HD Squared Architects, LLC

HD Squared has been amazing to work with. We are nearing the end of a whole house renovation, which included raising the roof / designing an entirely new 3rd floor and renovating the first two floors, of my 1940s summer cottage in Severna Park. Melanie, John and team have been amazing to work with. From the first meeting, they listened to my needs and wants, designing a home to meet those expectations while also considering my budget. Their creativity and attention to detail resulted in a design that I never could have imagined. Additionally, Melanie's expertise in green design will result in an energy efficient home, which should also result in a green certification. I have no doubt the finished project will far exceed any expectations I had when I embarked on this renovation journey. I highly recommend HD Squared.

Melanie Hartwig-Davis, AIA, LEED BD+C - HD Squared Architects, LLC is an exceptional architectural firm that United Church of Christ of Annapolis hired in 2021-2022 to design the renovation of the house our church owns. Her team gave us numerous options and amazing visions based on various budgets on how we could proceed with the total renovation of the house. She worked marvelous with our Church Council throughout this process and guided us through all the steps that needed to be taken in order to start and complete the project. There were several complicated issues with the property that needed to be addressed and her team resolved them for us. As our Congregation stated, it was money well spent! Respectfully, Kathy UCCA Moderator

We had a very plain L-Rancher, and wanted to add a second floor bonus room space over our garage. Imagine the imbalance of a second story on such a small part of an otherwise flat home! Melanie and John performed a painstaking massing study to give us the most graceful transition from such a high roof line, down to our modest structures height . They also took much care to address all of our other concerns (and I am not low maintenance). They included the perfect balance of design elements and finishes. Our awesome contractor had no problem following their very detailed plans. Result: We are so happy in our 'new' home, it puts a smile on our faces whenever we return. Unfortunately, if did get finished too late in the season to take great photos with the 'now upcoming' landscape appointments, but we will be sending some finished product pictures in the Spring, Hopefully they will add them on their website gallery. A tip of the hat to the HD2 team! Mike and Evangeline Ross

Melanie and team to the rescue! We are happy with the project they designed. We would enthusiastically choose HD Squared again. Our renovated house now has good curb appeal, is light and efficient inside. It was winter of 2020 and we were at our wits ends. A few months earlier a hurricane had dropped a 100’ tree on our house, making it uninhabitable. The AE firm we were working with didn’t like our design vision for the renovation and couldn’t find time for our project. Supply chain problems escalated the availability and cost of materials. Yikes. We found Melanie on line and liked the values she has for her practice. Though HD was very busy, she made time to really listen to our hopes and put the ideas into a great design. Melanie worked productively with our general contractor. She helped us make good decisions about materials and products to minimize the house’s carbon footprint without compromising it’s attractiveness. We have lived in the HD renovation for over a year and absolutely love it.

HDSquared, including the principal architect Melanie Hardwick-Davis and her associates, are working on the renovation and expansion of our cottage-style house in Arnold, MD. While still in its ore-construction phase, Melanie and her colleagues/staff have shown the utmost attention to our desires as well as budget. They have been responsive to our comments and answered questions, always in a professional manner and showing creativity and attention to details. We look forward to working with them in subsequent phases, confident that the outcome will be an expanded home that will be beautiful, as well as allow us to comfortably age in place. We look forward to our continued relationship and would enthusiastically recommend HDSquared.

HD2 is handling the renovation of our 1952-built cottage in a river-oriented community. Since Melanie first visited the home she (and her employees) have been punctual, receptive to our questions/ideas and professional in detail and assessment. Their availability to discuss progress, questions and goals has been regular and has helped us in our decision-making process. HD2 has shown us that they are cognizant of environmental, energy and neighborhood parameters in the design phase of the project. We look forward to continuing into the building phase with HD2.

