Thornton Weiler Architecture

Thornton Weiler gets the highest possible rating from my wife and me for the architectural work he did on a substantial remodel of our 2-story (approx. 3000 sq. feet) home to allow placement of an elevator for my wife's use as a paraplegic. The work included establishing placement of the elevator and accessories, redesigning the upstairs bathroom area, including design and placement of his and hers vanities, removing the old bathtub, enlarging the toileting area, design and placement of a wheelchair accessible shower in the bathroom, replacing all old flooring with hardwood floors, design of ramps or alternative access to the house, placement of mechanical devices (new heating system with AC, gas fireplace, solar, and tankless water heater, ensuring compliance with all local standards and codes) and all in compliance with American with Disability Act Standards (ADA). The work was funded by a worker's compensation insurance carrier which meant that there would be numerous out of the ordinary hurdles from the beginning. And there were; numerous renditions of the initial drawings were required, both as a result of City of Oakland's demands and insurance carrier demands. Thornton stuck with the project, completing every task asked of him, to the highest architectural standards, and always with a smile on his face. His knowledge of Oakland building codes, and quirks, was invaluable, saving time and costs on the project. The project required rigorous cooperation with the city of Oakland's Planning Department, and Thornton was able, through his skill and experience, to navigate the various challenges thrown at him. In addition to his professional skill and knowledge, Thornton is creative, coming up with creative solutions to problems that arose from time to time. The project took two weeks short of a year to complete (none of it due to Thornton's work); ran just under $1,000,000. Thornton was always available to answer questions or to help solve problems that popped up! His professional knowledge and skill are of the highest order; his ability to communicate clearly and effectively with his clients, contractors and others (e.g. building department personnel) is also of the highest order. I would not hesitate in engaging Tornton again should the need arise, and as noted above, my wife and I give Tornton Weiler our highest possible rating and recommendation!

The best decision I made was hiring Thorton to help with a living room/bathroom remodel. We worked collaboratively through the design process to co e up with a great solution for our family. Thorton partnered with us during the whole process, including finding a (good) contractor and picking all the furnishings. I’m so glad I did not attempt to design myself!

We have worked with Thornton Weiler on two remodels and we rate him with 5 stars for both! The first was a big project, tearing down walls and expanding window openings, a new staircase, external door etc. He is easy-going and wonderful to work with -- he listened to our ideas and shared generously of his time, meeting with us multiple times to discuss things. He was very patient and seemed to understand completely if we changed our minds. He answered all questions and gave us great suggestions (eg. we wanted sunroofs and he suggested a sun tunnel instead - we now have four of them and they're really eye catching and bring in beautiful light, much cheaper and less leak-prone!). We worked with the Berkeley Permit Office and he facilitated that process -- producing the designs, answering all official queries, and signing the paperwork. When we asked him back for a smaller project, he made time and worked with us again. We recommend him highly to anyone considering home remodeling.

Thornton Weiller has been the architect for our current home remodel. He has done a very professional job and designed a beautiful living space both inside and out. His attention to every detail and his stylistic knowledge during the project is excellent. Thornton Weiler has addressed onsite challenges and met regularly with us and our contractor when problems arose. We highly recommend his services.

I worked with Thornton on my house that we transformed from a one-story to a two-story, it ended up being almost an entirely new house as we had to gut it and redo foundation in order to Add another level. Thornton made the stressful process a little less stressful: 1. He's a very talented architect who was able to make my vision of modernizing the house while keeping it true to the original craftsman character. 3. We passed design review on our first try which almost never happens in the City Of Burlingame which has some of the strictest criteria for renovating. 3. He was great at addressing any concerns my husband and I had during the project and always willing to meet with the building department whenever changes or clarifications were needed. 4. He's a structural engineer which is great because he doesn't just design an aesthetically pleasing house, but also one that is structurally sound. 5. He always did site visits as needed, and extra if I asked. 6. His pricing is fair, and more importantly he's an honest person who does not nickel and dime clients, unlike many of the other "professionals" I dealt with on this project. In fact, my contractor ended up being so horrible, if it wasn't for Thornton the whole project would have ended up a disaster. Overall, I can't say enough great things about Thornton. If you are looking for a great architect with talent and integrity, I highly recommend him.

We've hired Thornton twice now for projects of roughly similar scope. In the first project we used a lot of his structural engineering skills, which turned out to be super helpful that he does both that and the architecture work. On both projects Thornton was always very responsive, personable, and the final product is something we love. In the case of our kitchen remodel / master bedroom + family room addition, we've lived in it for years now and the kitchen especially gets rave feedback from everyone who sees it. The work on my office and the girl's bathroom is also pretty much perfect! The timeframe I'm listing is when we first started working with Thornton, but the second project was about two years later. Also my estimate on costs is based on our payment to Thornton, not the overall project cost.

Thornton did a beautiful job designing our house. We had a challenging hillside to work with and he designed a home that fit in to the area perfectly. The lot has a large tree and designed a home around the tree making it feel almost like an amazing treehouse. We got exactly what we wanted! Our house is modern and airy. It is 5000 square feet and the house flows smoothly and is family friendly. We had changes throughout the project and he was always quick to help us and had a positive attitude. I would definitely recommend Thornton.