---
title: "Actual-Size Architecture — Architects & Building Designers | Houzz"
canonical_html_url: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/actual-size-architecture-pfvwus-pf~1635850143
markdown_url: https://www.houzz.com/md/professionals/pf~1635850143.md
entity_type: LocalBusiness
business_name: "Actual-Size Architecture"
category: ["Architects"]
image: https://st.hzcdn.com/fimgs/c43372bd011ed46b_4957-w400-h400-b0-p0--.jpg
address: "29 Liberty St, San Francisco, California 94110-2318, United States"
latitude: 37.7509
longitude: -122.4153
phone: "(415) 643-3366"
website: http://actual-size.com
rating: 5
review_count: 7
best_of_houzz_awards: 1
followers: 172
last_updated: 2026-08-16
---

# Actual-Size Architecture

Original Houzz profile: [Actual-Size Architecture](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/actual-size-architecture-pfvwus-pf~1635850143)

## Professional summary

- **Primary category:** Architects
- **Location:** San Francisco, CA
- **Serves:** San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Daly City, South San Francisco, San Bruno, Mill Valley, Emeryville, Tamalpais-Homestead Valley, Piedmont, Tiburon, Sausalito, Brisbane, Belvedere, Muir Beach, Belvedere Tiburon, Petaluma-Santa Rosa-Sebastopol
- **Houzz rating:** 5.0 out of 5 (7 reviews)
- **Best of Houzz:** 1 award (2023), for Service.

## About

### Houzz Badges

- Houzz Influencer
- Recommended on Houzz
- 50,000 Ideabook Saves
- Award winning
- Published locally
- 20 years in business

Geoffrey Scott Gainer brings daylight and innovative spacial play to homes in San Francisco, the North Bay, and lower peninsula.  His award-winning practice has been finding fresh solutions to complex criteria for twenty years.  

Geof’s work and writings have appeared in The Architectural Review, Fine Homebuilding, The Financial Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Sacramento Bee, San Francisco Magazine, and the book Good Green Kitchens, by Jennifer Roberts.

### 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
- Floor Plans
- Energy-Efficient Homes
- 3D Rendering
- Bathroom Design
- Green Building
- Space Planning
- Drafting
- Attic Conversion
- Staircase Design
- Construction Drawings

### Areas Served

- San Francisco
- Oakland
- Berkeley
- Daly City
- South San Francisco
- San Bruno
- Mill Valley
- Emeryville
- Tamalpais-Homestead Valley
- Piedmont
- Tiburon
- Sausalito
- Brisbane
- Belvedere
- Muir Beach
- Belvedere Tiburon
- Petaluma-Santa Rosa-Sebastopol

### Typical Job Cost

$300,000 - 1.3 million

Costs of course vary widely depending on scope of work, quality of construction, and level of detail. Construction costs are usually around 85% of total costs, the remainder being soft costs such as architectural fees, engineering fees, planning and building department fees, and a variety of other minor expenses.

## Business Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Business Name | Actual-Size Architecture |
| Address | 29 Liberty St, San Francisco, California 94110-2318, United States |
| Phone | (415) 643-3366 |
| Website | http://actual-size.com |
| License Number | C-27762 |
| Followers on Houzz | 172 |

**Social profiles:**
- Facebook — http://www.facebook.com/geoffrey.gainer
- X (Twitter) — https://twitter.com/GeofGainer
- LinkedIn — http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=5264879&trk=tab\_pro
- Blog — http://www.actual-size.com/blog/

## Contact

- **Houzz profile:** [Actual-Size Architecture](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/actual-size-architecture-pfvwus-pf~1635850143)
- **Website:** http://actual-size.com
- **Phone:** (415) 643-3366

## Credentials

**Certifications & Awards**
- California License C-27762
- Constructed Realities Detail Award, 2012

- **Best of Houzz:** 1 award (2023), for Service.

## Reviews

**Overall rating: 5.0 out of 5 — 7 reviews**

*Aspect averages:*
- Work Quality: 50.0
- Communication: 50.0
- Value: 50.0

### All 7 reviews

**★★★★★ — ari, March 2022**

> After reading about the "The Twelve Principal Ingredients that I’ve established for designing architecture" on his website I was really impressed when I saw one of Geoffrey Gainer's projects in person. His thoughtful and thorough writings were reflected in the details of his design. He solved a few small-space challenges for me recently.
>
> The kitchen he designed was innovative and responded to the limitations and history of the residence. There are so many architects who follow trends -- it's refreshing to find someone who brings raw creativity to the task. The design was efficient and space-saving - perfectly fitting the physical limitations of space. Glass cabinet doors contrasted with wood shelves nicely and put dishes on display without looking cluttered. Graceful touches like unique crown molding abounded.
>
> He brings integrity when working with his clients and provides a deep knowledge of San Francisco planning and building rules and regulations - so I have often relied on him to tame the big dreams I come up with!

