Engelhardt Architecture

We have worked with Englehardt Architecture on three different projects, and each experience was excellent. Bill met with us multiple times, did several plan reviews, and kept up with the construction process. He was a great help and we highly recommend this firm to anyone looking for Architectural services.

We couldn't be happier with the outcome of our beach cottage remodel. Bill was vital throughout the process, offering us great insights and advice along the way. He is a natural collaborator, has a keen eye for detail, and was a pleasure to work with. We would definitely use Bill again!

Bill designed a complete renovation of our 1914 home and his designs were impeccable. Throughout the process, Bill was readily available, conscious of our budget, and involved with the contractor to ensure the design plans were being properly followed. He is kind, cares deeply about his work, and has a great attention to detail. I wouldn’t hesitate to hire him again.

We worked with Bill Engelhardt on a new house design in an environmentally sensitive area in San Rafael. Bill is a thoughtful and detail-oriented architect. These qualities were very helpful in the long and contentious approval process we had to deal with over nearly 2 years. We always found him very responsive and a pleasure to work with. While we ultimately decided not to proceed with the project for various reasons, we have no doubt that he would have applied the same attention to detail during the construction process. We are happy to recommend him.

We had a great experience working with Bill on the remodel of our 50-year-old family home. He began our project with a damaged home that needed plans submitted to our city so that the house could be restored. The loss of most of the roof during a rainy windy storm caused such water damage that all the kitchen cabinets were removed along with all of the popcorn ceilings, and the top 4 feet of every wall in every room. By the time we hired Bill, the asbestos abatement had been done, the kitchen was down to studs, and the drying out had begun. The mess was gone but the work was just starting. After the storm damage was cleaned up and Bill created 2 sets of plans. The first set provided the city the information they needed to permit the construction, and the 2nd to make some changes that transformed our 50-year old family home into a beautiful open floor plan in the living area. We raised the “drop down” living room floor, removed some walls between the dining, kitchen, living, and family room and brought the 1962 house with lots of doors and walls, up to more open concept floor plan. It looks wonderful and is so much more functional. Ru Oh We have to mention that Bill is a super communicator- He did all the sketches, drawings, and details over email and video conferences with us in two locations and oversaw the construction at the site. We would have no hesitation having Bill do another project for us, or in recommending Bill. We are delighted with the finished home.

Bill designed our 2014 living space remodel (kitchen, living, dining, family room) and was phenomenal - we can't say enough good things about our experience with him. From multiple drawings that worked with different budget models, to beautifully thought-out details for each and every corner of every room, Bill had the vision for our project and was able to hear what we wanted, and translate it perfectly into the space we now love to live in every day. It was a small, old, complicated space, which took even more mastery and creativity, than usual. Bill was always accessible, punctual, communicative, and a joy to work with. A great value for our investment and we highly recommend his firm.

We had a terrific experience working with Bill over a 2 year period, culminating in 12 months of construction and a successful remodel of a challenging 100+ year old Oakland home. Bill worked to understand our problems and issues, and ultimately gave us a design that was not only beautiful, but functioned seamlessly with our lives. Bill's process worked really well for us - some initial meetings with us to really dig into our needs vs wants, followed by his development of a handful of design options for us to review and think through. Once a design was selected, Bill continued to work with us very closely to the end, down to the smallest details. Bill is an excellent communicator, and was always responsive to our questions and concerns. He is also extremely knowledgeable about the Oakland city building codes and permitting process (far more than many of the city inspectors, we found!), and was able to address potential problems long before they arose. All in all, we had a very pleasant experience working with Bill on a long and challenging project, and I would not hesitate to wholeheartedly recommend him!

