Donald Joseph Inc.

I signed a contract in Nov 2023 with Donald Joseph for a architectural services based on preliminary drawings that I had. I made it clear that I liked the general idea and floorplan of the preliminary drawings and I was looking for someone to refine and add detail to the house plans. Craig Fugina understood this and met me at my site so I could explain my initial design. Instead of respecting this, I was told it was too high(not true) and that I needed a first story bedroom(which I didnt want) and that he had better ideas. I thought I would hear Craig out and give him flexibility to be creative. The first design was a completely different style and floorplan from my original drawings which again I patiently explained the motivation for my original design. Well the design process had gaps of months where no progress was made and in the 3 consultations I had it seemed like my original vision was less important than the architect's "perspective", with me having to ask for each of the concepts that was in my original plans to be respected. Obviously if there are engineering reasons for changes this is reasonable but it seemed like Craig put his "professional" perspective above my wishes/vision for my house. Needless to say it did not work out and we agreed that the final comments from our final meeting would be made and we would part ways. These changes were never made. I paid money past the initial schematics in good faith eventhough I dont have anything that I would consider as such. In my opinion I will need to start from scratch again since the plans do not and are not good enough to be the first milestone of the contract. I understand that not all relationships work out but I feel from emails and phone calls that work was not made in good faith inspite(or maybe because) of my patience and the very simple final steps we agreed upon where not honored. I feel like i wasted both time and money on this effort. I am very unhappy with how this worked out.

We are a custom home builder that has worked with Donald Joseph Architects for approximately 5 years. They are very knowledgeable and exceptionally responsive throughout the design and build process. Each and every design has a very distinctive style that suits their clients perfectly. We greatly appreciate their professionalism as well as their detailed design process and would highly recommend them to anyone looking for an Architect for their home.

We bought a lot in Sacramento. We we were so excited to be able to build our dream home. Our budget did not allow us to start our project right away, so some time had passed as we were waiting to interview an architect. While we were on a Christmas vacation in Hawaii, a lovely family over heard my family talking about our new home and that we were looking for an architect. This family was from Southern California and approached us and said " we have the best architect and he is from Sacramento like you." I took their suggestion and when I returned home I immediately called Donald Joseph Inc.. I know most people probably interview many people, but our connection with Donald Fugina and his staff was unbelievable. We clicked right away. They rendered our plans, helped us with obtaining permits, helped us to find a builder, and helped with our interior design selections. We consider them family. Building a home is not an easy task, but Donald Joseph, Inc. made the process easy. Donald worked closely with us on every detail. I recommend them all the time to my peers who are either building or doing a remodel.

Working with Kevin and his team at Donald Joseph has been a wonderful experience. From our initial meeting to actually starting construction they have been available for the entire process. We were blown away by the initial sketch and continue to be impressed as we build our home. His team is always available and prompt to address any issues that may arise. For as busy as they are I always get the feeling that I am their only customer. They take pride in their work and go out of their way to make sure everything is perfect. It’s almost as if they are designing their own home. We have been so impressed by them that we have decided to use them for the interior design as well. No matter who sees the plans, every single subcontractor is blown away by their attention to detail and completeness. As overwhelming as this project has been I am so glad that we chose Kevin as as our architect. I highly recommend them to anyone looking to design a house. Their price is very competitive and they are well worth it. The fact that they have a design studio in their office made life so much easier. Also, unlike other companies that push the same designs over and over again, Kevin and his team listen to what my wife and I wanted and came up with a truly unique design for our dream home.

Donald created my remodel 7 yrs ago when 2/3rd of the house was demolished, and is now adding a master suite to compliment the original remodel. He is creative but extremely practical. My home is post modern and Donald created the space effectively. He has additionally added artistic touches as stainless steel in unexpected locations - effective but warm. I could not be more pleased with my home and Donald's "vision"!

