Art of Building

Saul and Katalin did an amazing job combining our lifestyle needs- a live/work space that can accomodate kids and entertaining-with our somewhat unique sense of style (I'm a horse fanatic- see the fabulous horse print they found for our kitchen). Their team is extremely professional and pay attention to the smallest details, as well as worked to ensure that the impact on our daily lives was as minimal as possible (not easily done with a kitchen remodel). This is the second remodel we've worked with them on (previous was an addition of two bedrooms and a bath) and we'd definitely work with them on our next project or home.

Art of Building professionals envisioned and designed our home with us starting from undeveloped raw wooded land into a comfy little cottage nestled in the woods. The experience and resulting home are beyond anything we could ever have dreamed of or imagined. Art of Building architects studied and graduated under Master Architect Christopher Alexander, Department Head at UC Berkeley. Their work embodies old world design, comfort and relaxed living. We spent time growing the “dream” into the finished product with an interesting and satisfying process. Sharing all the details of our wish list dreams before putting the concepts onto the property (or paper for that matter); the seed of the image became a foot print and then a drawing and on into a mocked up layout. Then details of construction, finishes and colors began to develop. We choose a local builder here in Birchwood, Alaska; Art of Building was our designer and project manager from afar (Berkeley, California). Their project management skills and detailed written contracts saved us a lot of time and money. The contract provided detailed building descriptions along with the blueprints the contractor bid on. The contract with specific details of construction was key to building and maintaining cost during construction. Art of Building architects were available for frequent phone consults and made a few progress review trips as we were building. We developed a respect and appreciation for Art of Building architects as they helped us grow our ideas into a plan that fit our lifestyle and budget. The finished home is warm, comfortable and inviting to all who enter. The experience they shared with us created a home far beyond anything we could ever have imagined in terms of a very pleasing comfortable design meeting our needs. The original design consultation developed into a journey that changed how we view and live in this world. PS – a little jerky and some smoked salmon helped fuel the creative process.