Dan Phipps Architects

Dan Phipps is a great listener and great follow through on changes. He designed the remodel of our home, with special attention to the kitchen and two new bathrooms. Great ideas and assisted in the permit process. The permit to building process was painless and quick. (in a city that projects could take years to permit)

We hired DPA to renovate a house in San Francisco after seeing his work at another house we were considering. Dan and his team were a joy to have on our team. Dan's creative problem solving, design sense, and ability to work with our whole team made the process as smooth as it could have been. And, we couldn't be more thrilled with the outcome.

I first worked with Dan in 1998. A few years before then, I had purchased a beautiful, circa-1911 Edwardian in San Francisco that Dan had re-designed some years before. That earlier project might more appropriately be called "re-engineered": the resulting structure was rock-solid but the finishes left something to be desired, and it was time to give the house the level of polish it deserved. Impressed with the caliber of the earlier work, I contacted the previous owner to find out who had done such a masterful job. Dan Phipps, the previous owner said, and I set forth to find him. When I contacted Dan, he was excited to return to a previous project and to take it to another level. From the moment we met, I felt comfortable and secure with Dan, his vision and judgment about what would or would not work in remodeling the house. Dan is more than just a structural architect; he has a wonderful sense of color, finish, flow -- in short, how a house should live and how its people can celebrate living in it. Of course, as do they all, the remodel involved more complexities than we anticipated, but Dan and crew managed it all flawlessly. He's meticulous about keeping tabs on a project's status and remains involved throughout. That house remains probably my favorite of the eight houses I've owned. But when it came time to move from that house to a smaller one, I again called Dan. And so we did remodel number two -- smaller in scale and one that involved more design challenges than the first. Dan was a calm and centering force throughout. Then, in 2010, it was time to remodel my second home and, once again, I went to Dan. That was a more remote site that also involved structural challenges, and Dan and his crew coordinated at a masterful level. Dan works routinely with several contractors and so has built relationships that result in cooperation and relatively timely completion. Always on budget? No remodel ever is, and the delays had as much to do with my changes as anything on Dan's or the contractor's end. Dan doesn't just talk "architecture." He talks living, use of space, color, light, and all of the things that make a home warm, livable and inviting. He is easy to work with and never comes off as "the expert" -- it's a partnership. His staff and associates are thoroughly professional, responsive, and lots of fun. I just wish I had more years left to do more projects, though Dan and I do joke about how he eventually will do the remodel in my retirement home, where we will install grab bars on every available shower wall!

Timeless, functional, and beautiful design. Experienced and professional. I am a repeated client of DPA - total of four projects, so far. DPA will always be my architect.

Having hired DPA for several small to large important ones, both on personal and professional development projects, I have found the creative work of their firm takes into account the clients wishes and budget which is not actually frequent in the field. The work was produced on time for a reasonable cost in a professional, but friend manner. I can recommend this firm without reservation unconditionally.