Melanie Hartwig-Davis of HD Squared Architects, LLC, has been a pleasure to work with on our room addition project that will take advantage of our winter water view. She has been with us every step of the way in the critical area variance process and knows it inside and out. She has a lot of experience with dealing with Anne Arundel county and how to improve the chances of getting successful results. (We’re currently waiting to hear whether we have been approved for the variance.) Melanie takes her time and is always very patient in answering questions. She is a self proclaimed “tree hugger”, which is important to us because every decision is based on environmental best practices and energy efficiency. Based on the quality of work and attention to detail that Melanie and her team have displayed thus far, if we are approved to proceed, we look forward to working with Melanie on the design phase of the project. We aren’t to the point of selecting a builder yet, but we are confident that Melanie will steer us in the right direction and that we will be very pleased with the room addition once it's completed. We highly recommend HD Squared Architects for any project, especially in the critical area.

We reached out to Melanie for her help in thinking through how to respond to a variety of issues with our home and I'm so glad we did. She was generous with her time and expertise, deeply knowledgeable, and very responsive to my calls and texts. Melanie helped us to prioritize and get clear about what work needs to be done and in what order. It was all pretty overwhelming so that clarity was incredibly helpful. Although we ultimately decided not to take on more extensive renovations at this time I'll definitely hope to work with her in the future!

We hired Melanie to transform our Waterfront Home on the Magothy to be our forever home. She exhibited great patience with us and had no problem answering our detailed questions and very much took our suggestions and bettered them. We had some challenges to properly position our kitchen to be the center of our main floor while maximizing the views. She and her senior support, Dean Holloway not only accomplished that, but Melanie's artistic eye really made the space unique. One thing we really enjoyed is her belief in sustainable materials and using aspects of the original home such as wood from the old staircase to create an amazing bulkhead over a bar peninsula that looks out over the water. In addition to her architectural knowledge and talent she is also very experienced at working on variance approvals and permitting on the waterfront. We found that to be very valuable in getting our screen porch approved as an extension of our living space as this home was a decline in footprint from our prior home. We would highly recommend Melanie for all aspects of interior and exterior residential architecture and interior design.

Melanie’s eye and design talents were just what we needed to transform our tiny outdated kitchen into an eye-pleasing space with so much more ease of use, not to mention storage and practicality. Melanie and the HD Squared team kept the project going smoothly -- paying attention to detail, answering questions right away, and being open to our feedback while offering perspective and alternatives. We are overjoyed with the results!

I contracted Melanie Hartwig-Davis to work with me because of her dedication to being environmentally friendly, as it is a concept that I wanted to embrace as much as possible. She and her staff were very helpful in directing me to trustworthy businesses for these green products, something I would have had great difficulty doing on my own. She was also very supportive in helping me see new possibilities in the design of my kitchen. The result of her services is a truly new and beautiful kitchen that would never have materialized with my limited imagination .I love my kitchen, and it does reflect my tastes as Melanie incorporated my choices of light fixtures, tiles, flooring, and appliances to achieve a great color and design scheme. Her trustworthy role as the contact person with the cabinet supplier and my general contractor.was very re-assuring. The only downside to the whole re-modeling project was not always being provided the cost of the different options for the purposes of knowing where to create a savings in the budget. Examples of which are; the extra cost of adding glaze trim to cabinets, or the cost of granite vs quartz, or a medium range square foot price for wall tiles. This re-modeling project went a bit over budget, but I now have a kitchen that makes me happy, and that is priceless!

We had a little project that seemed too big too tackle and we didn't know where to start. Melanie of HD Squared Architects came to the rescue. A consummate professional, she asked for our vision and style preferences and paired that with design recommendations based on function and budget. Melanie's expertise and creativity was just what we needed!

I highly recommend HD Squared Architects, LLC if you are considering remodeling your home or are in need of architect. Melanie was not only a pleasure to work with, but she also did a great job of explaining to us the process of remodeling and what it all entails. My husband and I were both novices at this process and we felt as though Melanie was patient with us explaining all steps involved clearly and in great detail. In addition, she was very responsive and got back to us right away when we had a question or were trying to schedule a meeting.