We are so thankful to have had the opportunity to work with Kevin Bryan and Donald Joseph to design our custom home. They truly helped us make our dream home a reality. From our very initial meeting, Kevin was extremely friendly, customer oriented and truly listened to our wishes, thoughts and ideas. The entire process was well organized, efficient and fun! We wanted a contemporary style home and Kevin delivered! We remember walking out of one of our early design meetings telling Kevin he nailed it! We obviously used them for the external design and floor plan but it’s important to call out that we are so thankful we used Donald and Kevin for their interior architecture design as well. We still remember Kevin telling us that while its important and desirable to have a beautiful floor plan and exterior design for us to remember that we will spend the majority of our time inside our home. Oh boy are we glad to have taken them up on this service. We are so thrilled with the entire design and decorating touches they provided us. As some others face making so many decisions while keeping the budget in mind can be a challenge. What was great about Donald and Kevin is they understood our budget and never made us feel uncomfortable or belittled in any way with what we could afford. They did a fantastic job in providing us suggestions that met our style and fit into our overall budget. We honestly believe the reason we had such a positive experience is because both Kevin and Donald took the time to really listen to us and understand our vision and style. They provide a personal touch and show true genuine care in helping their clients dreams come true. Kevin and Donald are an extremely talented team. To anyone who is out there looking for top notch talent search no more. We highly recommend Donald Joseph Inc not only for the quality of their services but also for the friendship this experience has allowed us to develop.

We are the lucky owners of a gorgeous home in Schaffer's Mill in Truckee conceived and designed by the Donald Joseph team, including the interiors. Schaffer's Mill is a spectacular golf course housing development in the Sierra Nevada near Lake Tahoe. We bought a lot the day we saw it situated along a ridge overlooking a forested fairway and the Carson Range and wanted to begin building right away to beat the winter slow down in construction. We became the first to try Schaffer's Mill's new set of approved modern mountain vacation home plans that worked on the lots. After building a custom home in the Bay Area, we didn't want to deal with all the decisions again and wanted to work fast. We chose one designed by architect Kevin Bryan with Donald Joseph and executed by the Carammazza construction team. The minute we drive up to our house, we get a warm sense of well-being and we love living in it. Kevin came up with a very intriguing exterior vision of what a modern mountain home should look like, including the accents of stone, layout of the wood and slope of the roofs. His plan had many excellent details, like the layout of the windows to take advantage of the view, the rustic but refined patio and hot tub design, and the ease of having a one-story house but with the scale and space of two floors - the 8-person bunk room, bathroom and large storage room are on the second floor and everything else is downstairs. The symmetrical design of our large great room with 21 foot ceilings, beautiful aged timber beam work and floor to ceiling granite fireplace is sensational. He also designed a stove hood that matches the shape and heft of the fireplace and balances the room from the opposite end. Kevin is extremely detailed oriented and hard-working and was on-top of the design execution. He prevented mistakes that could have occurred in the house construction. Donald Fugina and Craig Fugina are design pros. In just two meetings we had every tile, granite, cabinet handle and wood decision figured out for the entire house. Starting with the one piece of furniture we had to bring with us, an oxblood-colored chenille couch, Donald came up with an inspired color scheme of grey-toned neutrals with punches of the oxblood color in the tiles and granite. In our third meeting we had the furniture picked out and ordered. By mixing high and low pieces that complemented our art collection and gently steering us away from our ideas that were poor choices in terms of design integrity we were able to furnish our house for a modest budget (less than going with Pottery Barn or RH) but with the look of a designer showcase home. Donald and Craig delivered and placed all of the furniture, appliances and rugs in ways I would never have thought of. Second home owners often choose "all-in-one" design firms that get your kitchenware and towels as well as your appliances and design your hard surfaces. Many of those homes look the same, using the exact same materials and don't reflect the homeowners unique tastes and personalities. We are so glad we didn't go that route! Donald and Kevin really had a vision of what a modern mountain home could be aesthetically and practically and we are living the dream here!

Kevin Bryan at David Joseph completed the architectural plans for our new custom home build. We are very particular people and have felt disappointed by the lack of detail of others in this industry. Not with Kevin!! He is so incredibly bright, thoughtful, artistic, and attentive to every little aspect of the project. He amazed us with his ideas and listened to us so carefully so that he could completely capture our vision. And, on top of that, he is responsive and sticks to his timelines - something that was also very important to us since we had a time crunch. I cannot recommend him highly enough and cannot wait to see our complete house and his vision come to life!

Being a Custom Home Builder, it is very important to have only the best team possible right from the beginning. Donald Joseph, Inc. is a firm that has done wonders for my clients and my company. Donald and Kevin understand how to design to fit their clients budgets and exceed their expectations. Kent Sciutto President Turn-Key Construction Group, Inc.