Haven Architecture LLC

I had a fantastic experience with Haven Architecture, in particular working with Patrick who was incredibly professional, knowledgable, creative, and responsive in guiding us through the process of basement finishing design and first-floor redesign. He took our concerns seriously and is very open-minded on ideas that my wife and I brought up, incorporating them (with wise modifications) into the final design, and the outcome has been spectacular. My expectations were thoroughly exceeded and I would highly recommend Haven Architecture and Patrick Rettig to anyone looking for a top-tier architect for their home.

Patrick is wonderful to work with. He's thoughtful, intelligent, a great listener and investigator, and an information vessel. He is able to gently pull you back to reality when brainstorming goes off the rails. He performs all these roles needed to help a client through an uncertain journey with ease. He was available to us for phone, video, and house calls. We appreciated the time he came with a scope camera that he fished into the walls and ceiling to investigate questionable areas. As for the product, we used Haven for design and schematics. The copious amount of notes on the drawings —technical, unknowable points within existing conditions, production, and design—helped contractors estimate the job and outlined talking points and agenda items for our meetings with them. We recommended Haven.

Patrick exceeded our expectations throughout our new construction project, and we couldn't be more delighted! Our engagement spanned over three years, with a temporary pause during the pandemic, which we resumed after a few months. Patrick's expertise in construction, cost implications, and methods of implementations is truly remarkable. He possesses a keen eye for design, and his engineering approach is both scientific and principled. Unlike many in the industry, Patrick provided us with a realistic schedule and consistently delivered on time. This reliability is a rare gem in the construction trade. The construction documents he prepared were meticulously detailed, saving us countless times during the project, when dealing with contractors. Moreover, he made himself readily available to address any questions or concerns raised by contractors throughout the construction process. Whenever we encountered issues, Patrick was our trusted advisor. His guidance proved invaluable, and we felt utmost confidence in consulting him. Our new house is an architectural masterpiece; beautifully designed and practical. It has captured the hearts of everyone who has laid eyes on it. The collaboration with Patrick was a pleasure, and we wholeheartedly recommend him for any architectural design project. Look no further; he is the best choice.

My wife and I are pleased to highly recommend Patrick Rettig without reservation. We used Patrick as our architect for major renovations to our century-old farmhouse colonial in Lexington MA. The project included virtually every aspect of house construction with, to paraphrase Patrick, a lot of “moving parts”: new bathrooms, windows, doors, built-in cabinets and shelving, flooring, insulation, HVAC, exterior siding and decks; complete gut of all rooms except two; and structural work. Overall, we considered him a “godsend” throughout a long and understandably stressful process. (We remained living in the house for most of the construction phase!) Patrick had excellent design ideas -- his plan for a new tray ceiling in our enlarged living room “made” the room – yet he was also very attentive and receptive to our own ideas. The relationship became a truly collaborative team effort. Patrick is highly knowledgeable of building technologies, his construction plans were thorough and detailed, and he was willing to adapt his level of project management to our needs and wishes. Communications-wise, Patrick was always quick to respond to our emails, calls, and document reviews, visit the site when needed and, most importantly, he was an excellent listener and helped us navigate bumps-in-the-road (inevitable in a project of this scope) in a calm, patient, and reassuring manner. Last, but by no means least, we found Patrick’s costs to be extremely reasonable.

We have a 1950’s suburban ranch house of no architectural significance. It is on a corner lot, and the town’s zoning laws resulted in an oddly shaped area where we could build an addition (including a bathroom and studio) without a variance. We realized we had a challenge to maximize the usable space. We also needed an expert who understood the town’s building restrictions, permitting processes and who could work with local authorities. After interviewing several architects, we chose Patrick Rettig of Haven Architecture, LLC for this construction project because his expertise in design and invaluable knowledge. Patrick listened carefully to our ideas and produced several concept sketches, all of which greatly exceeded our own attempts. Throughout the design process Patrick withheld his own preferences to produce an addition that exactly fit our needs and aesthetics. His architectural drawings are very detailed, leaving little to the builder’s interpretation. The design we decided on is very different than the original house but augments the existing structure with a sophisticated modern look and many practical features. Patrick explored numerous materials and design approaches in a very efficient manner. His professional and courteous demeanor, his vision, and talent made him a pleasure to work with. And he provided extremely prompt and responsive support to the builder throughout construction, which really shows in all the thoughtful details. Building an addition can be a wearing process, but Patrick’s open mind and detailed knowledge of actual hands-on construction proved invaluable in a continued smooth progress. His out-of-the-box overall design concept really stole the show. The community has been invariably supportive in their comments as the construction progressed! We love living in this light-filled contemporary space he created. We highly recommend Patrick Rettig and Haven Architecture, LLC.

