Entasis Architects PC

I am a contractor with 30 years of experience and have worked with lots of architects and designers over the years. I have done several projects with Jay Walter (Entasis Architects) and must say his drawings are so detailed. He's very professional and thorough, we have job meetings once a week and Jay does weekly progress reports to keep us all on track, he's very responsive and quick to make decisions on the fly not to hold up the project. I highly recommend him for any project a true professional who is great to deal with.

I interviewed 4 architects before hiring Jay and I immediately felt at ease with his calming blend of practicality and creativity. Whereas other architects barely listened, presenting me with grandiose plans I couldn't afford, Jay absorbed everything I asked for and executed a plan that delivered all of it while adhering to the limitations of my budget and the historic board in my neighborhood. I could never have dreamed, setting out, that my claustrophobic starter house could look like the inviting, expansive, impressive home it is today. What Jay accomplished with his design was completely transformative, managing to convert a runty cinderblock Cape with 3 separate rooflines into a spacious, symmetrical showpiece that my kids and I feel lucky to live in. And he did this without venturing beyond the extremely limiting original footprint. Jay also has special expertise in green architecture, so every step of the way he provided the most environmentally responsible materials, the smartest appliance suggestions, and thoughtful ways to optimize the house's energy efficiency. Just a few examples of the difference Jay's design made in our lives: 1) The original house had no entryway: you just opened the door and bumped into the stairs, where the kids threw all their shoes and backpacks. Jay created a spacious, welcoming entry with a bench, a closet, and a built-in shelf so that everything has its place. 2) The previous house had a galley kitchen that segued uncomfortably into a useless corridor to the dining room. Jay drew up a kitchen that might actually inspire me to become a chef: it has an island overlooking the dining room, more cupboards and pantry space than even I could fill up, and the modern farmhouse aura I always aspired to. 3) The upstairs used to be 2 tiny bedrooms linked by the world's smallest bathroom. Now it has a master suite with its own bathroom, beautiful bedrooms and a nice bathroom for my 2 youngest kids, and a laundry room flanked by a linen closet. All this linked by a beautiful hallway that is reached by an open staircase. His design addressed every pain point I expressed in the most elegant and ingenious way possible. Jay is also a steadfast partner through every project he takes on, providing oversight, adjustments, and advice from bidding to permitting to review boards and beyond. He was an invaluable advisor in choosing a contractor and went above and beyond by creating revisions on the fly and sketching out plans for the driveway and walkway at the last minute. He's trustworthy, visionary, and easy to work with and I can't recommend him highly enough.

Jay is terrific! We just completed a renovation/addition to a nearly 150 year-old Victorian. Jay worked closely with us to ensure the design had everything we wanted. He remained very involved during the entire renovation, which was especially important with an old house, where unexpected problems sometimes seem to come up nearly every day. Jay’s creative solutions to these challenges saved the day on multiple occasions. We really enjoyed working with Jay and are thrilled with our newly renovated home!

Mr. Walter has my highest recommendation. He brought both professional architectural skill and common sense to a complicated problem regarding the expansion of an abutter's house that could have otherwise negatively impacted my property. Using his knowledge of city government regulations and procedures, Mr. Walter used his superior negotiating skills to reach an agreement that was satisfactory to everyone involved -- the abutter, my neighbors and the city council. He worked cooperatively and seamlessly with the other professionals involved. It was only because of his expertise as well as his willingness to go the extra mile that my problem was resolved. Again, I strongly endorse Mr. Walter.

If I could give Jay more than 5 stars I would! We just did a major renovation/addition to our 1907 colonial home in Newton, MA and Jay was our architect. He specializes in residential homes in our city, is very connected in the City through Historic Newton, Green Newton and knows folks at City Hall in the building department. He was easy to work with, is an easy going man and truly wants to help his clients achieve the results they want. We love how he helped us transform our home. The end result is gorgeous! Jay is also very concerned about the environment and implements green building practices into his projects. You could not ask for a more personable, caring man to work with. He always went the extra mile to assure that the project was completed to our specs and that the general contractor was up to speed on what we wanted.

I highly recommend Jay Walter, Entasis Architects PC. He is a creative, skillful and conscientious professional. We hired Jay to design the renovation of the master bedroom and bathroom in our 1919 Dutch Colonial home. Jay identified our needs, listened carefully to our preferences, and responded with a sensible plan for our space, including clever solutions to old home challenges. Jay helped us evaluate bids from several contractors and guided us to a final result that we have been very happy with. Jay is a pleasure to work with and I recommend him without reservation.

After 30 years of living with our cramped 1930's kitchen, we hired Jay to re-imagine the space. He came up with a fantastic redesign that preserved the feel of our Victorian home, but incorporated today's modern conveniences. His plan included removing a non-functional chimney to increase the kitchen's footprint, relocating the sink to improve flow, and adding a banquet to increase our seating capacity. We also got an improved heated mudroom, two renovated bathrooms and more space in rooms on the second and third floors where the chimney was removed. The entire project went amazingly smoothly. Jay was easy to work with, responsive to our questions and concerns, and always there for the inevitable glitches that come up when rehabbing an old house. Jay's plans were complete and detailed - the contractor carried them around like a bible. It's three years later and we still marvel at how much we love our new kitchen!

I hired Entasis Architects to design an expansion of our house to accommodate a new, greatly enlarged kitchen, and a small porch outside it. This was a complex project, involving a completely different arrangement of the space, including a large island and many new windows. Jay Walter created a stunning room that retains the historical character of the rest of our house, a 1930s colonial, while adding space and light. As the contractors worked on the kitchen, Entasis was on hand to check the details and make suggestions when small questions arose. The result is a convenient, beautiful space, ideal for cooking, entertaining, and enjoying the paper. I can't spend enough time in my new kitchen, and I can't thank Entasis enough for a superb job.

When we wanted to add a bathroom to our house, we worked with Jay Walter of Entasis on the planning and design stages. Jay analyzed the situation, and came up with the most creative, yet practical solution. With his plans we turned our third floor into a suite of rooms, where my wife and I have lived for the past six years. Jay's plans helped us transform our living for the better.

We had a fabulous experience with Jay - he was completely competent and professional and organized and wonderful. We thought we had some good ideas, but he took them and turned them into great ideas. Some of the suggestions he made were truly inspired and made our simple renovation just so much better. His idea to bump up the ceiling over the third floor stairs - just changed the entire feeling of the hallway and opened the space up in a way we could not have imagined. His suggestion to search antique stores for a newel post that could be refinished - made all the difference in our downstairs entry. He was so easy to work with, very available, was calm about attending meetings of the historical society to advocate for our changes, led the team and was a fantastic project manager. Now we are living in our newly renovated home and it is beyond our highest hopes, we love it, and we really credit Jay with having the vision to make it all happen!

Jay has completed three projects for us over the past five years. One front entrance fix, one bedroom expansion and a complete first floor/ kitchen/ bath renovation. He is professional, a breeze to work with and always on time and on budget. I recommend him highly and with no reservations. Andy

Jay designed a new garage for our property. He did a great job designing a garage that felt very consistent with the Victorian nature of our house, and made good use of the available lot area. He also helped line up a quality contractor to do the building which we were very happy with as well. Highly recommended