower system stopped working. When I called Sosa to check what’s going on and he responded “it was working when I left” . So I had to call another agency, they cut the drywall and showed me the poor quality plumbing done by Sosa. They re-did the plumbing and shower system started working."

"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."

"Good submitted project ideas and nice designs were provided"

"I just wanted to throw a huge shout out to Jenkins Restorations, namely the following individuals: David, Sergio, Nick, and Jamie. First off, David has been the hero we have all needed a ton of times over the last few months. We first met David late 2023 as we were in the process of replacing the floors and found a TON of really terrible damage. It was literally like peeling the layers off of a really moldy-from-the-inside onion where every layer of house that we removed exposed a bigger and more complex issue. David was always prompt, responsive, helpful, professional, helped us through the insurance claim process, and met with our insurance adjuster 3 times? 4 times? He really went out of his way to advocate for us, and we truly felt like we were in good hands. The whole project, which required estimate after estimate, was handled so promptly on the side of Jenkins Restoration, so we were never left waiting for something from them. We were so happy to work with David and his team. Welp, as destiny would have it, we would get to work with Jenkins Restoration again several months later due to one of the children negligently flooding the bathroom sink. While we were never hoping to see David under these circumstances again, we ended up contacting him and within hours? Maybe? We had his water damage team in our house to start mitigation. This is where we met Sergio and Nick, two young and personable professionals who worked in our home from around 3:30pm to 8:00pm-ish to cut out the damaged ceiling, perform moisture readings, set up large dehumidifiers, etc. The VERY next morning, we had Jamie here to assess the situation in order to further assess things. He was super friendly, professional, and honest (about how my husband’s dad jokes were NOT funny – glad I had the opportunity to connect with Jamie on that level). As it stands right now, an adjustor from our insurance company asked if he could come here on Sunday morning to assess the damages. We asked David at some time around 7am if he was available to be present for this, and he responded within seconds that he was. He continues to take care of us and look out for our best interests. I would recommend Jenkins Restoration to anyone who needs some work done as they give us that Chick-Fil-A treatment by treating us like their favorite cousin. 5/5 would recommend, and I would give them MORE stars if I could."

"Working with Steve the owner got contentious. He provided a quote but did not outline the payment schedule. When I questioned it once, he threatened to pull the person on the job. I was quite surprised as it was a job being paid by insurance. He was totally unprofessional and I did not respect him after that. Quality of the work is average. The texture in bathroom needed to be redone as it was inconsistent and did not even come close to the existing texture on the other walls. I was surprised he agreed to redoing that without cost to me."