Laura Kraft - Architect

Description of Work: We hired Laura to draw up plans for a basement remodel on a 1919 bungalow (it was just an old, unfinished basement, so we were starting from scratch). We met with her and gave her ideas and a wish list we were thinking of, and she asked us lots of questions to get a good sense of what we were looking for. She came to the house to get a sense of the space and what we wanted to do with it. Within a fairly short time period she then drew up a detailed set of plans (including details on some concrete work needed on the foundation, after a consult with a structural engineer) and met with us to go over them. They were very good, but not exactly right -- for example, they would have required us to move our bedroom window on the floor above the basement, which we didn't want to do. She took our concerns and suggestions and within a few days came up with a revised set of plans, which were either spot-on or nearly perfect (there may have been a final slight revision, we just can't recall now). We then hired a contractor, who told us that the plans were very good, and made his job easier. Laura had originally planned to have weekly status meetings, but we got lucky and had a great contractor that we got along with very well, so we determined that it wasn't necessary for her to be involved on a weekly basis, although she was available when questions came up. As we worked with the contractor some issues came up, as they always do, and we revised the plans slightly with him directly, mostly because of mechanical or stylistic things he suggested based on his getting to know our house, and wanting to make the basement fit in with the main part of the house upstairs. Once Laura learned of the reasons for the changes, she was fine with them -- she wasn't a prima donna insisting that her plans be followed to the letter, and recognized that the changes were for the good of the overall project.