Basement Designers in Port Chester

“My husband and I were interested in a house, but saw some things that needed to be changed that were a deal breaker for us. I reached out to Stephanie and she fit it in her busy schedule to meet with us. Stephanie came to the house we were interested in and took a great amount of time walking through taking measurements and discussing all our options. She was very helpful , knowledgeable and full of insight.”

“Carmelo was easy to work with and did a great job. I would recommend him to anyone who needs to renovate their apartment.”

“Lisa Gilbert, LPG Architect, performed two jobs for us. In 2008, she designed a porch and mudroom. In 2013, she designed a two-story addition that included a new master bedroom suite and kitchen, and a reconfiguration of existing space. In connection with the latter project, Lisa also represented us before the zoning board for a small variance. We found Lisa very professional and accommodating of our schedules. She initially presented us with multiple ideas and was detail oriented in the design process. The result is fantastic. She considered important drainage/water issues that were important for the design and we could not be more pleased with the space. We highly recommend Lisa.”

“Very thorough review of the original site. Very efficiently designed an addition within the confines of the site...very easy to work with.”

“I thought that finding an honest contractor who follows through with what they promise would be impossible but decided to take the chance with Essential and finally do my first renovation. I was very nervous at first but the contractor Peter was extremely patient and was with me every step of the way. His team which included a talented designer put together a picture perfect kitchen, powder bathroom and master bedroom bathroom. I was blown away by the attention to detail and if you’re looking for a wonderful experience limiting your stress level for such a major project then Peter and his team are a great fit.”

“Very helpful and organized. Helped walk us through designing a 2nd story addition. Drew up a few interior and exterior options and walked us through pros and cons before picking one. Assisted builder with question as they came up.”

“As we near completion of an Alisberg Parker project I am inclined to say that it has been, plain and simple, a "pleasure"! As a builder I can attest that Susan Alisberg & Ed Parker bring a refreshing sophistication to their work. Alisiberg Parker Architects has carved out a niche where classic tradition and a fresh up to date design sense mesh perfectly for todays living. In working with Susan it has become clear that her clients not only receive turn key drawings and specifications but also a full time designer who has her finger on the pulse of current style and trend. Its hard to come by an architect with such a keen eye and unwavering passion for their work.”

“My home is one of the exhibits listed here. This architect was easy to work with and gave appropriate and timely advice when needed. She is currently working another project for me, a renovation of a Frank Lloyd Wright's apprentice work in the Berkshires.”

“Kathy has a great sense of space and design. She does a good job documenting and drawing the project out so it can be built quickly and without a lot of open issues. Her knowledge of the code and associated research, if needed, leave no open issues to "deal with later". She is soft spoken, logical and easy to deal with in a team environment. she is a please to work with..”

“I can count on several fingers the times I have found a local business partner that I'd describe as a rockstar, and Brian Hopkins is on that short list. On Christmas Eve, my wife and I were out doing errands. We got a call from our teenage son, telling us that water was raining down from the upstairs bathroom, through our microwave and stove, into the basement, onto the furnace and water heater. There was some once-in-a-century rapid drop in temperature, we had some poorly insulated pipes, and one of those pipes ruptured in the floor of that second floor bathroom resulting in that disaster. Total nightmare. Thankfully, one of the other rockstars on our short list of local business partners is our general contractor. We already had a plan on the shelf to renovate that bathroom, our contractor was available, we were able to get all our tile and bathroom fixtures picked out and procured in record time, and shortly after New Year's our GC started the repairs and creating the bathroom of our dreams. Salvation! Everything was going awesome, until the building department showed up. In a rush, we neglected to get a building permit. We weren't being shady or playing games. We were just hasty and ignorant and didn't do the things we needed to do. We got an immediate stop-work order. And the only way to get back on track was to find an architect to do proper code-compliant architectal drawings for our already-in-progress bathroom renovation. I quickly learned that there are not a lot of residential architects hurting for business, certainly not at that time of year. I literally called at least 15 different places. Either people were too busy, or weren't interested in the project. I finally found one who couldn't take the job, but said "hey, we know this other guy in the area who is super good, that we refer people to when we're busy. His name is Brian Hopkins." Somebody directing business to a competitor?? I now understand why they referred me. Brian is only the second architect I've ever worked with, but as far as I can tell, he's as good as it gets. I was able to get in touch with him immediately, and he agreed to take on the work. He was incredibly transparent and clear about what he was going to do, when he was going to do it, and what it would cost. Throughout the process he was super responsive, empathetic, organized, patient, professional, and enjoyable to work with. He didn't nickel and dime us or play games; he was clearly focused on good customer service and outcomes. And from what I can tell, both the building department and my GC were very happy with the quality of his work. The entire ordeal we went through, particularly involving the building department and fines and delays was horrible. Had we not found Brian, had he not been so excellent, the situation might have been unbearable. He literally was our savior. It's absurd not to want to work with someone like this.”