Skia Design LLC

I nearly cried yesterday when I stopped to take the photo of the garage. It is the first time there hasn't been trailers, trucks and the lift sitting around it so I had a much better view of the garage unobstructed. It is doing everything you designed it to do: not detract from the house, echo the house design, not obstruct the view, and other than the downstairs bedroom or walking across the upstairs bedroom you have to really look for it to see it from inside the house. I am so happy you worked on this project. I cannot thank you enough for your thoughtfulness in both placing and designing the garage. Peggy

Skia Design was excellent to work with. He was able to solve a complex design issue for a bathroom remodel in a 100-year-old house. He created an elegant solution. The work was done quickly. Additionally, he provided follow-up and assistance, even months after he finished the design. I would recommend him.

When my wife and I were looking for a house designer who shared our vision for a sustainable future, the spirit of home, and how to bring that spirit to life, our search brought us to Marc Manley of Skia Design. Marc worked with us to refine our vision for what we wanted in a smallish house. He came from Blacksburg to rural Gladstone, VA, to look at the property for proper placement of the house and so the design would sit well in the topography of the land. He was well-versed in sustainable building processes and materials. While we had no deadlines, he kept us up to date on his progress and was timely in his replies to our questions and input. Throughout the process his focus was making our vision a reality and he was responsive to all of our feedback. We were very pleased with the final plan. Unfortunately, however, we had to scuttle the entire project for reasons beyond our or his control, so the house was never built and we sold the property on which we had planned to build. When we are ready to pick up where we left off we will absolutely get back in touch with Marc to carry the project through to it's ultimate completion. In Marc we truly found someone who shared our vision of a sustainable future, the spirit of home, and how to bring that spirit to life. We recommend him very highly!

Marc came highly recommended from a friend, and he did not disappoint! His attention to details, and accountability for our relatively small project, a front porch addition, was very satisfactory. I would not hesitate to refer him to anyone seeking an architect who considers client feedback, budget, and communication, a priority. His final design for us is graceful, unique, and appropriate for our existing home and site. He was able to recommend contractors to work with, and completed his work with us in an efficient, pleasant, and attentive manner.

Superb!!!! We feel extremely lucky to have found Skia Design. It’s very rare to find the balance of design, building knowledge, listening, and creativity. Skia pulls together these skills better than a large professional firm and with far less cost. We had a very challenging project and would have never come to the solution that Skia designed. We did not fully realize the genius until the walls were framed up and we could walk through and see the views and perspectives. The design works so beautifully, efficiently, and it was anything but obvious. The eye to detail and thinking through on all aspects of the home design only comes from a gifted and very experienced architect. Skia followed up with support and practical advice throughout the process.

We are grateful to Marc for the work he did on the addition to our home. He heard what we wanted, gave us options to consider, always quickly and patiently answered our questions in a manner we could understand, worked well with our contractor. The new two story addition blends beautifully with the original house--doesn't look like an addition at all, actually improved the look of the house. While Marc has designed more complicated and extensive home plans, no client would be more pleased than we are. We are truly enjoying our new space and confidently recommend Marc.

I am a lucky neighbor and friend of Marc Manley's, owner of Skia Design, LLC. The instant I approached him with the beginnings of an idea for a carport/studio, Marc enthusiastically provided a rough sketch, which I immediately loved, and hired him then and there to finalize a design. I have been happily watching this creative, perfect-for-me structure rise up next to my house, and could not be more delighted with this project--I LOVE IT!!!! All fixtures are in place, and after some interior painting I will be ready to move in and make it my ideal art-making space, complete with its own angle-roofed carport (did I mention the clerestory windows?). am not able to attach a photo here, but Marc will include one soon... Christy Mackie, a VERY happy customer

Mark Manley provided full architectural design services for our project. He worked very closely with us, the construction manager, and engineering team. He provided valueable input, listened carefully to our design concepts, visited the site regularly, and our former residence that provided an excellent result.

Mark was very engaged from the get go. He arrived on our land with his tools of the trade to scout out a good site for the house. He listened keenly to our ideas and followed a general plan my husband presented in terms of layout. As we wished to build a contemporary home, we would show Mark many pictures of various rooms, outside design, types of windows etc. to give him a sense of our aesthetic. He would make architectural designs based on these conversations and images and make changes too. His computer generated plans allowed us to clearly envision in 3-D the space he was designing. He was for us a perfect architect. He made suggestions to our ideas; one of our favorite features of our home was Mark’s idea. He listens carefully then astutely transposes our ideas into beautiful designs. He is attentive to detail as he wishes to create the space you wish to live in. Moreover his blueprints are exceedingly precise and helpful to the builder. All is spelled out. We had a tremendously positive experience working with Mark and his fees were so reasonable. Mark also had an excellent rapport with our builder which made the vision from paper to materials smooth and hassle free. We have already recommended to friends with great enthusiasm.

We came to Marc with a number of specific design elements and budget requirements for our Victorian Farm style home. He took the time and energy to carefully incorporate each detail, including multiple levels and decks, placement of windows for optimum light and views and giving our home a unique, esthetically appealing look. He also made himself available to work with the builder on any questions that arose, particularly concerning the underground spring that became apparent on our lot. The end result was a beautiful, one-of-a-kind home that exceeded our expectations. We highly recommend Marc for his creativity, expertise and integrity. Frank and Laura Augusta

SKIA helped us design an extension for our newly purchased 1950 workingman's house. We had a fairly clear vision of what we wanted but our initial ideas needed to be revised and refined to make the plan more practical and affordable. Marc was responsive to our style, our love of windows, trim and whatever architectural detail could be added in keeping with the modest home we had purchased. It took several iterations to plan, but the construction process was greatly aided by the thoughtfulness of the plan. The end result was an extension that we love and have gotten many compliments on. In fact people walking or driving by regularly stopped after it was completed, to say how much they liked the extension and how well the whole layout of the house and garden had worked out.

We liked working with the company. They ensured what we wanted and came up with great ideas as well. We totally endorse SkiaDesign