--- title: "Trachtenberg Architects — Architects & Building Designers | Houzz" canonical_html_url: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/trachtenberg-architects-pfvwus-pf~1702982073 markdown_url: https://www.houzz.com/md/professionals/pf~1702982073.md entity_type: LocalBusiness business_name: "Trachtenberg Architects" category: ["Architects"] image: https://st.hzcdn.com/fimgs/94b3e2ba085c0897_1063-w400-h400-b0-p0--.jpg address: "2421 Fourth Street, Berkeley, California 94710, United States" latitude: 37.8696 longitude: -122.2959 phone: "(510) 649-1414" website: http://www.trachtenbergarch.com rating: 5 review_count: 4 best_of_houzz_awards: 1 followers: 139 last_updated: 2026-09-18 --- # Trachtenberg Architects Original Houzz profile: [Trachtenberg Architects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/trachtenberg-architects-pfvwus-pf~1702982073) ## Professional summary - **Primary category:** Architects - **Location:** Berkeley, CA - **Serves:** San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, El Cerrito, Albany, Orinda, Emeryville, Piedmont, Tiburon, Belvedere - **Houzz rating:** 5.0 out of 5 (4 reviews) - **Best of Houzz:** 1 award (2014), for Service. ## About ### Houzz Badges - Houzz Influencer - 10,000 Ideabook Saves The design studio of Trachtenberg Architects, founded in 1991, is committed to excellence in architecture and design. Trachtenberg Architects seeks no stylistic label but strives for innovative and cost-effective solutions developed from a critical understanding of site conditions, program, political realities and budgetary constraints. We interpret site and context, whether a bucolic Northern California vineyard or a blighted urban block, as forces to organize program, circulation and light. The nature of materials – their means of production and connection – are made evident at all scales of the work. Employing a hands-on approach to design and construction, our best work results from active collaborations with clients and builders. We foster productive partnerships with the builders with whom we work, permitting us to integrate their field-based knowledge into our developing projects. Our body of work includes experience with the full range of project types and clients including private homes, developer driven projects, and buildings for non-profit, religious and institutional clients. From the beginning of each project, we work with clients and builders to develop realistic budgets and schedules. We proceed through each project phase measuring project development against these constraints as a way to ensure project success. Through our experience in the field, we have learned to create memorable and high quality spaces without excessive or unnecessary cost. We have extensive knowledge of and success with working with various city agencies including zoning and design review boards and the building departments. Over the years David has built relationships with various city agencies and administrators throughout the Bay Area that helps our projects move forward in a timely fashion. We design using environmentally sensitive and sustainable planning principles, equipment, materials and methods of construction. We are leaders in the Bay Area in the Adaptive Reuse of old buildings and our clients, increasingly, share our commitment to sustainable design. ### Areas Served - San Francisco - Oakland - Berkeley - Alameda - El Cerrito - Albany - Orinda - Emeryville - Piedmont - Tiburon - Belvedere ### Typical Job Cost $250,000 - 5 million ## Business Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Business Name | Trachtenberg Architects | | Address | 2421 Fourth Street, Berkeley, California 94710, United States | | Phone | (510) 649-1414 | | Website | http://www.trachtenbergarch.com | | License Number | C20926 | | Followers on Houzz | 139 | **Social profiles:** - Facebook — http://www.facebook.com/pages/trachtenberg-architects/150909871608094?fref=ts ## Contact - **Houzz profile:** [Trachtenberg Architects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/trachtenberg-architects-pfvwus-pf~1702982073) - **Website:** http://www.trachtenbergarch.com - **Phone:** (510) 649-1414 ## Credentials **Certifications & Awards** - 10 BAHA Awards - LEED AP certifcation - **Best of Houzz:** 1 award (2014), for Service. ## Reviews **Overall rating: 5.0 out of 5 — 4 reviews** ### All 4 reviews **★★★★★ — shantimetz, Nov. 2013** > My husband and I are both design professionals and have worked with Trachtenberg Architects on other projects. We have recently hired them to design our home and are midway through the design process. They have taken who we are as people and designed the perfect space to live and be creative. They have taken the time to understand who we are. Their design is gracious, practical and beautiful. My husband and I are very particular and have a strong point of view and TA has exceeded our expectations, and we have a had a good time working together. **★★★★★ — Andre Carothers, July 2013** > We are big fans of Trachtenberg Architects. David and his colleague Robert took our romantic and inchoate yearnings for a special country house and turned them into a truly livable, lively, and cozy place. > > David and his team did a form of architectural alchemy, transforming a wish into a work of art. > > I am proud that they have photos of our place in their office, and encourage you to take a look. **★★★★★ — wintercreekcottage, June 2013** > When you find a great architect, you want to work with them forever. That's how we feel about Trachtenberg Architects. David, Isaiah, and the whole team created a beautiful design for a nothing-to-write-home-about 40's ranch house that we found in Sonoma, transforming it into a real jaw-dropper without breaking the bank. The process of working with TA was great as well. They listened carefully to our questions and concerns. They were sensitive to the economics and were able to do re-designs for parts of their original design that we wishes we could do but couldn't afford (although someday we'll definitely have them design Phase II). They recommended an excellent contractor in Scout Construction (Mike Frost, in Petaluma), and