Helicon Works Architects

In August of 2016, lightening struck a 100-foot oak tree near our home and it immediately fell through our roof. Due to this event, we moved out the next day -- and, decided that as we were going to be out of our residence, that it was time to remodel. We were so fortunate to find Bill Hutchins, who we hired as our architect for the project. Bill was very professional in every way -- clearly defined the process and fees associated with each step, created a functional design plan that aligned with the home's original aesthetic, and communicated effectively during the entire process. Bill worked well with everyone involved in the project and consistently offered a compelling design perspective. We definitely would hire Bill again, as he exceeded our expectations.

Bill and his team helped us reimagine and design a contemporary extension to our 1920 bungalow. Like most big projects, there were some hitches, but overall I think he a very good job for us and I would recommend him. I thought he was especially brilliant in two ways: 1. His process of getting us to think through and articulate what we needed from our project (and, as importantly, what we didn't need.) was fantastic. He was an excellent listener, and his method of getting us to express our needs and desired way of living first, and then share in a sketching-out/brainstorming sessions was terrific. It helped my wife and me align on one vision, and develop the plan without pre-conceived notions. 2. Bill's knowledge of the 'options' was also wonderful - whether the latest green materials, or architectural elements, or nanawalls - he extend our thinking by showing us the art of the possible - what was out there that we could use to make our project more compelling. The one area where I thought the project stumbled was in cost estimation. I think even Bill was surprised as the estimates came in, and even after making some modifications we ended up spending 2x our initial budget... However, we love the space he designed. The project has transformed how we live in the house and now we see ourselves here for a long time. So it was worth it. And ultimately a lot of the pleasure we take is from the elements that Bill proposed after carefully listening to our needs. It may go without saying, but he has a great sense of how the key elements of a design - space and light and style and materials - will all hang together to create a home that is both beautiful and practical.

I hired Bill Hutchins, because I thought he would design me a beautiful home - not just a functional one. When I went to Bill I had already spent a lot of time researching green homes. I wanted a high thermal mass, passive solar home, built into the hillside on my south-facing, sloping lot. I can still remember Bill's reaction when I first described my vision. He said, "Oh, you don't want to live in a hobbit house!" I was a bit offended, but the more I chewed on it, the more I thought he might be right. The designs I had been playing with were all boxy, and boring from the outside. One visit to Bill's home, and a look at his portfolio, made it clear that anything he designed would be unique, attractive and modern. I figured he would provide a good balance to my left-brained personality. Bill has a lot of stuff on his web site that is more Eastern/mystical than I care for, and he offered that perspective as part of the design process, but he didn't push it at all. It's part of his creative outlook; I figured it was just another way he would balance my left brain. The topic didn't come up much after we got started, which was OK by me. Bill visited my lot once, a 4-hour drive. He agreed with my siting of the house, and even with the basic footprint (an odd, dog-leg shape) I had sketched out. But the final design reflects practical and aesthetic touches that I never dreamed of, and that make the house much more interesting, fun and livable. Highlights include the "butterfly" roof, cantilevered upstairs bedroom, the whole-treetrunk columns (three outside, one inside), exposed beams, open floor plan, curving outdoor stairway, masonry stove, and the cold storage room accessible from inside. I love it. Another reviewer here says that Bill was only good at "submitting invoices". Bill's final charges to me were completely in line with his original bid, despite the fact that I changed from a straw-bale design to SIPs, fairly late in the design process. Bill was also good at estimating the total cost of the home. I was way too optimistic at the start, hoping to save a lot by doing much of the work myself, and Bill helped me to be more realistic. My only complaints: 1) a couple of features in the floor plan. We really do love almost everything about it, but the master bedroom is a bit smaller than the two guest bedrooms. And the laundry area is oddly visible when you first walk into what is otherwise a lovely and unusual room for relaxing and receiving guests. My wife and I saw these features in the drawings, and talked about them a lot, but we didn't come up with alternatives or insist on fixing them, so perhaps we can't blame Bill. The bedroom isn't a big deal, we only sleep there, and I'm going to put up doors to hide the laundry. But lesson learned - listen to your gut when looking at drawings. 2) the way the "collaborative" worked. Bill pulls in other professionals on each job, but most team members have two email addresses, one at http://heliconworks.com and one elsewhere. I learned that some of them didn't regularly monitor their http://heliconworks.com inbox. Bill had another architect produce the drawings, which mostly went well but she worked only part-time and had a young child, and there were occasional miscommunications and delays. Other members of the team were the landscape architect (who mostly worried about stormwater issues and drainage) and the "energy consultant". This latter person's fees were not included in the main contract; I didn't understand that, or the scope of his work, at first. He did a lot of energy calculations, but I'm not sure it affected the design. I thought he was going to design a solar thermal panel system that I could build and install; eventually it became clear that he wanted to build and install it himself, and when I didn't pursue that he just faded away. I only paid him $500, but all I got out of it was some assurance that the house would be as energy efficient as I had hoped. If you go with HW, be sure you understand the team member "deliverables" up front. Other than the fact that the house is visually stunning, I'm most happy that it works as well as it does energy-wise. It's located in western Maryland, in a cold and cloudy climate at 2600' elevation. And the house has no furnace - only a passive solar design, and a masonry (wood) stove. The stove isn't finished and working yet, but the house still stays about 25-30 degrees above the average outdoor temperature. I.e., when January daytime highs are 30 degrees, and nighttime lows near 10, it will be near 50 inside. Using just two space heaters, I can get it up to 68 within a day or two, and hold it there. Once the stove is completed, I'll be able to heat the house with one small fire per day, exactly the kind of performance I wanted. Thanks Bill for designing our lovely, unique, comfortable, energy-efficient, and practical home.

