--- title: "DZN Partners — Architects & Building Designers | Houzz" canonical_html_url: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/dzn-partners-pfvwus-pf~185426018 markdown_url: https://www.houzz.com/md/professionals/pf~185426018.md entity_type: LocalBusiness business_name: "DZN Partners" category: ["Architects"] image: https://st.hzcdn.com/fimgs/dc83b42c02f506d0_5962-w400-h400-b0-p0--.jpg address: "682 Second Street, Encinitas, California 92024, United States" latitude: 33.0535 longitude: -117.2689 phone: "(760) 753-2464" website: http://www.dznpartners.com rating: 5 review_count: 12 best_of_houzz_awards: 6 followers: 225 last_updated: 2026-09-16 --- # DZN Partners Original Houzz profile: [DZN Partners](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/dzn-partners-pfvwus-pf~185426018) ## Professional summary - **Primary category:** Architects - **Location:** Encinitas, CA - **Serves:** San Diego, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Vista, San Marcos, La Costa, Encinitas, Solana Beach, Cardiff By The Sea, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe, Del Mar Heights San Diego, Ranch Santa Fe - **Houzz rating:** 5.0 out of 5 (12 reviews) - **Best of Houzz:** 6 awards (2018–2024), for Design, Service. ## About ### Houzz Badges - Houzz Influencer - Recommended on Houzz - 10,000 Ideabook Saves DZN Partners is an architecture firm dedicated to working as design partners with our clients. We have served the Southern California area from our North Coastal San Diego County office for over 30 years. Our experienced staff of Architects and Designers work with the latest computer software and our intimate knowledge of local jurisdictions to efficiently complete a variety of different projects. DZN Partners is at the leading edge of accessory unit design (ADU) and has worked on a number of customized designs for private clients as well as working with multiple municipal jurisdictions to provide easy to use permit ready plans. ### Services Provided - Architectural Design - Building Design - Home Remodeling - Architectural Drawings - Custom Homes - House Plans - New Home Construction - Home Additions - Home Extensions - Kitchen Design - Kitchen Remodeling - Sustainable Design - Energy-Efficient Homes - Floor Plans - 3D Rendering - Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) - Green Building - Bathroom Design - Space Planning - Guesthouse Design & Construction - Multigenerational Homes - Universal Design - Pool House Design & Construction - Handicap-Accessible Design - Outdoor Kitchen Design - Barn Design & Construction - Basement Design - Staircase Design - Deck Design - Laundry Room Design - 3D Home Design ### Areas Served - San Diego - Oceanside - Carlsbad - Vista - San Marcos - La Costa - Encinitas - Solana Beach - Cardiff By The Sea - Del Mar - Rancho Santa Fe - Del Mar Heights San Diego - Ranch Santa Fe ### Typical Job Cost $500 - 100,000 Excellent service with professional project management at a reasonable cost. ## Business Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Business Name | DZN Partners | | Address | 682 Second Street, Encinitas, California 92024, United States | | Phone | (760) 753-2464 | | Website | http://www.dznpartners.com | | License Number | C22557 | | Followers on Houzz | 225 | **Social profiles:** - Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/DZNpartners - X (Twitter) — https://www.instagram.com/DZNpartners/ - Blog — https://www.youtube.com/user/dznARCHITECTURE ## Contact - **Houzz profile:** [DZN Partners](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/dzn-partners-pfvwus-pf~185426018) - **Website:** http://www.dznpartners.com - **Phone:** (760) 753-2464 ## Credentials **Certifications & Awards** - • LEED AP BD+C, • PAST PRESIDENT, ENCINITAS PRESERVATION ASSOCIATION, 2013-2019 • PAST-PRESIDENT, AIA PALOMAR CHAPTER, 2010-2012 • PAST-PRESIDENT, ENCINITAS 101 (E101/DEMA), 2000-2002 • PAST-PRESIDENT, DEL MAR-SOLANA BEACH ROTARY CLUB, 1998-2000 - **Best of Houzz:** 6 awards (2018–2024), for Design, Service. **Affiliations** - [The American Institute of Architects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/schools-and-organizations/the-american-institute-of-architects-pfvwus-pf~1350720471) ## Reviews **Overall rating: 5.0 out of 5 — 12 reviews** *Aspect averages:* - Work Quality: 50.0 - Communication: 50.0 - Value: 50.0 ### All 12 reviews **★★★★★ — Chris Kimura, Nov. 2020** > I am very impressed with DZN Partners, and the job Bart Smith & Marisol did on our Cardiff by the Sea home. Their attention to detail, communication, and timeliness in getting our job done was very refreshing to see!. DZN Partners also implemented architectural ideas into our plans that we didn't even think about which made our finished remodel so much more awesome! Bart's years of local knowledge with the "City Departments" got our permits approved very quickly, which enabled us to hire our General Contractor and start our project sooner than later. If you are looking for the "BEST" Architectural firm - look