"John came out and looked at several issues, determined them to be cosmetic not structural and wrote a certified letter to that effect. We got great peace of mind from his visit."

"Good engineer and very responsive."

"Very responsive and extremely professional"

"Mr. McCann came out to assess the water and carpenter ant damage to a wall and foundation sill plate of our home. He was able to quickly evaluate the problem area and provide the structural engineering report and repair task list we needed to get contractor bids on the reconstruction project. Highly recommended."

"This review is long overdue.  We can?t really express
how happy we are with our new house that Char designed.  We hired Char to
design our remodel in 2013/2014.  When I say remodel, that is a bit of an
understatement, as we took a 700 square foot house to approximately 1,900
square feet, which included adding a basement.  It is essentially a new
home, and we couldn?t be more happy with it.  We did the majority of the
work ourselves, which is one reason it?s taken us this long to sit down and
write a review.  Although having a baby 1 month before the excavators came
added a bit to the complexity of things...  The project pushed us to our
limits, and a little beyond at times, but it has all been worth it.  Our 2
year old son absolutely loves to run around and scoot across our big long
hardwood floors on his little scooter.  There is quite a runway now, and
he definitely takes advantage of it.
But back to the review.  We knew the basic idea of what
we wanted, but we needed an architect to draw up the plans.  We wanted to
hire someone local, and Char was great.  Char really knows the code
requirements which helped a lot getting the plans through the permitting
process.  We drafted up a general floor plan before hiring Char, and she
provided a lot of good ideas and helped us refine the design to work more
efficiently in the given space.  This turned out to be a lot more
important than I thought because it?s hard to visualize how a space will flow
and function from a simple floor plan.  Char also knows a lot of
professionals in the industry, which is great when it comes to engineering calculations,
truss design, etc.    
We really like the neighborhood we?re in, and it was
important for us that our new space match the character of the original
house.  You see a lot of remodeled houses that are cute in front, with a
big ugly 2-story box sticking up in the back.  We wanted to avoid this and
worked hard to make the addition look like it was always a part of the
house.  We also wanted the house to retain its ?small? appearance from the
front, and we didn?t want to use up all of our backyard either.  We ended
up with a perfect house.  Our neighbor across the street who was born
there in the late 1940?s told us he can?t even remember what the house used to
look like - he said it really just looks like it?s always been there (and it?s
only been 2 years). 
I would definitely recommend hiring Char if you need an
architect or design help.  Beyond her architectural skills, she is very
personable and easy to work with.  She came out to our house many times to
review drawings with us, go over edits, and discuss various ideas.  She
was very accommodating, and even helped us get the plans through the permitting
process.  Thank you so much Char, we really love our new house, and
couldn?t have done it without your help.
Katie and Nathan Moxley
West Seattle  


"

"Quality craftsmanship. Polite and courteous to deal with. Great follow through. Easy communication. A pleasant experience."

"Ward Engineering began working with Jared of Cornerstone Home Designs approximately 3 years ago to perform residential design work using Chief Architect design software. I find Jared to be the most capable Chief Architect designer I have ever worked with. Jared is very efficient and thorough at developing the residential Chief Architect models. In addition to being competent, Jared makes himself available to provide personal 1-on-1 training over the internet, which has been a huge blessing to our company and clients."

"Professional, on time and on budget. Recommended engineer."

Refine Design is a residential architecture firm specializing in custom homes, additions, and major renovations throughout the Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond, and Snohomish areas. We believe great homes begin with understanding the people who live in them. Our collaborative process keeps homeowners involved from the earliest concepts through permitting and construction-ready plans.\n\nEvery project is shaped by the client's lifestyle, goals, budget, and the unique opportunities of the site. We focus on creating meaningful spaces that capture views, bring people together, and enhance daily living. Through thoughtful planning and design, we help clients maximize the value of their investment while creating architecture that feels timeless, functional, and uniquely their own.

"BT Engineers LLC did the tenant improvement design for our new space, and they did an amazing job. Our permits were approved very quickly. They were responsive and helpful throughout the whole process! I would highly recommend them!"