--- title: "Blecher Building + Urban Design | BBUD — Architects & Building Designers | Houzz" canonical_html_url: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/blecher-building-urban-design-bbud-pfvwus-pf~151472839 markdown_url: https://www.houzz.com/md/professionals/pf~151472839.md entity_type: LocalBusiness business_name: "Blecher Building + Urban Design | BBUD" category: ["Architects"] image: https://st.hzcdn.com/fimgs/ae734d6c09e71b49_8025-w400-h400-b0-p0--.jpg address: "San Francisco 94110, United States" latitude: 37.7509 longitude: -122.4153 phone: "(415) 364-8478" website: http://www.bbudesign.com rating: 4.6 review_count: 10 best_of_houzz_awards: 2 followers: 12 last_updated: 2026-09-27 --- # Blecher Building + Urban Design \| BBUD Original Houzz profile: [Blecher Building + Urban Design \| BBUD](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/blecher-building-urban-design-bbud-pfvwus-pf~151472839) ## Professional summary - **Primary category:** Architects - **Location:** San Francisco - **Serves:** San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Daly City, Albany, Napa, Alameda, South San Francisco, San Bruno, Pacifica, Emeryville, Tamalpais-Homestead Valley, Piedmont, Sonoma, Tiburon, Sausalito, Fair Haven, Belvedere, Brisbane, Broadmoor, Marin City, Colma, Muir Beach, Belvedere Tiburon, Bergen County, Marin, New Jersey - **Houzz rating:** 4.6 out of 5 (10 reviews) - **Best of Houzz:** 2 awards (2021–2024), for Service. ## About ### Houzz Badges - Recommended on Houzz - 10 Ideabook Saves - Locally owned - References available - Offers Custom Work Blecher Building + Urban Design (BBUD) provides comprehensive architectural design and planning of inspiring, productive and sustainable buildings and spaces for homeowners, businesses, developers and institutions. BBUD’s experienced and professionally diverse staff shapes the aesthetic, social, technical, and economic goals of our clients into great projects that benefit our clients and the community throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. We are best known for transforming physical and administrative challenges into opportunities by finding productively novel design solutions at all scales. Expertise BBUD serves a wide range of clients for new construction, complex addition and renovation projects. For our residential clients we design custom houses (urban homes, suburban homes and ultra-luxury dwellings), speculative residential developments, Accessory Dwelling Units (also known as “ADUs,” “in-law units,” and “backyard homes”) and both market rate and below market rate multi-family residential developments. For our commercial and institutional clients we design offices, national chain retail roll-outs and neighborhood retail stores including food service establishments. Project locations include Arizona, California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Texas. Approach BBUD collaborates on a solutions-based design approach with clients, builders, consultants, community members and government officials. We recognize the commitments of space and time by both our clients and the surrounding community over the arc of design and construction for a lifetime of occupancy. Our deep respect for those commitments shape our designs and inform our outreach to stakeholders. Moreover, we holistically design sustainable buildings and sites with immediate wellness and energy efficiency benefits to occupants and owners as well as long-term environmental benefits to communities and regions. ### Services Provided - Architectural Design - Building Design - Home Remodeling - Architectural Drawings - Custom Homes - House Plans - New Home Construction - Home Additions - Home Extensions - Kitchen Design - Sustainable Design - Kitchen Remodeling - Energy-Efficient Homes - Floor Plans - 3D Rendering - Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) - Green Building - Bathroom Design - Space Planning - Guesthouse Design & Construction - Universal Design - Multigenerational Homes - Pool House Design & Construction - Home Restoration - Drafting - Historic Building Conservation - Project Management - Handicap-Accessible Design - Outdoor Kitchen Design - Barn Design & Construction - Structural Engineering - Basement Remodeling - Mudroom Design - Basement Design - Attic Conversion - Tiny House Construction - Staircase Design - Deck Design - Garage Design - Site Preparation - Laundry Room Design - Landscape Plans - Modular Home Additions - Home Gym Design & Construction - Prefab Houses - Rooftop Deck Installation - Earthquake Retrofitting - Log Home Construction - Dock Design & Construction - Custom Home ### Areas Served - San Francisco - Oakland - Berkeley - Daly City - Albany - Napa - Alameda - South San Francisco - San Bruno - Pacifica - Emeryville - Tamalpais-Homestead Valley - Piedmont - Sonoma - Tiburon - Sausalito - Fair Haven - Belvedere - Brisbane - Broadmoor - Marin City - Colma - Muir Beach - Belvedere Tiburon - Bergen County - Marin - New Jersey ## Business Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Business Name | Blecher Building + Urban Design \| BBUD | | Address | San Francisco 94110, United States | | Phone | (415) 364-8478 | | Website | http://www.bbudesign.com | | Followers on Houzz | 12 | **Social profiles:** - Facebook — http://www.facebook.com/BBUD.BlecherBuildingAndUrbanDesign/ - Blog — http://www.facebook.com/BBUD.BlecherBuildingAndUrbanDesign/ ## Contact - **Houzz profile:** [Blecher Building + Urban Design \| BBUD](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/blecher-building-urban-design-bbud-pfvwus-pf~151472839) - **Website:** http://www.bbudesign.com - **Phone:** (415) 364-8478 ## Credentials **Certifications & Awards** - Architect Licenses: California, New Jersey - NCARB Certified - LEED AP Building Design + Construction (LEED AP BD+C) - Certified GreenPoint Rater - **Best of Houzz:** 2 awards (2021–2024), for Service. **Affiliations** - [American Institute of Architects, San Francisco](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/schools-and-organizations/american-institute-of-architects-san-francisco-pfvwus-pf~788533068) - [The American Institute of Architects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/schools-and-organizations/the-american-institute-of-architects-pfvwus-pf~1350720471) - [GreenPoint Rated](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/media-and-bloggers/greenpoint-rated-pfvwus-pf~789997748) - [U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/schools-and-organizations/u-s-green-building-council-usgbc-pfvwus-pf~1797160658) ## Reviews **Overall rating: 4.6 out of 5 — 10 reviews** *Aspect averages:* - Work Quality: 5.0 - Communication: 5.0 - Value: 5.0 ### All 10 reviews **★★★★★ — Robert Lorenzen, Jan. 2026** > Howard helped my family work through the complexity of splitting a duplex into two condos. It was a challenging projects with lots of hurdles. Howard did an amazing job navigating us through everything. He was a wonderful partner to work with! **★★★★★ — Patricia, June 2024** > I just wanted it all done quickly - but Howard slowed me down so that it was all done ONCE without a lot of grief. Because of Howard we had very few change orders. Howard takes the time to get it right before you tear out the walls. He worked really well with our contractor and all of the vendors who had a hand in our project. > > I have a very difficult kitchen with three doors, and Howard spent hours in that room to figure out a great layout. > > He was the calm in every storm (and every construction project has a storm or two!) **★★★★★ — HU-583987401, May 2024** > Howard came to us on strong recommendation. I've been hearing about the quality of his work for years through mutual professional cohorts, and thought we'd have him out for a consult for an ADU we are thinking of building on our property. He is very thorough, has a strong attention to detail, and takes a very calm, patient approach to his work. Howard is clearly a skilled architect who brings resourcefulness and creativity to his work - it's evident in what he produces. We'd highly recommend Howard to anyone considering home redesign or new construction! **★★★★★ — edward landesberg, March 2023** > Howard is one of the kindest, most patient, and highest integrity people I've worked with. He worked for us on our first home renovation. Going into the project, we had no experience and had floundered quite a bit to select the best plans and people to work with throughout the project. Howard went way above and beyond what we expected from him as our architect. Not only was his work outstanding, but he helped educate and mentor us and consistently advocated on our behalf with all the other parties involved. He absolutely always had our interest at heart. He did so much for us that we expected to get a big bill at the end of the project, but his billing was also extremely reasonable. We will absolutely use Howard again for any meaningful projects we pursue in the future and would highly recommend him to anyone looking for an architect (or even on the fence about getting one, as we were initially). **★★★★★ — Preston Libby, Jan. 2023** > Howard and team are very knowledgeable with everything related to our project; a residential home remodel & new construction of our Accessory Dwelling unit / garage buildout of our two-story building. From the design phase to the permitting process, his proactiveness and foresight throughout those phases have made it much easier to navigate the tough and sometimes complicated situations that can easily be missed by someone who isn't as knowledgable. He is always more than willing to help us find solutions to any situations that have come up. Overall, it's been a pleasure to work with him and his team. It's also been such a treat to see his concepts come to life with the carefully thought out designs he's helped us with. **★★★★★ — Sue & Neil B., Jan. 2023** > Howard was our architect for a complete home remodel. We were very impressed by the thought he put into making the most of each space. > > Among the improvements we added a covered front porch, took out two closets for a more “open concept,” transformed a closet into an extra bathroom, re-sided the house, refinished a large deck, totally reorganized two other bathrooms and transformed the kitchen. > > We started the project with several thoughts about what we wanted and Howard responded to our goals and ideas, helped develop them in innovative ways and brought new ideas to the table that improved our home in significant ways. For one example, he figured out a way to improve our hall closets and the layout of an existing bathroom all while opening up a hallway serving those spaces that had been dark and tight. He also helped us evaluate technically and aesthetically a location