no further, DZN is 2nd to none! Thanks again Bart & Marisol; I will be referring you to everyone in need of your great services. > > Sincerely, > > Chris & Kim **★★★★★ — Jennifer & Zachary Taylor, Nov. 2020** > Bart Smith & DZN Partners were FABULOUS!! Beyond thrilled with the end product. Bart listened to our needs, designed an ADU/guest house that fit perfectly on our property, and was extremely knowledgeable about new laws & ordinances for the city of Encinitas. Highly recommend Bart and his team. True professionals!! **★★★★★ — Brian C, Jan. 2020** > Bart and his team design beautiful custom homes. They are great to work with, responsive, and help out when issues need to be worked through. They know how to navigate the jurisdictions and have a great office space in Encinitas. **★★★★★ — Jordan Clarke, Jan. 2020** > Bart is the best choice I made in building my home. The city planners even said at one point 'Bart should know, he knows more about the city code than us planners'. **★★★★★ — James Siefert, Jan. 2020** > Working with Bart was excellent. He specializes in accessory dwelling units and he was extremely knowledgeable about the codes, permitting process, and inspection process. He was also able to recommend an excellent contractor and was involved in the construction administration. He was extremely responsive to any questions that arose in the field, and was able to quickly move through a construction change (due to my own design change). I would highly recommend him to anybody looking to do an accessory unit, or any other construction project in the San Diego area. **★★★★★ — Philippe Merrilees, May 2017** > I have had the pleasure of hiring Mr. Bart M. Smith from DZN Partners for a commercial project of mine recently. > > Not only did Mr. Smith provide me with free consultation services, his quote was BY FAR the best-priced and he held his promises throughout the project. > > His work is excellent, he is very friendly, knowledgeable and conscientious of his customers' needs and I would recommend him to anyone looking to hire a high standard, honest professional for their project. > > In fact, I just created a Houzz account so that I could post this review and help more people get to him ! > > 11/10 **★★★★★ — huntley\_scott, Oct. 2016** > Bart Smith, and the crew at DZN Partners, were responsible for creating the architectural drawings of my dream home, and for guiding me through the Coastal Development and Building permit process. My wife and I had lived in the original 1920s bungalow for ten years, prior, and I wanted a remodel design that was respectful of the original house and embraced its coastal charm. Having met with a couple of different architects during the early stages, I was very impressed with the passion and vision that Bart had for my home, and immediately knew that his firm was the one for my project. Throughout the process, they were very receptive to the specific design elements I had in mind, and provided expert guidance and direction for details that I would have never thought of. I think that the greatest complement to their design work is how frequently I am stopped by people walking by who want to comment on how beautiful the house is and how it appears as if it has always been here. Overall, it was an amazing process and I cannot say enough good things about my experience with DZN Partners. **★★★★★ — Alison Polan, April 2015** > Complete remodels of two homes including architectural design, construction drawings, documentation for City approvals & permits. Bart Smith was extremely helpful in keeping our permit process moving timely through the City. Bart replied promptly to all City "comments" and even met with planners when needed to expedite the process. Both our jobs were completed on time, in big part to DNZs staying involved through the entire approval and construction process. > Bart and his team are very full of cutting-edge architectural & design ideas. They know Encinitas building codes, backwards & forwards. > My family & I are now living in our dream home that Bart Smith & team helped create. We recommend DZN Partners & Bart Smith. **★★★★★ — pcvonder, Nov. 2014** > We highly recommend DNZ, whom we used to design our home. They were very adept at blending local codes and guidelines, along with our design feature and functional requests. They listened well, provided thoughtful inputs, and together we iteratively reached a optimal design. We have immensely enjoyed living within this home over the past 2 years and attribute our satisfaction to a large extend to going into our project with a highly refined, quality DMZ design. **★★★★★ — pnorby, Nov. 2014** > We hired DZN Partners to be the architectural firm for our custom home in Carlsbad Ca. DZN was a great firm to work with during the whole process, the results were way over what we expected and we consider ourselves very fortunate to have been guided by such a wonderful architect. Every morning we feel as we have awaken in a resort and this feeling remains unchanged after several