Melanie really took the time to listen to my wants and needs, which changed a few times during the design process. In the end, my home turned out to be the perfect reflection of everything I conveyed. Happy client.

Melanie was able to translate my entire wish list and all my ideas into a wonderful design. She has an incredible attention to detail especially related to increasing the energy efficiency of the home. We love the final result.

As a custom homebuilder and remodeler we have truly enjoyed working with HD Squared Architects. HD Squared Architects’ talent for design and care for each client is apparent every step of the way. They are very responsive to client needs and act with the utmost professionalism and efficiency. As a result plans reflect outstanding architectural design that exceeds client expectations. HD Squared Architects are great to work with and we would strongly recommend them.

Melanie and HD Squared did a fabulous job of designing the new kitchen-office-bath-laundry to give me the space and light I wanted while preserving and updating the character of my wooden cottage.

Melanie listened well to our ideas, needs, and desires, and designed a space that would work best for our family within a limited budget. She was prompt, responsive, and professional. We were very pleased with the finished product!

Melanie is fantastic to work with really listens to your needs and brings them to life in very practical designs. Walked the plans through the permit process extremely fast and look forward to building the plan.

I was in the middle of a kitchen remodel that turned into a complete rebuild of a couple of external walls, and I was in a panic. She was able to get a grip on what happened, what needed to be done, and gave me excellent advice. I vowed to hire her before the project next time, and I will.

Melanie Hartwig-Davis of HD Squared designed my dream retirement home. I owned a modest 40 year old house on a waterfront lot. The lot had wonderful waterviews that were only visible from the windows over the kitchen sink and the bathroom. Melanie's designs transformed my run down house into a upscale modern home that takes full advantage of the views and will accommodate aging in place. We gutted the interior and basically rebuilt the house. Her interior design ideas resulted in a terrific kitchen and a stunning master bath. I love the finished house.

Colleague I just started working with Melanie. I as a builder found her plans easy to work with. Her ideas were very creative and practical with a keen eye on both the budget and the environment. I look forward to our future endeavors. I have recommended her to my clients and will continue to do so.

I worked with HDSquared on our office renovation and was incredibly impressed with Melanie's vision, material selection, and scheduling capabilities. Our project was completed on time, in budget and completely transformed our space.

I had a fabulous experience with HD Squared. I had an addition built with accompanying walkways installed. This was my first experience doing a major renovation and HD Squared walked us through each step with support and professionalism. I have since recommended friends to HD Squared and they also had a great experience. My addition is beautiful. I give HD Squared 5 stars. It's a great company.

HD Squared is driven not by their vision, but by the vision of their clients. With an uncanny ability to translate the vague dreams and ideals of her clients, Melanie Hartwig-Davis creates a solid and accurate translation that regularly exceeds function and style no matter the budget or site constraints. On top of this, she seamlessly integrates low-impact and healthy strategies in all of her work with a sensitive eye toward the environment and the comfort of her clients. She reminds us that being a good listener is not enough - that the actions we take from what we learn is the true measure of success.

We have worked with HD Squared Architects for just over 10 years now and they are always a pleasure to work with. They pay close attention to detail and their work is always efficient and innovative. We love their emphasis on sustainability and enjoy working on projects with them!

We hired HD Squared for an updating of our cape style house in the DC metro area. The concept was to open up the very divided up space, create a new kitchen and have access to a new outdoor deck. The result was fantastic! The new kitchen featured a peninsula and granite countertops, lots of cabinets and new appliances. The layout made life easy and the added open flow out to the new deck made the whole first floor ideal for entertaining. Important to note, the original charm of the home was not lost in the process. We highly recommend HD Squared for their insight, design ingenuity, and customer focus!

