Ivory & McHugh Architects, llc.

We remodeled an existing garage that was on the property of an historic structure to make it into a granny flat . Fran and Ross did an excellent job from beginning to end. We had to redesign and add part of the roof and about a another 7 feet to the front and sides of the existing structure. We wanted it to be its own structure, but also harmonize with the existing large house. Fran saw us through the design process, the city hearings due to the historic nature of the property, and the selection of an outstanding builder. The result is a beautiful, functional, homey, cozy cottage that we will be comfortable in for the rest of our lives; and it doesn’t hurt that we’ve gotten many compliments!

We are nearing the end of a year-long renovation project on our Narberth home - and Fran McHugh has guided us through every phase with sound judgement, total professionalism, and humor. Our development meetings were never rushed as Fran led us through designs and helped us understand the myriad of considerations to evaluate. His guidance in selecting and working with our contractor was thorough and thoughtful and he continues to be a steadfast resource to us and our contractors as we near the finish line. We of course relied on his expertise to develop this project but we so deeply appreciated being able to depend on his ability to communicate among the many players involved in such a lengthly and large scale project. This was our first home project that required an architect and we are so pleased to have worked with Fran. We are thrilled with the (almost) final results and recommend him highly!

Fran McHugh is the best! We hired Ivory & McHugh for a major renovation of our Main Line home last summer and it was our best decision. Fran's knowledge and communication skills are incredible. He was always available for our every need and he guided us every step of the way. His attention to detail on his designs were everything we could've hoped for, and his production management skills were wonderful. He oversaw our contractors and crew members from start to finish. Highly recommend him and his team to everyone. --JMcDev

Phil Ivory and Fran McHugh designed a major renovation for our 1930's built home, skillfully integrating the old and the new. We are very please with the results. They were always responsive, sensitive to details throughout the design and construction process and a pleasure to work with.

We have had numerous opportunities to team up with Philip Ivory Architects on projects over the years. Their team is outstanding, talented and extremely qualified. The creative designs, professional service, and attention to detail is a very personal process that they understand. Their understanding of construction techniques brings a great contribution to each and every project. We are fortunate to have created such a relationship with Philip Ivory Architects. Our highest recommendation goes to this company.

Mr Philip Ivory was the architect on a revision of our 100 year old home in Bala Cynwyd, PA during the period January, 2010 to August, 2012. This was a major undertaking (~$500k) that added a kitchen/great room, above which was a new bedroom suite with bathroom and closet, and included numerous additional upgraded to the house and its landscape. Since the house was listed in the Historical Society Registry, the architectural plan had to meet the demands for retaining the historical character of the house. Mr. Ivory navigated the plan through the Historical Society review with no difficulty. Over the course of eight months he and his associate worked closely with my wife and I in developing a plan. It was carefully orchestrated and progressed iteratively, integrating seamlessly and progressively our thoughts for the design and the architectural demands of the project. At each meeting Phillip brought a creative flare to the table, yet did not dominate the design process. Nevertheless, he wisely and gently led the more wild ideas we'd bring to the table to a plan that could be executed. After each meeting my wife and I were sent home with homework and decisions to ponder that kept the project on track. He knew and understood the budget constraints we were working under and was continually respectful of that. The process took seven months because of the extensive nature of the project. He guided us in the stressful task of picking a contractor in a way that kept us informed in a manner that produced an excellent choice. I retained Phillip to be our 'on-site monitor' during construction, and thus gained a degree of confidence that construction was proceeding to design specifications. He inspected the site on a weekly basis. Philip worked in a synergistic manner with the contractor, and was responsive to the contractors concerns, as they arose, in a very timely manner. Old house renovation always yields unexpected events as it is opened up, and when these occurred he walked us through the issue so that it was fully understood. When these issues arose he would explain the options available to correct the problem, again sensitive to our cost overrun concerns. All in all we were totally pleased with the interaction and experience with the architectural phases of our project. Philip was an altogether pleasant, creative, insightful, and sensitive (with regard to our thoughts) person to work with. In the end, the total fees for his service were less than I anticipated. I would not hesitate to recommend with great enthusiasm Mr. Ivory for architectural services. Our experience with him was superb.

We hired Philip Ivory Architects to create plans to renovate our whole house, including a two story addition (kitchen, dining room, master bedroom suite) with new basement off the back. The house is over 100 years old, and we wanted to make sure that the new spaces were seamlessly integrated into the existing structure. Not only did they preserve the character of the house, they also gave us the exact living space we were looking for by reimagining the existing house in the context of the addition. We love the finished product! Phil and his team were wonderful to work with - offering creative solutions and suggestions every step of the way, as well as working with our builder to ensure that all was done according to plan. We would highly recommend Phil and would certainly work with him again.