that we hadn't considered for a new full bathroom which turned out great. He also presented several great options for our covered front porch that helped us dial in the design. > > Howard provided expertise as far as materials and finishes. From tile to paint and glass shower doors, he made sure that what we chose made sense and would be durable. He also helped vastly improve the interior and exterior lighting of our home. > > Most importantly, Howard worked well with our contractor. Together we discussed all angles to the project, with frequent calls and updates. Even in COVID times, we finished on time and on budget. > > For these reasons, we highly recommend BBUD. **★★★★★ — Alexandra Crane Landesberg, Dec. 2022** > Howard was integral to the success of our home renovation project. We had never done renovations and without Howard's guidance, we would have been lost. From our first phone call, Howard provided excellent advice overall about the renovation process. His input into who to select as our contractor and designer, led to having an incredible team. > > Most importantly, Howard's vision for our home totally transformed the space. We knew we wanted to add a bathroom, a bedroom and laundry room upstairs and Howard quickly came up with multiple options that made SO MUCH better use of the space. We thought we would need to compromise on all of things we wanted but with Howard's approach, we did not. > > Throughout the renovation process, Howard was incredibly thorough and responsive. We could always count on Howard to call out details or considerations we would have otherwise missed during weekly project walk throughs. We even left for two months during the renovation and felt comfortable doing virtual walk-throughs because of the talented team with whom we were working. > > We also found Howard very easy and enjoyable to work with, which made the experience that much better. We're thrilled with the end of result of our renovation project and have Howard's thoughtful design and involvement to thank. We recommend him very highly! **★ — Lance Martin, Nov. 2022** > We have been waiting over 1 year for this guy to give us a final bill. > > By our accounting he owes us over 1,000 > > He has promised over and over to get to it tomorrow and then gives us no response > > I cannot recommend Howard for this reason. **★★★★★ — Sv Mist, Oct. 2020** > "In addition to his cutting edge design work, Howard is thorough, vigilant and proficient at handling challenging local bureaucracies. He keeps things moving, letting nothing slip through the cracks. I wouldn't even consider working with another architect in the Bay Area. Working with Howard and his team is a complete pleasure." -Susan Travers **★★★★★ — stsnip, June 2020** > "In addition to his cutting edge design work, Howard is thorough, vigilant, and proficient at handling challenging local bureaucracies. He keeps things moving, letting nothing slip through the cracks. I wouldn't even consider working with another architect in the Bay Area. Working with Howard and his team is a complete pleasure." -Susan Travers ## Selected projects - [New Custom Home, El Cerrito, CA](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/new-custom-home-el-cerrito-ca-pj-vj~6269842) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 9 - Description: We designed and sited this 3,000 sq. ft. (4 bedroom/3 bathroom) home to beautifully and functionally enhance the property. This house is loaded with the best combination of contemporary fixtures and finishes with the details that fit right in with the neighborhood. - [Mill Valley Remodel](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/mill-valley-remodel-pj-vj~6269878) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 6 - Description: We remodeled this home with a new kitchen, updated living room and an updated bath. We reconfigured the rear wall with large openings to take advantage of the stunning views. - [San Francisco Inner Richmond New Duplex](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/san-francisco-inner-richmond-new-duplex-pj-vj~6269854) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 15 - Description: In this remodel and addition in the Inner Richmond district of San Francisco we created a duplex unit by finishing ground floor space and connecting it to the original second floor. The resulting unit has four baths, four bedrooms, kitchen, laundry, garage, patio, decks, etc. This is a complex project requiring extensive foundation and structural steel work to convert a 1912 flat into a contemporary open plan residence with period details. - [Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) in Menlo Park](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/accessory-dwelling-unit-adu-in-menlo-park-pj-vj~6269884) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 5 - Description: New Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) design-build project with Valley Home Development. [See all 4 projects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/blecher-building-urban-design-bbud-pfvwus-pf~151472839) ## Ideabooks - [878-880 32nd Ave: Kitchen](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/69633179/list/878-880-32nd-ave-kitchen) — 11 ideas [See all 1 ideabook](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/howardbbud) --- *Source: Houzz professional profile. Reflects the profile as of 2026-09-27.*