We used Haven Architecture for our attic renovation project. Our condo in Watertown had an unfinished portion of attic and we wanted to turn it into a bedroom suite with a bathroom. The project also involved adding dormers, heating ,cooling and plumbing. We worked with Patrick through the design steps, the entire process was very easy and he listened to our suggestions and was able to integrate them into the final designs. Patrick walked us through various possible scenarios so we could make informed decisions. He interfaced directly with our contractor during the construction process and ensured a smooth delivery process. Overall we were very happy with our experience and would strongly recommend Haven Architecture.

Haven Architecture LLC was an invaluable part of our home renovation project (extension on a center-entrance 1930s colonial including new basement/garage/mudroom/kitchen/and 2nd floor primary suite). Patrick Rettig was involved from the initial design phase, to selecting and hiring our GC, through construction. We couldn't have asked for a better experience, he was always responsive to our questions, on time with his deliverables, and prompt to our meetings. He listened carefully to our needs, concerns, and desires. He provided thoughtfully curated design options for our new spaces that addressed our specific requests and stayed within our budget. We also welcomed his professional opinions and creative out-side-the-box ideas. His plans were highly practical as well as architecturally appealing, so we had form and function in every option. Revisions were always a collaborative effort. He clearly understood our town's building restrictions and permitting process as well as the details of the construction phase. Patrick has a professional, calm, and fully engaged energy which made working with him pleasant and productive. He often helped us better understand in-field issues that arose with the GC (from geotechnical finds to change orders) and helped us navigate and troubleshoot these together. Nothing was too large or small for Patrick to address. He did everything from designing the complicated marrying of our new roof to the old hip roof, to creating the best lighting plan for each room, to helping us choose dining room furniture that allowed for the best "clearances" for seating and passing by the table, to placing windows that perfectly complement our existing furniture. We are so happy with how the project turned out, Haven Architecture LLC truly took our happy home and helped us make it much more spacious, convenient, modern, and beautiful. Patrick and his team come highly recommended.

I tend to do A LOT of research when selecting contractors so when we decided to start planning some home renovations, I was looking to find a local architect with great reviews and someone who shared our aesthetic. Patrick and the team at Haven Architecture exceeded our already high expectations. From initial discussions, to first drawings (which they nailed), to working with our deck contractor through the build process, we could not have asked for a better experience. Patrick is creative, talented, responsive, a great problem solver (which comes in handy when you’ve got an older house), and one of the nicest people we’ve ever worked with. We’re thrilled with how the large deck project turned out and look forward to working with him on our future projects.

Kovalko Company is a small renovation company that had a relatively small job replacing a roof deck in the Cambridge area. Upon further investigation, there was significant water damage to main structural components. Relying on the expertise of Haven Architecture, we were able to replace the structural components in the fastest and most cost effective way. Kovalko company highly recommends Haven architecture and continues to utilize their services.

Working with Patrick was a great experience. He took out a lot of the stress from our large renovation project, with his calm, helpful approach, giving us ideas to react to, and then iterating on them to help us reach exactly the design that we were looking for. We highly recommend Haven and look forward to working with Patrick again and again.

Patrick was our architect for an almost gut-renovation of a home we purchased and we couldn't be happier! This was our first home renovation project and he was patient with us, taking as much time as needed to explain things, while still moving the project forward. His extensive experience as both an architect and a contractor came in handy time and again, advising us on the many decisions we needed to make. He also suggested a contractor for our project that we ended up working with after a competitive bidding process and we were very happy with their work as well. Cost wise we were very happy with the value he provided for the money we spent. Each phase of the project was billed separately, which helped to see where the money was going, and ultimately the total cost was what he said it would be initially. Again, we were very happy with what we got for our money. Bottom line, Patrick is one of those people that you want to work with. He's an expert in his field, honest, hardworking, very easy to deal with, responsive, and his rates are very fair. Very strong recommendation.

Patrick Rettig Architecture LLC, I have had the pleasure of working professionally with Patrick for more than 15 years; and I am continually impressed by his vast expertise on many design and construction Best practices and products. I enjoy our collaborations. Pat is a great team leader; Highly intelligent and knowledgeable, yet easy to work with; really listens to client input and goals with excellent attention to detail and really unparalleled service. He has vast experience as a builder and is able to use this knowledge to influence his designs; helping to ensure the build ability and cost impacts. It is obvious the he takes pride in his work, values relationships and does everything in his power to produce a successful project for his clients. I regularly give out recommendations for Pat’s services, because It is extremely rare to find a professional so well rounded, dedicated and easy to work with that is able to deliver outstanding services. Robert Scott Cornerstone Homes LLC 617.930.1075