then interfaced promptly and well with Mike throughout a nine-month project. Their knowledge of design, design sensibilities, and creativity both aesthetically and in their ability to problem-solve, was reassuring and allowed us to relax and even enjoy the process (most of the time!). And we love the results. We just hired Trachtenberg Architects again to design a home office on the property, and look forward to working with them a second time. **★★★★★ — Nate Bosshard, June 2013** > David wants to understand you as a person so he can help create the best design for your needs. Great listener and interpreter of the client needs and always cognizant of budget and reality. ## Selected projects - [Private Residence and office](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/private-residence-and-office-pj-vj~135207) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 11 - [Favorite details](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/favorite-details-pj-vj~135309) - Location: Berkeley, CA - Photos: 12 - Description: Corten steel shed - [Rose Street Townhouses](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/rose-street-townhouses-pj-vj~134799) - Location: Berkeley, CA - Photos: 15 - Description: Four decades after it was abandoned, and nearly a century after it was built, what remained of the landmarked Rose Grocery was purchased by our firm with a view to rehabilitating and extending the property. Though it was a designated landmark, the existing building was beyond repair. We therefore took it down and built a small new structure on the street front that retains many elements of the original Mission Revival façade, including its historic signage. This new structure contains a separate… - [River Residence](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/river-residence-pj-vj~135202) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 8 - Description: Trachtenberg Architects designed this new guesthouse (still in construction) to be part of a larger family compound in the mountains of Northern California. Located on a sloped site in snow country, the footprint of the house responds to challenging site conditions, which includes a seasonal creek that runs through the property. The two wings of the house, connected by an elevated bridge, are oriented towards wonderful views and create the private outdoor spaces that our clients were looking for… - [McClung Residence](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/mcclung-residence-pj-vj~134857) - Location: Berkeley, CA - Photos: 12 - Description: This new house replaced a 1950s-vintage modernist box destroyed in the Oakland/Berkeley Fire of 1991. We shared with the owners a deep sympathy for the principles which animated the work of Bay Area architects such as Bernard Maybeck, \[?\] Stielberg and Julia Morgan: simplicity, solidity and a delight in the beauty of nature. The site enjoys views of the Bay Bridge arching toward San Francisco to the west, as well as more intimate vistas toward a wooded neighborhood to the east. To the south is M… - [Black Mountain Retreat](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/black-mountain-retreat-pj-vj~134820) - Location: Forestville, CA - Photos: 17 - Description: Three families collaborated to create this weekend retreat on a 165-acre lot in Sonoma County. Our design created two buildings linked by roofs that provide shelter for a porch that connects the two structures, and a veranda that wraps around them. One building is simply a single large room that provides space for cooking, eating and relaxing. The other contains spaces for bathing, sleeping and storage. The outdoor porch between the two buildings overlooks the pool and an expansive meadow beyond… - [Oropallo Studio](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/oropallo-studio-pj-vj~135195) - Location: Berkeley, CA - Photos: 6 - Description: Trachtenberg Architects worked with artist Deborah Oropallo to convert a moderne-style former machine shop with plentiful space and curved glass brick walls into a studio and home. The goal was to incorporate as many of the remarkable qualities of the building as possible, so concrete floors were stained and sealed, and existing timber joists and steel trusses were sandblasted and left exposed. Doors, cabinetry, handrails, countertops and lighting were designed and fabricated by Trachtenberg and… [See all 7 projects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/trachtenberg-architects-pfvwus-pf~1702982073) ## Ideabooks - [Benvenue front porch](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/122752517/list/benvenue-front-porch) — 20 ideas - [Bette's Dream Kitchen](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/51474642/list/bette-s-dream-kitchen) — 24 ideas - [kitchens](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/13258525/list/kitchens) — 2 ideas - [gravel](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/30416640/list/gravel) — 12 ideas - [shanti bagh](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/22160967/list/shanti-bagh) — 1 idea - [White exteriors](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/19423961/list/white-exteriors) — 19 ideas [See all 6 ideabooks](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/davidt) ## Community Q&A **Q: What are the cedar shingles sealed with?** *(in Photo Questions)* A: Cedar shingles are sealed with Penofin **Q: What is color of entry? Black?** *(in Photo Questions)* A: The paint is a warm grey. Top of the line Benjamin Moore "aurora" product. Semi-gloss. BM Aurora line paints are worth the extra cost. **Q: Love the scale of the sofa and chairs! Where are they from?** *(in Photo Questions)* A: Sorry - the furniture was from a staging company and I don't know anything about it. **Q: Swing** *(in Photo Questions)* Where is this darling swing from? A: I have no idea. The owners bought it **Q: pavers** *(in Photo Questions)* Can I put pavers over cement? A: yes **Q: How much does it cost** *(in Photo Questions)* A: Does the $4,575 include install and piping for gas? Do people cook on these fire bowls? --- *Source: Houzz professional profile. Reflects the profile as of 2026-09-18.*