Melanie Hartwig-Davis, owner of HD Squared Architects is truly a talented Architect with a uniquely creative sense of space and style. She is easy to work with and indeed cares about what her clients are trying to achieve while working within their ever present budgets. She is great at guiding her clients through the various steps of the design process and into construction and follow up upon completion. Probably equally important, her personality and professionalism makes her client's projects fun and an enjoyable journey to a great finished project. I highly recommend HD Squared Architects.

5 years after Melanie designed our kitchen, we are still ecstatic with the results. We had a VERY out of date kitchen, crowded, poorly laid out, no counter space, and bad storage. Without expanding the foot print, Melanie's solution gave us a wonderfully useful space with lots of storage, great lighting where and when it's needed, counter space and we even have a dishwasher now. Although we were not her best clients when it came to implementing environmentally friendly suggestions, she brought many interesting ideas for us to consider, and worked with our desires. The ohhs and ahhs we still get are a testament to her eye for design and style.

My wife and I engaged HD Squared (Melanie Hartwig-Davis) to remodel a very standard "fake Georgian" tract home in Beltsville. The house was well built, and was able to display our artwork from California, but lacked many living features we had come to expect from in a house. It is a rare week that I don't think about how much better our redesigned house works! All was achieved without changing the exterior appearance of the house--an important factor in our controlled neighborhood. Melanie not only provided key insights for improvements, but facilitated finding an excellent contractor, and kept us all on schedule. We have worked with designers and architects on larger projects, and know how important it is to find a working match. Melanie and her company fit the needs in all respects.

Melanie Hartwig-Davis was a neighbor and a friend when I lived in beautiful and charming Cheverly, MD. She designed a complete kitchen redo in my 70+ year old house and her design included state-of-the-art upgrades while maintaining the integrity of the house's charm and character. Melanie was vigilant about staying within my budget. She also effectively managed the contractor and his subs. All in all, it was a fabulous experience.

Melanie and I worked together consistently over the course of about 16 years. She transformed numerous rooms into more welcoming and functional spaces, effectively setting the feel for the entire building. Melanie feels strongly that color has a critical role in the quality of one's enviornment. For her, color has many uses such as to orient the occupants, provide the desired mood, define the space, and emphasize functions. We sometimes raised an eyebrow in surprise at some of her selections, but once the renovations were complete we were thoroughly impressed with the results.

Melanie and I started working together in 2002. As a builder, I truly enjoy working with Melanie. She is skilled at conveying her design intent, while at the same time understanding that conditions in the field may require that I approach this intent differently from how she might have expected. Her architectural and design skills are only surpassed by her passion for her work. Melanie consistently weighs her design decisions against the ultimate impact these decision will have on the environment. She is also very conscientious about her client's budget, doing her best to help her clients understand the outcome of their decisions.

Where to begin! Melanie Hartwig-Davis is an extraordinary architect. She has worked on a number of projects for us, including our kitchen, family room/bathroom, and an extensive project where she completely transformed the outside of our house by adding lighted flagstone stairs, custom-designed wrought iron railings and an outdoor deck/entryway that provided us with much needed additional living space. The kitchen she designed for us completely exceeded our expectations. Melanie is one of those rare individuals who is able to think like an engineer and an artist at the same time. It seemed as if she immediately recognized what we needed to do with our space. This required creative interior design ideas to accommodate existing conditions. In addition to serving as our architect, she guided us in selecting colors, lighting, and stylistic features. We had a small space in which to work. She designed a kitchen that was functional, had ample cabinet and counter space, and was visually impressive. We could never have reached such a successful result without her input. One of the aspects we appreciate about Melanie is that she cares. She respects the integrity of the space, the style of the house, and the architecture of the neighborhood. She truly wants her projects to add to the livability of not only her clients but also the community. She is environmental in her choice of materials, and as a result, has impacted all of our additional household decisions. When it came time to replace the siding on our house, we went with a composite siding because we knew that is what she would recommend. We have since moved to a new house and invited Melanie over before our own family. We have a number of projects we hope to complete in the future and we would never use anyone else besides Melanie.