Lee Edwards - Residential Design

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Lee is both a grounded professional and consummate designer. He understands that good design has to be based on realities such as codes, budget and space while also emphasizing a complete passion for innovative, beautiful design. He provides super cool, helpful 3-D images that take the guess work out of what the final product will actually look like. Lee is committed to being green in every way possible, which was a priority. He graciously facilitated visits to previous clients to see his work first-hand which was astounding. The contractor that he recommended was a joy to work with in every capacity-which is almost a miracle in and of itself! Although my budget and project were small, Lee consistently provided the highest quality of service. Lee earned every bit of my respect and gratitude.

In 2011 we finished a complete renovation of the second floor in our 1907 home in Roosevelt. Lee Edwards served as the architect and supervised the building process and brought the project home on-time and on-budget (actually a little under budget for his services for the record). Throughout the design process my wife and I felt like he was very responsive to our wishes and concerns. Numerous iterations were done on the plans to make sure we had a plan that everyone was happy with (the assistance of his architect wife Megan in our design reviews was invaluable as well). Once we moved to the building process everything went smoothly. We live in an old home which is full of challenges as nothing is actually square and there are all kinds of surprises lurking behind the lathe and plaster. We were matched with a builder we enjoyed who employed top quality subs and in the end we are extremely happy with our new living area. I very highly recommend Lee for your project.

From the moment we decided to purchase the home we entered into a special relationship with Lee Edwards, Nelse Construction, and the dedicated construction team. I have already told most of the story above; however, I can add that the team did everything possible to listen to our input and exceed our expectations. As the site manager, we had a lot of interaction with Lee Edwards. He is not only a visionary when it comes to unique Pacific Northwest-themed architecture and design, but he does an excellent job of listening to his customers. We continually brought our own ideas to Lee during the construction of the home, including our vision for an entertainment center, converting a sewing room into an extra bedroom, and building extra storage spaces above hall closets. Lee took our input and then went above and beyond to surpass the ideas that we brought to him. In addition, beyond just the construction of the home, which was all first class, Lee spent a significant amount of time working with my wife and I to pick out the ideal interior fixtures, top of the line appliances, and the tile, marble, and color schemes that perfectly complemented the house. From the radiant heating system, the Brazilian cherry hardwood floors, the cherry cabinets, to the smooth metal blasted handrails, Lee and team left no detail to chance. The end result culminated in our dream home. We feel extremely blessed to have worked with Lee Edwards and to own one of his incredible creations. He pours his heart and soul into his architectural design and goes above and beyond to make sure his customers are completely satisfied. Everything Lee does is with the best interest of the customer in mind and leads to an A+ customer experience!

Overall, the process went smoothly. He has a very unique 3-dimensional vision. Our house is made of SIP panels (structurally insulated panels) and has visible fir laminated beams throughout. During the process he had to investigate many new materials (e.g. concrete floors for 3rd floor applications) and new BUILT GREEN technologies. He was very open to looking into the latest and greatest applications and helping us weed through our options, while balancing financial and environmentally relevant decisions.
The design process essentially consisted of multiple meetings with him where we would express our vision and he would describe his vision. By the next meeting he would have rough drafts of what the spaces would look like and ideas on how to incorperate specific requests we had. An example- we wanted to be able to entertain people with children, yet not have the children isolated in a closed off room. We also wanted all spaces to have multiple uses. He therefore designed a house where 1/4 of it is offset by 1/2 of a floor. This way the guest room is isolated from the 'family bedrooms', as to not feel as if they are in the middle of everything, and they have access to bathrooms above or below them. In addition, it provided us with a space 1/2 a floor up from the kitchen, dining and living room (open floor plan) where kids can play games, be crazy or watch a show. It also allows a movie to continue to be played, while someone goes to the kitchen to retrieve a drink or snack. It is truely unique.
Lee was also very good at utilizing all the space we had. Because Seattle has smaller lots, our house is tall which provides us with a sizable back yard. In addition, he cleverly used roof spaces as decks- this resulted in a completely unexpected total deck area of 1000 square feet, yet we still have a roof that is amenable to future solar panels.
Although I believe we could have gotten a cheaper design in the end, I do not think we could have gotten near the quality and uniqueness that Lee provided.
Not that I have worked with other architects, but from what I have heard they can be difficult since they frequently have an 'artists' vision which can be very personal. Lee always listened to our desires, provided his and quot;takeand quot; on the idea and then in the end would do what we wanted (be it his idea or ours).

Lee is an excellent designer and always takes the time to make sure the final product is top notch. I have worked with many designers and architects over the years and Lee's willingness to see the project through to the end is key to the success of any construction project.