We worked with Helicon on a remodel and expansion of our house in Silver Spring. We appreciated the care and thought which Helicon put into every aspect of the project, starting with the initial design. Helicon translated our ideas into a workable plan and worked with us to stay within a strict budget. We were especially impressed with the way Helicon worked to preserve a tree in our backyard which was at risk of coming down as we bumped our house out. They came up with an innovative solution which allowed us to build out in such a way that the tree roots were protected and today we have a marvelous green outlook from our bedroom window. Helicon was available at all times to answer all our questions. In addition to handling the design, Helicon provided one of its staff as our construction manager and his skill and experience were essential in seeing the project through.

Bill and a project architect helped render some design ideas to repair and recreate a pool room which was damaged by a hurricane felled tree. They worked quickly to get bid-ready drawings for insurance reimbursement purposes and explored alternative design ideas to improve the structural integrity of the roof, walls and foundation, and ideas to improve energy efficiency. (ps. in the past Helicon Works (five main elements of the collaborative) helped design, permit, construct and complete a full house home renovation and addition, which we love. Includes, super insulation, energy efficiency, renewable energy and an enjoyable customized design.)

Bill Hutchins at Helicon works designed our solar home near Asheville NC in 1997. Everyone who enters the home is blown away by how warm and inviting the home is, as well as easy to live in and care for. Even our contractor says its the most beautiful home he has ever been in, as do all who visit. Working with Bill was a joy. He invited our participation at each stage of the project. No regrets. Richard

Bill Hutchins at Helicon Works designed my straw bale very 'green' solar house. It is a fantastic home, energy efficient, and very attractive too. Bill was great to work with, he planned the design process with a great team of individuals associated with Helicon Works. Highly recommended - contact Bill at HW if you have that special project in mind!

We hired Helicon Works for an extensive renovation of an early 20th century Craftman Cape in Takoma Park, MD. We enjoyed the process approach, and the result is a home that works very well for our family. Bill knows great people, so he was also very helpful in connecting us with artisans who appreciate a Green approach. My only complaint was that the suggestions made were often way above our budget (and many were very difficult to say "no" to). We would have loved to have done all the things that Bill recommended....

Bill and his team worked closely with us to provide us what we were looking for in our design. We did a full remodel of our house. Bill helped us through the process, including things we had not considered, such as the historic preservation commission. He was creative and thoughtful and easy to get along with, and provided us with a design that when people enter our house for the first time, they invariably say "Wow! What an amazing house!"

Bill Hutchins of Helicon Works designed a beautiful addition to my home that included a sunroom with a green roof garden and a rustic but magnificent screened porch. His team of creative and knowledgable artisans and skilled tradespeople worked together to ensure that my project was well executed, true to my desires, environmentally respectful, within budget, and completely fabulous. Details include poured concrete with in-floor radiant heat, green building materials inside and out, custom made lighting using recycled glass, large R-rated windows bringing in nature and lots of light, hand made built in natural wood bench and shelving, rusted metal columns and trim, soft asymmetrical lines.

Bill Hutchins of Helicon Works was the architect for our strawbale addition. If the fact that I never want to leave my home doesn't express how much we love what Bill did, then let me explain. Before putting pencil to paper, Bill encouraged us to think about what we wanted in our space. He included our then 11 year old daughter in the process. For us, light, feeling outdoors, having a welcoming environment and as much energy efficient considerations as possible were our frame. Bill "got it" and then went about designing a space that embodied our dreams with a practical bent (our daughter wanted some sort of a tunnel!). The result is a home that meets just about all our needs, is welcoming and full of light. For us, the process Bill gently guided us through was the key to finding out what would work, what could not be done or was practical, letting go and re-arranging our notions to an outcome that worked. Bill's architectural talent then took over and created the home we wanted.

My ‘dream house’ was just some vague ideas, a location and a view, and a budget until I was fortunate enough to find the architect Bill Hutchins of Heliconworks (www.heliconworks.org). Working together, in a few months Far Muse was on the drawing boards. Starting with some photographs of old houses I admired in Hardy County, West Virginia, Bill created an environmentally sound, solar augmented, four bedroom/three bath house that is the envy of all of my friends and relatives. From the outside, with its three porches, the house looks like it was first built over 100 years ago and “added on” by succeeding generations. From the inside, the open space with its soaring arch and curved balcony brings to mind the Guggenheim and the Hirshhorn. One of the bedrooms is a “bunkroom” for four grandchildren, and with my little office, the upstairs living area, and an inglenook, we can sleep fourteen people easily. And with a large kitchen and dining area, we can feed them as well! The water pipes for the bathrooms, the kitchen, and the laundry room are in the middle of the house – in case of a power outage in winter, since we’re up 2.4 miles of dirt road. A masonry stove in the living area can heat the whole house with wood. Only when the house was completed did I realize that we had included features from my father’s architect-designed house, destroyed by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. The stone fireplace and tongue-and-groove pine ceiling were part of my father’s dream, and with Bill Hutchins’ help they became a part of mine. Almost a decade later, Bill remains a good friend. He and his wife spent this Memorial Day weekend with us at Far Muse. You can see the house HERE.