We recently completed a project with Philip Ivory for stainless steel countertops, and we cannot be more pleased! Philip was very thorough and provided us with all of the information we needed to provide him with a great product. We can't wait to work together again!

Best decision! We hired Philip Ivory Architects for a complete overhaul of our kitchen, family room and living room. We could not have been any happier with this choice! Working with Phil and Fran was great! They have great ideas, they listened to everything we wanted and worked to make it all happen, and they are both really wonderful people to be around. I was totally confident throughout the project that they would make sure everything was done right, and they did. They were incredibly detailed, and the other vendors that worked on this project remarked at how thorough everything was. We love the way everything came together. I highly recommend them - it was the best choice we made and I would work with them again and again without considering anyone else!

We hired this company to design our home. We wanted a center hall colonial with a large kitchen and dining room and 3 guest bedrooms each with a bathroom, and a master bedroom suite. They designed exactly what we wanted. They situated the house perfectly. We were concerned about the back yard which was not large and on a significant slope. A partial stone wall, which they designed, allowed the property to be built up enough to look lovely. We also wanted a patio outside breakfast room. The fence and the brick pillars with small built in lights is spectacular. Lighting throughout the house is perfect. The outside is beautiful and house insulated extremely well. No drafts and temperature constant throughout. The kitchen, an important room for us, is just the correct size. Before it was built architects had us measure what would be in kitchen and where we wanted located. They suggested a kitchen designer they had used before. It is amazing. e.g. pot drawers have built in drawer above for lids. Depth of drawers excellent. An easy kitchen to work in, as everything in a comfortable place. Placement of windows in kitchen brings in light and nice views. At one point, just before foundation laid, we realized we would need an office off of the kitchen. Architects were not fazed and within a few days had redrawn a plan for the downstairs which did not disrupt much of what was planned. it was tricky as we had used all the impervious space in the original plan. A few feet here and there and rearranging mud room and voila! an office. And it is lovely with windows and views. Our bedroom suite is also spectacular. I hate to use the word "basement" to describe lower level because they made it so lovely-exercise room, sitting area for teenage grandchildren, storage room of good size, lovely storage closets, wine cellar and gracious (believe it) laundry room. They were also careful to give us choices e.g. moldings, wooden floor stain, doors, placement of electric outlet etc. Our experience building this house with these Architects was a happy time for us. They got along beautifully with builders that we had chosen (with their input) and met here frequently with us. These architects are full of good ideas, which work, are a pleasure to work with and are lovely people. I should add, that the architects were about 100 miles from the site but they had come highly recommended. This was never an impediment for them to be here and we are thrilled to have hired them.

Thirteen years ago my husband and I hired Phil Ivory to engineer and draw up plans for a full restoration/renovation of a 100 year old home in Merion Station, Pa. We interviewed four architects for this project and hired Phil because from the very first time we met he wanted to know what our needs were and what we envisioned for our home versus telling us what we needed to do and how "everyone else" was doing things these days. As a neighbor only a few blocks away Phil has an intuitive sense of the architectural integrity of the homes in our neighborhood and bringing an older home into the modern world was a process wrought with potential complications and unnecessary cost. In Phil's capable hands our "older" home was transformed into a home that exceeded our expectations. In fact when I sold the home two years ago (I'm a Realtor) I re-set the bar for comps in our neighborhood. As a true testimonial we have re-hired Phil to design plans for a contemporary home we bought two years ago. His versatility, his ability to meet our needs and turn our vision into reality once again proves his true professional nature. As an added bonus Phil is just an easy and down to earth person to be with!!

We highly recommend Philip Ivory Architects. Phil and Fran guided our project from beginning to end with a professional and personal touch. They listened to our needs and vision and helped to shape it in to a plan that involved both re-purposing existing spaces and a new addition that blended perfectly into the old, both inside and out. While a small project in terms of square footage, it touched every mechanical system in the house - Kitchen, Bath, Laundry, and Heating. As we progressed to construction, Philip Ivory was there with suggestions on products and craftsmen that were of the highest quality. Once demolition and then construction got underway Fran and Phil were there as needed, several time on a moments notice, to help manage the construction so that issues were handled quickly and ensured that the project was executed according to the plan. A year and a half after the completion of our project we still get compliments from friends and family who come to house on how great the space is and how well it fits the way we live. Thanks again to Phil and Fran, Ted & Shannon Farmer