Ginkgo House Architecture

Andy at Ginkgo House Architects listens to your thoughts and desires to develop beautiful and creative designs that fit your lifestyle and home. Andy formulates ideas that will enhance and compliment many styles from historic to modern and works well in our Design/Build environment. We have worked with Andy for over 16 years and he continues to be a collaborative partner in creating successful projects and happy clients. We would highly recommend him.

We have just finished the addition of a first floor master suite and an entire exterior remodel (including new architectural elements) to our home.We put our complete trust in Andy Braman-Wanek of Ginkgo House Architecture and he exceeded our expectations. Andy presented us with three different choices, but the one we selected stood out both as the most livable and the most architecturally harmonious. His design is traditional and fits in beautifully with the character of the neighborhood which is what we wanted. The addition , its size and proportions, its connection to the main structure, its roof line, and above all its siting on the lot all reveal Andy's creativity and vision. (Everyone says the new construction looks like it has always been there, which is what we were hoping for.) Furthermore, the house now takes advantage of the full width of the lot and its changing grade. With regard to room layout, interior finishes, lighting, plumbiing fixtures, and hardware we were happy to rely on Andy's expertise. As we live in our new space we continue to appreciate the day-to-day convenience and beauty of these details, and know none of them occurred by accident. Finally, one of the most exciting decisions we made with Andy's guidance was choosing the exterior colors of the siding, shutters and doors. We knew we wanted to get away from white. What we ended up with is a fresh choice that has not only been embraced by our neighbors and seems to have universal appeal now, but that we feel will hold its attractiveness in years to come. As aging baby boomers we had come to the conclusion that we wanted to remain where we lived, but felt the need to make certain modifications to our home to accommodate our future needs. Andy's ideas have made this possible. We give Gingko House the highest possible rating and recommend Andy Braman-Wanek without reservation.

We interviewed three architectural firms for our whole-house remodel & addition. Andy Braman-Wanek of Ginkgo House proved to be the perfect fit. He listened thoughtfully to both my husband & I, who did not always share the same perspective, and looked for ways to incorporate both of our interests and requirements. I found the process, which many people dread, to be fun and creative and actually a positive experience for my husband & I. Andy initially provided three completely different approaches, and worked with us to synthesize our likes into a visual, 3-D plan so we could see what our home and roooms would look like from various angles. I enjoyed sitting with Andy & working through the process, moving walls, varying windows. He embraced our ideas with no ego and provided objective feedback to guide us. I am a very particular person and was involved with every aspect of the decision-making process and with Andy, it was a wonderful collaboration & fun. He was my go-to person throughout the entire process and continues to be the person I turn to for design advice and even landscaping input. Ours is a 1930s brick home in an older neighborhood that now blends the old with a very modern floor-to-celing commercial glass family room, open floor plan and an amazing kitchen & mudroom. We added on three levels, inlcuding a master suite above with a bathroom that my husband appreciates every morning, and a guest suite and recreation room below. All of this in a smaller footprint by todays new home standards as our lot is not large. Andy helped to create the space we wanted so that it is both aesthetically and functionally what we love. From the open, two way fireplace to the 10' kithen island, to the glass stairwell wall and floor to ceiling mudroom cubbies, shelves and closets; there are so many amazing facets of the project that make our home uniquely ours. All as a result of Andy's creativitiy and ability to collaborate. I recommend Andy without hesitation. I believe he has the calm and creative approach to work with nearly any personality type; this is very important given the variety of contractors and subs the architect deals with, not to mention we homeowners that might have completely different ideas! We love our new home and the space created. THANK YOU ANDY!

We first pursued Ginkgo House Architecture after touring an existing new construction project near its completion. We then met with Andy and quicky felt confident in his ability to design our new home. We likely presented as potentially tricky clients (insert Andy's diplomatic smile here) in that we had a design aesthetic generally atypical in the Midwest, an affinity for independence, and a handful of craftsman whose work we wished to include. Andy proved to be attentive to our style preferences, resourceful with creative materials, and genuinely enthusiastic about the project. Andy struck that delicate, yet critical, balance between being professional, yet personal. We have now lived in our new home just over a year, and as we finish furnishing I often find myself quietly musing, "Now, what would Andy do?". And in the next 12-15 years when our nest has emptied and we look to downsize, Ginkgo House Architecture will be my first phone call.

