De Meza + Architecture

We hired Gregg for a major remodel of our house in Marin. We found him on Houzz and loved what he'd done for his clients in Sonoma ("Fieldstone House" project) among others. He came up with a wonderful, tasteful, beautiful design for us that is working extremely well for our family of 5 and frequent houseguests. I'll share project photos soon. Gregg also introduced us to a fantastic contractor who did an outstanding job, was extremely professional, and has always been there for us when we've needed touch-ups even three years later! Gregg is a total professional and his work is worth more than every penny. I can't say enough good things about him. My wife and I are passionate about architecture, have grown up all over the world and were demanding clients. Gregg lived up to all of our needs and then some.

We were referred to Gregg De Meza to solve a wind problem in our courtyard that made it difficult to enjoy the space or entertain. We told Gregg that we were in love with Spanish/Moorish architecture and interested in incorporating that style into the wind barrier in a way that was original, artistic and appropriate for our semi-custom colonial Spanish home. Gregg embraced the challenge and came up with a solution that adds enjoyment, quality and value to our home. We particularly appreciate his attention to lighting, color, materials and scale, specifying a one dimensional “window” with subtle gradations in color such that it gives the illusion of being 3 dimensional. Finally, Gregg and his staff are a pleasure to work with. We will call on them again for other projects.

Gregg is such a pleasure to work with. He is incredibly professional, organized and a very talented architect/designer. We work with Gregg on all our projects!

Gregg De Mezza and I first met while working on the Decorator Showcase together in 2015. I was immediately drawn to him. It's hard to explain, but my best attempt is he is a magnet of energy, enthusiasm, and genuine passion. We were fortunate to be his contractor partner for his incredibly creative "boys bath" (shown in the photo). Upon successful completion of the showcase, we began working with Mr. De Meza and his team on several other projects where he brought us in as his preferred General Contractor. His loyalty to trusted vendors and partners is unparalleled and became evident almost immediately. The things that my team and my firm appreciate the most about working with Gregg and his company, (if I have to name just a few are): - Incredibly decisive - Articulate, open communicator - Thorough in every aspect of his work and approach - Quick to find and resolve any problems or issues - Always understanding and a united front - Incredibly knowledgeable in his craft - Buttoned up and detail oriented - Project managers that reflect and emulate all of his qualities - Impassioned to get things done, and done right In construction, it is never a matter of "if" something goes wrong, it is only a matter of "when". Every hurdle I have ever encountered with Mr. De Meza, no matter how big or small, not matter who/how/what dropped the ball, his only mission was to right the course and get back on track. He and his team were always there to trouble shoot, jump in when needed, and even make financial contributions when it was not their place to do so in order to make a client happy. Even when things got tough or tempers flared, it was still always a pleasure working with this charismatic man! I cannot say enough about what kind of value this brings to the table in a working partnership. Given the opportunity, I would put my team of project managers and site supervisors on ANY and EVERY project with De Meza + Architecture. This man and his passion and fire should be cloned.

De Meza + Architecture provided outstanding service for a complete remodel of our condominium in Pacific Heights. Gregg's strength is his vision and solutions associated with construction of mid-rise buildings, also working with the construction firm creating a professional environment. Communication is essential ... Gregg was great keeping the client informed on all issues. He will guide the client, understands their needs and listens to requests. We wanted to give the condo a modern feel without drastic changes to the original architecture...the solution to change the hardwood floors to a beautiful light color made a significant difference to the end result...we love the change. Cost and timeline was as expected.... Rebecca Arnold Will forward photos when available!

A complete penthouse remodel. De Meza did an amazing job helping us draw up plans that suited our style. He came up with creative ideas for awkward spaces that changed the house for the better. We talked with several other firms and no-one could think outside the box like De Meza! They chose beautiful finishes, and really made the pace a unique and fabulous.

We loved working with Gregg….. He really listens to the brief, and tries to find creative solutions to awkward spots – both architecturally and aesthetically. On a number of projects I have worked with him on, he came up with many practical - yet cool - ideas, (some of them in-build), and was never phased by the many curveballs thrown at him. Billing was clear and fair. Plus, he just makes the whole process an adventure because he is such a likeable guy. Professional, but fun.