We’re delighted to recommend Bill Engelhardt for architectural services. In 2015 Bill designed and supervised the renovation of our large open plan kitchen/dining room and upstairs master bath, and he also designed a new laundry room next to the kitchen (the machines used to be in the basement), and worked closely with the structural engineer who designed our seismic renovation. We began by brainstorming designs, and then Bill measured the house and drafted provisional designs for each area — his 3D CAD drawings were incredibly helpful at this early stage! What followed were all the stages required of any renovation. Bill refined designs (and guided us through many decisions), prepared detailed plans for permit applications, and then revised the plans as required for final permitting. He contacted contractors and identified two that he thought would be well qualified to do the work and competitive in price. During the renovation, Bill helped us choose all materials — cupboards, counters, plumbing and light fixtures, flooring, tile, hardware, paint colors — and he was very patient with our deliberations. Bill visited the site regularly to review work in progress and answer questions and request corrections if needed. The renovation took longer than expected, and it proved to be more complex than anyone anticipated, but the contractor and his subs were terrific people, and Bill worked well with all of these professionals. The end result is fabulous - we love all the renovations! The spaces are beautiful yet very functional. Our home was built in the 1920s, and Bill’s designs integrated the renovated rooms with the rest of the house in such appealing ways. A few examples: The floor of the kitchen/dining room (renovated in the 1980s) had been saltillo tile, but the rest of the house is oak floor, so of course Bill suggested oak floor for the kitchen/dining room. The kitchen/dining room in the 1980s renovation exposed some pine ceiling beams, and Bill suggested vertical grain fir cabinets to coordinate with the finished ceiling beams and create a look that was more integrated and intentional. All the new window and door trim match the trim throughout the rest of the house. The new rooms are a pleasure to view and to inhabit. We’re cooking and entertaining more; we love the flexibility of bathtub or shower in the master bath; and we actually enjoy doing the laundry!

Our 2nd story remodel project went amazingly well in large part due to Bill's guidance and on-going communication and support. He designed 3 options and enumerated the pros and cons of each, helped us find a contractor, helped with permits as well as smoothing out the inevitable bumps along the way. We felt like we were in very capable hands with him at the helm!

We had a very extensive remodel done on our house last year. Bill was an amazing architect. At the beginning, he listened carefully to what we wanted and offered us many options. Throughout the process, his customer service was impeccable. He came on-site on a regular basis which made us feel very much at ease. Not only is he technically very competent, he is easy to work with and a joy to be around. I highly recommend Bill for any architecture job you have.

Bill recently oversaw the remodel of our kitchen and dining room. He also took the lead on securing permits with the City of Berkeley, always a challenge. He was referred to us by a friend and exceeded all expectations. Bill was creative, patient, upbeat, and professional at all times. He listened carefully to our input and offered great suggestions throughout the design process . He also checked in regularly during construction to make sure that the contractor (who he referred to us) was performing well. I would work with him again in a heartbeat and recommend him with no reservations.

When we decided to take on a major home addition and renovation two years ago, we really had no idea what we were getting into. We knew there were a few things that were absolute necessities, and we had a few pie-in-the-sky ideas, but we needed an architect to help us figure out what was legal and what we could actually afford. Bill Engelhardt came highly recommended from friends of ours, and the moment we met him for the interview we knew he would be a great fit. He was the perfect combination of relaxed, funny, and friendly yet incredibly knowledgeable, skilled, and professional. Not only did we get 4 great design options for him, but we were impressed by how he helped us go through the options and come up with one final design that was perfect for us. It was a fun and painless process to get that far. But really, we thanked our lucky stars every day for Bill once the construction started. That process was NOT fun and painless.We were not pleased with many of the things that happened with the contractor - and through it all, we always knew that we could call Bill for help. He was always willing and able to answer our questions - sometimes to reassure us that what the contractor was saying was in fact completely standard, and other times to agree with our outrage and coach us to stand up for what we really needed. And really, there was more than one time when we called in a panic, such as "The contractor is in the middle of installing those really expensive countertops and it just doesn't look right, I think it's all getting screwed up....help!" And lo and behold, Bill was at our door in under 20 minutes, butting right in there to make sure everything turned out OK. (We hid in the living room with our fingers crossed until he came out and reassured us that disaster had been averted.) When it comes down to it, we absolutely could not give a higher recommendation for Engelhardt Architecture. Hiring Bill was the best choice we made on the entire project. Our design is functional, beautiful, and seamless. We are grateful for our "new" home every single day and we love inviting people over to show off the work! They can't believe that it's an addition - the design has all the bells and whistles yet fits perfectly into our 1940 house, just like we wanted. We're thrilled. Do yourself a favor and hire Engelhardt Architecture for your project. You'll be glad you did.