**★★★★★ — Arron Apperson, March 2020**

> Geof is a fantastic architect to work with. After an extensive search and multiple on phone, and in-person interviews with multiple firms we picked Geof. Though out the process Geof's knowledge and insight helped guide us to a home we love to live in. We really appreciated his understanding of light and shadow and how to create a welcoming bright home. Geof was willing to meet with us multiple times, to create the floor plans that worked for our lifestyle. We live in a Spanish Revival home in San Francisco. We wanted to change the floor plan and still preserve the original feel of the building. Geof helped us realize our vision. Geof was always available throughout the building process, and we have kept in touch since the project to ask questions and get recommendations.

**★★★★★ — david salem, Dec. 2019**

> We worked with Geof at Actual Size Architecture for complete renovation/expansion project.  From beginning to end, Geof was a complete and talented professional.  He has also become a good friend.  At the beginning, Geof presented us with beautiful ideas and options for our budgets.  After deciding on a plan, we worked together in securing permits (entirely too long a process in SF) and selecting our GC.  Geof held our hands throughout the demolition, construction, and finishing process, as we were doing this for the first time.  The actual construction lasted a little over a year and we are so happy with a new home that our kids can grow up in!

**★★★★★ — Bret Foreman, Dec. 2019**

> Geof is an expert at navigating the labyrinth that is SF planning. He can't make the mess at the planning office go away, but at least he can make it a good deal less painful for the property owner. My project was big and so there were hundreds of aesthetic decisions to make - Geof was able to expertly take charge of many of them, leaving me to look after the parts I cared about most. He was also available nights and weekends when necessary to help accommodate my work schedule. Overall, a great experience.

**★★★★★ — Susan Smyth, Dec. 2019**

> Geoff helped convert a double garage into a family room.  He came with better ideas than we had, made more efficient use of space and the existing structure. He helped us pick the lights, radiator and designed a sweet sliding door that is an efficient use of space. Always with good ideas and integrity, I will always go to Geoff as my first choice as an Architect.

**★★★★★ — jleash, Aug. 2016**

> Geof Gainer (Actual-Size Architecture)  did an addition  of  a bedroom and bathroom as well as a deck and laundry.  I was a novice at undertaking a project like this and he was great to work with, helping with each step of the project. from conception to completion. He is a master at getting light into rooms which was essential for this addition downstairs. Easy- going, he returned all calls and emails promptly and helped with the construction end as well.

**★★★★★ — marycmeyer25, July 2016**

> I've worked with Geof for multiple years on multiple projects and always had the same fantastic experience. He has great vision and I love the ideas he brings to my projects: he is phenomenal with light and space and blending architectural styles. He's also a great listener: I always feel that he recognizes my priorities and sense of style (not to mention my budget) and stays true to that. We live in an old house in San Francisco, where renovations can be challenging, but somehow he's always managed to make my ideas work. He has a great rapport with multiple contractors and introduced us to a contractor we had a wonderful experience with. He is punctual and reliable. I highly recommend him!

