Ambrose Lobato Design Build

I found Ambrose in Craig's List. I was hesitant at first but after meeting with him my concerns dissipated. His "off the top of his head", knowledge of city codes and restrictions impressed me greatly. He didn't need to guess, he knew. I say this because a seasoned architect that I called for a bid on my job, stumbled and stuttered his way through most of my fairly simple questions, which did not instill confidence in his abilities. Ambrose was different. My father was a contractor therefore: I have some knowledge of structures, codes, etc, so I tossed out a few trick questions that he handled with ease. He is personable, easy going and easy to work with. He provided suggestions and ideas that I hadn't considered. As a single woman, I felt comfortable working with him. I only mention this because in the past I've run into condescending attitudes when dealing in the building repairs/remodel arena. His rates were extremely reasonable for the amount of design work he performed. Actually, his rate was less then half amount of the other two servicers I called for bids. In addition, every "A-Grade" Angie's List contractor that bid on my project, praised the level of details in the design work from Ambrose Lobato Design/Build. The only downside is, it took a lot longer then I expected, to get my design and permit finalized. Not having gone through this process before, I'm not certain if that was the norm or not. Delays are expected of course, especially once things are passed to another entity for their part (structural engineer, city planners, etc), so I can't say if the delay was due to Ambrose or not. I do know the city had the plans for over two months before they returned to him for a revision. However, if I ever go through this process again, the contract will define work completion dates to ensure things get handled in a timely manner and that will help me understand expectations better. What I can say is, Ambrose responded in a timely manner to all of my correspondences which generally happened via email (my preferred method). If I give any advice on this process of obtaining construction plans and permits, I'd recommend that one contact the city beforehand for information on, costs associated with the permit process, the timeline for processing once the city has control of the documents, request permit status updates personally, if delays are longer then expected and above all, insist on a reasonable completion date for plan submission from the designer.