years of living in our home. > > The project was 3350 sq ft of new construction and 1200 sg ft of heavy remodel and restoration of a large portion of an existing home into a guest home. When we finished our home and guest home, you couldn't tell that they were built in different era's. > > DZN seamlessly wove together the design team and engineering team and guided us smoothy through the the permitting and construction process. > > I would highly recommend DZN partners to anyone. **★★★★★ — leahleah311, Oct. 2014** > We hired DZN Partners and Bart Smith to lead the design on the full renovation of our 1925 Spanish Bungalow which not only included a complete overhaul to the floor plan but significant structural design to accommodate a future second story. Bart is easy to work with, flexible and always ready to address questions and concerns which was very helpful to us as owner-builders managing much of the renovations ourselves. While we had solid ideas on what we liked, Bart provided great suggestions, incorporating things we would not have thought about throughout the process. Bart coordinated with the various engineers we needed to complete the project and most importantly addressed the city's numerous inquiries and plan revision requests during the permitting process. We were very pleased with Bart's partnership during this 10+ month process from start to finish. We are now working with him on the design of our second story addition. He knows our tastes so well now, he nailed the design in no time. Bart and DZN are great to work with. Easy going and no stress!! **★★★★★ — TTS Real Estate, Inc, Oct. 2014** > DZN partners has worked with me on a few different projects, ranging from remodels with additions and architectural changes to ground up new homes. Not only does DZN offer great Architectural design they also offer all the professionalism and promptness I desire for smooth projects. If you have any Architectural needs you should reach out to DZN to see what they can do. ## Selected projects - [Cardiff Montgomery Modern](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/cardiff-montgomery-modern-pj-vj~6010425) - Location: Encinitas, CA - Photos: 55 - Description: New residence with accessory dwelling unit. Plan is reversed with the living spaces upstairs. It has many unique courtyards and decks. The garage is attached, but feels detached. The roof is two reverse pitch butterfly wing style metal roofs and a roof deck with spiral stair access. - [Encinitas Highlands ADU](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/encinitas-highlands-adu-pj-vj~6170631) - Location: Encinitas, CA - Photos: 23 - [San Elijo Tuscan](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/san-elijo-tuscan-pj-vj~1998414) - Location: Encinitas, CA - Photos: 7 - Description: A complete transformation of a tired beach duplex into a spectacular Tuscan style residence with an attached accessory unit. Each dwelling has its own driveway, entry and kitchen. The main residence features an elevator to transport the homeowner between floors. Quality materials were used throughout that highlight the indoor to outdoor living feeling. It lies on the San Elijo Lagoon and features drop dead views of the lagoon and ocean beyond. - [Crest Ranch Remodel](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/crest-ranch-remodel-pj-vj~1222408) - Location: Encinitas, CA - Photos: 25 - Description: Major remodel of a 1960 era Ranch style residence with a detached two story garage and accessory apartment. The renovation of the home on a 2 acre lot transformed the residence into a light filled modern residence. Major existing features such as the entry courtyard and wrap around covered deck were renovated and enhanced to complement the interior remodel. - [E Street Modern](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/e-street-modern-pj-vj~649109) - Location: Encinitas, CA - Photos: 12 - Description: A Modern home on the Encinitas Coast. - [Carlsbad Contemporary Prairie](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/carlsbad-contemporary-prairie-pj-vj~732976) - Location: Carlsbad, CA - Photos: 20 - [Encinitas Oceanview Residence](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/encinitas-oceanview-residence-pj-vj~6010377) - Location: Encinitas, CA - Photos: 21 - Description: New beach modern residence West of I-5 in Encinitas. - [Cardiff Beach Cottage](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/cardiff-beach-cottage-pj-vj~521954) - Location: Cardiff by The Sea, CA - Photos: 12 - [Eolus Rustic-Contemporary](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/eolus-rustic-contemporary-pj-vj~520814) - Location: Encinitas, CA - Photos: 12 - [Olivenhain Cottage](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/olivenhain-cottage-pj-vj~1189877) - Location: Encinitas, CA - Photos: 14 - Description: A major remodel of an existing single story residence. Most spaces were relocated and improved to create a home with great flow between spaces. The only addition was the conversion