## Selected projects

- [Fox House 2](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/fox-house-2-pj-vj~7040811)
  - Location: San Francisco, CA
  - Photos: 10
  - Description: While the main living floor of this house was large, the rooms felt boxed in and dark. The owner asked for the intervening walls to be removed and the stair made more transparent. Skylights were added above, and glass panels installed in the floor, so daylight reaches three floors down.
- [Bogan Residence](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/bogan-residence-pj-vj~23908)
  - Location: San Francisco, CA
  - Photos: 5
  - Description: The owner's nostalgia for his sailing days prompted an open, skylit design to bring sunlight onto a sail-like wall below. This total gut remodel includes an array of curved, mirrored reflector/shades above the skylights. These both reflect sun into the space below during the winter, and shade the skylights from too much sun during the summer. A curved stair to the ground floor evokes the hull of a wood vessel.
- [Punger-Nair Remodel](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/punger-nair-remodel-pj-vj~6985508)
  - Location: San Francisco, CA
  - Photos: 11
  - Description: After removing a central coat closet and laundry, the new kitchen was sandwiched between the stair's only possible location and the area under the 3rd floor loft. A new bank of south-facing windows fills the low-ceilinged kitchen with light.
- [Douglass St Remodel](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/douglass-st-remodel-pj-vj~5989186)
  - Location: San Francisco, CA
  - Photos: 7
  - Description: Natural light illuminates this kitchen through a structural ceiling brace, where first morning light through east-facing gable windows, then noon sun through an existing skylight, and finally afternoon sun through a west-facing attic window all converge. The color of the light in this ostensibly white space shifts through the day. The extensive remodel conjoined what were formerly separate living, dining, and kitchen spaces. The east-facing wall was opened to views of downtown San Francisco beyo…
- [Fox Attic Addition](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/fox-attic-addition-pj-vj~2195942)
  - Location: San Francisco, CA
  - Photos: 8
  - Description: A low-ceilinged attic space was gutted, the roof raised, an new staircase stacked over the old, and dormers added for two bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths, laundry, and a formal dining room accessed with a dumbwaiter in the hall.
- [Spring Kitchen & Dining](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/spring-kitchen-and-dining-pj-vj~39888)
  - Location: San Francisco, CA
  - Photos: 6
  - Description: The goal of infusing this 1894 Queen Anne with a new kitchen was to allow both historic details and modern furnishings to stand together, mutual and complementary. It accommodates between one and three cooks easily, and the custom dining table expands to seat twenty.
- [Holland Stair/Storage](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/holland-stair-storage-pj-vj~39891)
  - Location: San Francisco, CA
  - Photos: 3
  - Description: Closets are suspended in the empty space over a new stair. A skylight and lightwell use the remaining space to wash the stair in daylight.
- [Salem Expansion](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/salem-expansion-pj-vj~1973226)
  - Location: San Francisco, CA
  - Photos: 4
  - Description: This three-story rear expansion to a house in San Francisco's Sunset District sits half a block from Golden Gate Park. The couple needed bedrooms for their growing children, and a rental at the garden level for visiting students. Bedrooms on the top floor, kitchen and dining in the middle, and the rental unit below all look out onto the rear yard. The Japanese mother runs her own catering business, and required a kitchen large enough to prepare multiple courses. Floating cabinets in front of the…
- [Stair Garden](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/stair-garden-pj-vj~6903076)
  - Location: San Francisco, CA
  - Photos: 12
- [Fort-Taylor Remodel](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/fort-taylor-remodel-pj-vj~2197197)
  - Location: San Francisco, CA
  - Photos: 5
- [Patrick-Apperson Remodel](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/patrick-apperson-remodel-pj-vj~5996169)
  - Location: San Francisco, CA
  - Photos: 3
  - Description: A principled environmental ethic drove the exclusive choice of energy-saving lights and appliances, non-toxic finishes, and water-conserving fixtures. The coved ceilings of the original living room were carried throughout this top floor remodel, which the owners infused with a consistent color scheme—both visually extending the space and giving it a unifying cohesiveness.
- [Reed-Newman Shelves](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/reed-newman-shelves-pj-vj~5988014)
  - Location: San Francisco, CA
  - Photos: 4
  - Description: This custom shelf system was designed and installed for a couple of former Peace Corps volunteers who spent their formative years in the South American jungle.
- [Leash Addition](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/leash-addition-pj-vj~1832853)
  - Location: San Francisco, CA
  - Photos: 7
  - Description: A one-story, ground-floor, bedroom addition for a retiree with waning enthusiasm for stairs. A small porch provides easy access to the garden and detached studio. A roof deck serves the kitchen on the first floor above.

[See all 13 projects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/actual-size-architecture-pfvwus-pf~1635850143)

## Ideabooks

- [Glass Stair](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/76889785/list/glass-stair) — 7 ideas

[See all 1 ideabook](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/geof)

## Community Q&A

**Q: where can you buy the suspended shelving?** *(in Photo Questions)*

Love the look!!

A: Hi FDC. Thanks, that was custom made to my designs--threaded rod, stainless tubing for sleeves, left-right couplers for adjustment, and reclaimed VGDF from the wall we took out for shelving.

**Q: what does the other side of this island kitchen look like ?** *(in Photo Questions)*

A: It's on this page: https://www.houzz.com/projects/39888/spring-kitchen-and-dining

**Q: Countertop** *(in Photo Questions)*

What is the countertop material and is it 2cm.  If so is there sub surface for the countertop.

A: It's 3/4" Richlite, no subsurface--I put it directly over a metal frame that cantilevers out from the cabinets below.

**Q: Where did you get the trash can?  How is it attached?** *(in Photo Questions)*

A: I had it made by a local stainless sheet metal fabricator who specialized in restaurant equipment--they did the fold-down sink front and vertical slide-out bin sides as well. I attached it to two hinges from Home Depot that I bent in a vise to the right shape.

**Q: Do you happen to have plans or rough sketches for this pot lid rack?** *(in Photo Questions)*

This is the first lid storage solution I've found that would suit our needs. My husband is a carpenter with experience in custom cabinetry but we have a house rule: I have to produce some sort of plans/sketches/shop drawings for any at home handyman projects!

A: Mine are 2-3/4" off the surface. We've got pots with higher lids now though, which can still fit but if I redid it I'd probably experiment with the rod spacing at 1-3/4" or 2". See what works!

**Q: Island features** *(in Photo Questions)*

I love how you've gotten so much functionality into one island! A question: do the shelves for the pots, knives, etc. to left of the sink have a front or cover? Or are they left open?

A: Sounds pretty snug -- it's nice having about 14-16" or so to the left of the range for hot pots, dishing, etc. So with a 30" range, that would leave a little over two feet to the right. Best way to see if that's right for your cooking style is to mock it up with masking tape on a big table and suss out whether it's adequate.

---

*Source: Houzz professional profile. Reflects the profile as of 2026-08-16.*