Andy has been great to work with and answered the many, many questions we had. He began by providing a few different options so we had choices, but kept in mind the cash outlay we would have to make. We remodeled an early 1900's brick four square to convert to a bed and breakfast. We wanted to be mindful of reuse of materials and recycling. He suggested a way to put the bathroom sink in the B & B rooms but not make it look like a bathroom sink in the bedroom. For example, he suggested we cut a hole in a vanity dresser where the sink was placed. This looks like it belongs to the room yet the sink is right there.Guests have frequently commented on how nice this looks. He helped us figure out how best to use closet space to create a bathroom. I can say with unequivocal certainty that our project would have taken a lot longer and we would have had many more issues to go back and fix had he not provided us with ideas and drawings for the contractors to work from. We could not have done this project without him.

We evaluated multiple architects in Madison before we decided on Ginkgo House. Andy not only provided references but organized for us to visit the homes and talk with several of his clients in all stages of remodeling projects. We were pleased to hear their recommendations, satisfaction and praise for his work. Andy accepted the challenge of taking us as clients- two professionals with crazy work schedules- buying a 1900 built house that had barely been touched except for addition of aluminum siding in the 1950s. The house had multiple small rooms and ignored the lake view. We described our wish list: an open living floorplan with areas for art and furniture we had collected while living abroad, optimizing the magnificent views of the capitol across the lake, reclaiming the original maple floors and brick while keeping the external character of the house. We also wanted the design to be energy efficient and construction to be as green as possible. Andy really listened to us and then effciently and effectively designed above and beyond what we had attempted to articulate. He designed the whole house remodel and provided options for breaking the project into phases that fit our budget. Acting as project manager, he helped select the GC, negotiate the contract and expertly stepped in when the project hit a few bumps to get us back on track. Andy patiently answered all of our questions, helped us understand so many details of design, construction, and product selection. He kept us smiling during the long run of the project-6 months planning and 14 months construction. We are absolutely thrilled with the results. We laugh all the time that we can't actually decide what is our most favorite part of the new house because there are so many beautiful things that make us smile- the stairs and the art niches, the windows, the maple floor, the fireplace, the floor to ceiling lake side windows, the kitchen, the marble island, the ss counter paired with the eco-resin 3-form wall, the bathroom, the 8' tall solid maple doors.... Andy is great to work with, knowledgeable, nice and trustworthy and we love his design style and green building ethics; we are looking forward to working with him again in the next few months as we start the second phase of the remodel. We highly recommend Andy Bramen-Wanek and Ginkgo House and are happy to show anyone what he designed for us.

The contractor for our addition project recommended Andrew Braman-Wanek as the architect for us to work with. We could not be more happy with the process, or the results. Andy really listened to what we wanted and was able to incorporate nearly all of our wish list. There were a few things that were just not possible because of the space limitations, etc., and he was great about explaining those. In addition, when the initial construction estimate came in higher than we could afford, Andy worked with us to simplify the footprint in order to bring down the cost, without losing any of the key elements we hoped for. He also added some lovely details (like mimicking arches in other parts of our home, and a small shoe nook near the door) that we never would have thought of ourselves. He also designed lovely built-in furniture that always gets compliments. In fact, the whole addition was featured on a remodeled home tour. Not only is Andy very talented and professional, he is a pleasure to work with and a great guy. We would recommend him to anyone!

Andy at Ginko House is one of the best. His designs are both cutting edge and thoughtful. He is very good at creating space that feels right, and looks great. I've worked with him as a contractor several times, and found him to be a team player, very responsive, yet keeps the integrity of the project at the forefront. His client side manner is excellent. He works very hard to understand what the client is after, and strives to give the client exactly what they need. I reccomend Ginko House Architects very highly.