We hired Gregg de Meza for the remodeling of our house in late 2013. About a month into our relationship, we had to end our contract for the following reasons: - From the get go, he started charging excessive amounts so much so that for the initial phase of the project, we ended up paying twice as much as the amount he had indicated in his proposal. - He was charging for items that were not completed. eg. schematics only included hand-drawn changes over as-built plans yet we were charged for autocad work, which we never received. - His team was inefficient with the way they completed tasks, which was one of the reasons he charged beyond his proposal. eg. 3.5 hours spent on a 1-page gant chart, 4 hours spent on a work plan and typing up of a 1-hour meeting at the city. - When we challenged his bills, his immediate reaction was to threaten us that he would employ a collection agency rather than explaining the charges in a detailed, convincing and satisfactory way. - When we talked to California Architects Board, they agreed that the hours billed for the work he delivered (mostly comprised of hand-drawn sketches over as-built plans) seemed excessive. - We felt that the hand-drawn schematic options he provided lacked much of a differentiation from one another, leading to a lack of alternatives that we were hoping to consider for our remodeling project. For clients with open ended budgets, perhaps his services may be acceptable. Unfortunately, for us, this relationship led to the loss of valuable funds that were much needed for our project and the loss of valuable time as the halting of this relationship delayed our project by three months.

These guys are the real deal. Our project consisted of a high end residential property in the Sonoma wine country. Their design is elegant, and in our case, award winning. They far exceeded my expectations.

Gregg designed our bathroom remodel. We gutted it and reconfigured the fixtures, replacing the tub with a shower. He and his staff were all considerate and enjoyable to work with. We've done extensive remodeling over many years, sometimes doing the design work ourselves, other times with a designer. His suggestions indicated that we'd found a talented, experienced professional. The space isn't large, so we weren't sure how it would look, but when it was finished, it looked larger. It's original and spectacular.

I have hired Gregg De Meza and his firm on two important architectural projects: one for my home and one for my offices. In both cases, the results were spectacular. Gregg’s design sense and scope of resources are so far beyond any other architect we interviewed that I can’t imagine working with anyone else. He sees big and then makes it work, to the smallest nuance and the most stringent budget concern. To me, this is a critical distinction: His unique vision of what can be done to bring an environment alive comes first and the operational and fiscal discipline is then applied to make it feasible. There are plenty of firms that think bottom up: I want top down. Under Gregg’s personal involvement and direction, DMA recently completed my company’s offices. It was a challenging assignment: an older three-story loft in downtown San Francisco that had to be gutted and rebuilt to meet our operational requirements. But those were only part of the requirements: it also had to retain the light coming in through forty feet of windows; had to blend new and old; and it had to represent the attitude of my company, which is a combination of luxury, drama, provocation and humor – none of which could distract from the hardcore professionalism of who we are and what we do. When the project was completed I wanted our clients to say two things: “I want to work here myself,” and “this is exactly how I imagined your offices would look.” I wanted my employees to say one thing: “I love where I work.” For myself, I didn’t want to be proud of our offices; I wanted to be thrilled silly every day I walked through the front door. Mission completely accomplished by DMA. I have repeatedly watched our clients’ jaws drop upon entering. I have witnessed the steady stream of our people’s friends and family members who are given the tour. And I have gotten the “when are you coming home?” call many times, not realizing that I have lost 30 minutes here, an hour there, just walking around and examining the finished space from various sightlines. Gregg De Meza personally radiates competency and care in what he does and so does his team. If God is in the details, they are fighting a holy war on their client’s behalf. As a business owner who flatters myself that I have a strong sense of fiscal responsibility and a sophisticated sense of design and quality, I wouldn’t work with anyone else. If you are considering an architect for your own business or home, I recommend DMA and am happy to answer any further questions. Stan Slap slap stan@slapcompany.com

As furniture makers, Munson Joinery appreciates the thoughtful, comprehensive designs of DM+A. They understand materials and their varied applications which is so important when turning designs into reality.