of the existing attached garage to living space. The exterior roof and facade were modified to enhance the cottage style of the residence. - [Leucadia Craftsman](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/leucadia-craftsman-pj-vj~650743) - Location: Encinitas, CA - Photos: 12 - [Aloha Contemporary Ranch](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/aloha-contemporary-ranch-pj-vj~727069) - Location: Encinitas, CA - Photos: 15 - Description: A complete top to bottom remodel of an existing one-story ranch style residence. - [Sunset Spanish](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/sunset-spanish-pj-vj~1118865) - Location: Encinitas, CA - Photos: 8 - Description: The existing one story home was redesigned by adding a second floor and completely changing the facade of the home. The home is a reverse plan with the main living spaces on the second floor and the bedrooms on the first floor. This allows the living spaces to take advantage of ocean views. The home has a nice old world Spanish style in keeping with its placement atop a hill. - [Oceanside Spanish Revival](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/oceanside-spanish-revival-pj-vj~2218777) - Location: Oceanside, CA - Photos: 19 - Description: A respectful remodel and addition to an existing one story Spanish Revival Residence. The residence enjoys a basement workout room, a first floor with living spaces, guest rooms and custom garage, a second floor master suite with sitting room and a large ocean view roof deck with a fireplace and powder room. - [Leucadia Mid Century](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/leucadia-mid-century-pj-vj~5139386) - Location: Encinitas, CA - Photos: 24 - Description: Major remodel of an existing two story single family residence. Also, major remodel of an agricultural barn into an accessory dwelling unit with a loft style home office. Professional landscaping and pool installation. - [Moonlight Beach Modern](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/moonlight-beach-modern-pj-vj~445577) - Location: Encinitas, CA - Photos: 12 - Description: A new custom two-story single family residence. It is a reverse plan with the living spaces and master suite upstairs and the secondary bedrooms downstairs. The home features a two story tall board formed concrete wall that absorbs heat during the day and then heats the home at night. It also utilizes exterior pocket doors that slide completely out of view when open. - [Southwestern ADU](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/southwestern-adu-pj-vj~6010509) - Location: Encinitas, CA - Photos: 16 - Description: Rear yard detached one story accessory dwelling unit (ADU). The studio ADU exterior design matches the southwest design aesthetic of the existing main residence. - [MacKinnon Pointe](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/mackinnon-pointe-pj-vj~6022265) - Location: Encinitas, CA - Photos: 8 [See all 18 projects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/dzn-partners-pfvwus-pf~185426018) ## Ideabooks - [Garage](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/60210179/list/garage) — 2 ideas - [Glass Rails](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/52704013/list/glass-rails) — 4 ideas - [Patio Covers](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/26628177/list/patio-covers) — 1 idea - [bart\_smith2415710's ideas](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/24884388/list/bart-smith2415710-s-ideas) — 1 idea [See all 4 ideabooks](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/bart-smith2415710) ## Community Q&A **Q: Where is the ladder from?** *(in Photo Questions)* Hello, would you be able to share the details for where the ladder was sourced please? A: https://alacoladder.com/ **Q: Floor plan** *(in Photo Questions)* Is it possible to share a floor plan of this ADU? I am just interesting in viewing the dimensions. **Q: Sqr Footage?** *(in Photo Questions)* How many sqr feet is this and roof height? This is spectacular! A: This ADU is 360 sf and the ceiling is 14' high. **Q: what is that total sq ft?** *(in Photo Questions)* what is the total sq ft - not talking about "living" space, but the size of the foot print. also what is the ceiling height? A: Hi Tia! Total sq ft footprint is 360 sf. Ceiling height is 14 ft. **Q: flooring** *(in Photo Questions)* what is the flooring material? LVP? From what manufacturer and vendor? 12 or 20ml? A: MSI Cyrus Series 12 mil LVP 7" x 48" Akadia Color **Q: What type of construction is this?** *(in Photo Questions)* I see the steel frame and simple,lacquered,4 x 8 panels used instead pf sheet rock, exposed duct work and electrical, but if I were to suggest it to a builder would there be a specific name for this? A: It was a prefabricated metal braced framed building. Typically called a Butler building in So Cal. The birch plywood was used instead of gypsum board as interior sheathing. --- *Source: Houzz professional profile. Reflects the profile as of 2026-09-16.*