ecomodern

On short notice Henry responded flexibly to my urgent need for a customized site plan. He was easy to work with and priced reasonably.

Henry was recommended to us by a local shop, EcoHome Improvement, in Berkeley, CA. I was looking for someone to do plans and permitting for a bathroom remodel, addition of two more bathrooms, and conversion of a small bedroom into a walk-in closet. Because our home is an old, historic structure, I was hesitant to call an architect practicing as "Ecomodern." Nevertheless, seeing very strong online reviews from past clients, I reached out. Henry loved our older home and immediately "got" what we were looking for; something updated but in complete harmony with the existing house, which has a lot of interior trim and its own strong design "personality." He was not interested in imposing a modern style or making any statement beyond the existing look and feel of the house, other than to freshen things. At the same time, he helped come up with updated interpretations of existing elements and was open to both new/eco improvements and period details. Henry was very easy and enjoyable to work with. His style is calm and thoughtful. He is an excellent and patient listener (I had a lot of preconceived ideas, having thought about the remodel for 10 years!), but always willing to give his opinion - and back it up. He responds quickly to emails and calls, delivers on time, and sent emails informing us the few times there was a delay, even of a few hours, in getting something back. You can't ask for perfection on timing, but knowing what is going on, and what the new ETA will be, is extremely courteous and appreciated! Henry has a good aesthetic sense, is kind, unpretentious and very professional. With a wonderful combination of flexibility coupled well articulated solutions, he knows how to get you out of a design muddle to make good decisions with confidence. Our work ended with permitted plans in hand, which our contractor is now working from. When the job is finished we will post photos. We have had a few very limited follow up questions which he has kindly replied to at no charge (one or two things that took only 10 minutes to look over). Should we need more substantial advice as the project progresses, we will definitely be hiring him for additional help and advice. In short, we have had a great experience with Henry.

We are extremely happy with our total kitchen makeover by Henry Gutman. I'd worked as an architect in a former career, and after months of visiting kitchen showrooms and sketching rough ideas, my wife and I engaged Henry to assist with our remodel. We were impressed with our neighbor's recently remodeled kitchen; nothing else we saw had the special quality and uniqueness of their space. They referred us to Henry and we immediately felt comfortable with his calm demeanor; he seemed like a good listener - as well as a thoughtful, skilled designer. Henry quickly assimilated the ideas we'd discussed into a simple but elegant schematic plan, and then we went through several iterations. Henry helped us clarify the design, select a materials palette and he recommended several contractors with whom he had experience. His expertise and guidance made the project go smoothly and we are extremely pleased with the outcome. The new kitchen has transformed our house and our lifestyle. Henry has a strong modern, eco-friendly design sensibility plus the ability to quickly assess a situation and problem-solve ideas. We enthusiastically recommend him for design projects and would work with him again in a heartbeat.

Henry Gutman of Ecomodern designed a studio for us. He was good to work with, did things within the time frame needed and charged a reasonable fee. He had a nice modern sense, and created interesting, unusual touches like exposed beams and insulation in the ceiling, a skylight and beautiful large doors and windows that maximize light. He was also willing to make changes and adaptations as needed.

Henry Gutman did a suburb job of listening to our ideas and coming up with design sketches and ideas for us to review. He did not impose his opinion on the creative process but was willing to share his views - which we requested frequently because he has good instincts! He delivered 100% on the promise of an architect. We're thrilled with the outcome of the project and he deserves quite a bit of the credit since, without his inputs, our front patio/deck would surely not have turned out anything like what it is!

The architect (Henry Gutman) completed the design, in consultation with our wishes, executed it, obtained municipal work permits and supervised the construction. He also offered us a referral to a structural engineer and names of contractors that he had experience with. Henry Gutman was responsive to our questions and always assisted us with any problems, before, during and after construction. We remodeled and expanded our old kitchen. This involved moving an exterior wall to gain more space. We were unhappy about possibly having to crack open our concrete pad and Henry Gutman came up with a design that eliminated the need for it. The kitchen design is great and we could not be happier with it.

As a general contractor, I have worked with Henry Gutman of Ecomodern Design on several projects. I have worked with Henry on long term condominium projects, remodels and town houses. He has proven to be a capable and clever architect in his solutions to the issues that come up in any construction project. He is responsive to the clients and the trades people and does so in a timely manner. Overall each project has been brought to fruition on time and on budget.

Henry Gutman at Ecomodern was a terrific partner in designing the renovation of our house. We started out with a couple basic ideas to bring our circa 1930s original kitchen and a poorly-designed 1950’s room addition into a functional and attractive remodel. Having thought about it for years we had pretty-well formulated goals about what we wanted to accomplish. Henry's preliminary drawings showed he had been very attentive to our assessment of what we needed and he was the one guy we interviewed who had fresh approaches to implementing our ideas. He was good at facilitating our discussion, taking input from all of us, including our 23-yr-old engineering-student son. Henry's team (including specialists for the engineering and drafting of our proposal) were helpful in obtaining permits on a reasonable schedule. His continued consultation and ready accessibility gave me confidence to pursue the project as an owner-builder, saving the costs of employing a general contractor. Together we achieved a sense of space and relationships between inside and outside which has produced a truly thrilling result. A common two-bedroom one bath with an "extra" room off the kitchen has become a stunning three and two with the addition of a gallery/commons area which affords sight lines through the entire length of the building. With only approximately 300 sq. ft. of additional space inventively utilized we really feel that we are in a completely new and different house. Being one's own general contractor is not for sissies. Yes, I made some errors but luckily no deal-breakers or costly flubs. I was fortunate and grateful to receive the value for our money which I did, working both with bids from sub-contractors in the trades and with talented builders who worked on time and materials. Through all this, Henry Gutman was a helpful resource and assistant in meeting challenges. Ecomodern was a terrific asset in pulling this off. Should I endeavor another project like this, he will get my call.

We bought our house 3 years ago. It was a 1920's house, with a terrible kitchen remodel from 1990. Everything about it was problematic - the awkward layout, the mismatched appliances, the pink formica countertops with matching pink tile floor. We knew this was going to be a gut job because nothing was worth keeping. We had worked with Henry before on a smaller scale project. He designed a deck off the side of the house, and replaced a set of windows with sliders. It went really well, so we decided to get his help with our kitchen. We knew bits and pieces of what we wanted in the kitchen. We picked out a nice stove, knew we wanted to use green materials, and we love mid century modern design. Henry turned our bits and pieces into a comprehensive design. There were many small things we didn't even think about (the placement of lights, the depth of the counter, etc) that he thought about and ensured were well designed. We couldn't be happier with the outcome. Not only was Henry's design perfect, he included a lot of extras: recommending the contractor to use and working with the contractor during the remodel to ensure the designs were executed perfectly. This included making design tweaks during the remodel, ensuring the right materials were used, and helping make sure we stayed on budget and on schedule. One of the best parts of our kitchen is the custom designed upper cabinets. Henry designed them based upon our needs, and they give our kitchen a special uniqueness that we love. Being a repeat customer is the best recommendation. We've worked with Henry twice, and would not hesitate to work with him in the future.