Kaplan Architects, AIA

We found Kaplan Architects on Houzz! We had major design flaws in our existing house and needed to do our remodel right, so first priority was to find the right Architect! In researching on line, I knew we really liked their work and after meeting with 3 or so candidates, choosing Ed Kaplan and David Seltzer was easy. Their designs, their knowledge, their professionalism, their personalities exceeded my expectations. As the plans became reality, the project looked even better than I expected and their incredible ability to foresee how different materials and colors would come together was really amazing to watch. There were never any surprises or misunderstandings with them in any of our dealings. The communication was excellent. However, the best decision we made in the scope of things was requesting they be a part of the whole job and really do the hands on project oversight in directing and helping the builder follow the plan. Even though the plans were very specific and precise, things on site can change or availability of materials can alter and having Dave and Ed involved kept the project true to design. Even though the contractors may offer suggestions, they don't grasp the significance of what changing even small details can do to the whole vision, and what a difference that will make. I realized very early on when given a choice by the contractor on anything, I deferred to and chose whatever Ed and Dave suggested. I knew if I could convey what I was looking for, they knew how to get there far, far better than I and my trust in them was absolute and well founded! From ideas, to plans, to bidding, to building I know having them involved from start to finish brought that vision together and we are so thrilled with our "new" home! And in spite of the stress of construction remodeling it was a wonderful opportunity getting to work with them over the course of the project-which was a couple of years. They are amazing and we feel very fortunate that we were able to find them and made the right choice involving them throughout the entire process of seeing the plans come to life. There is no doubt we never would have come close to the home we achieved without their talent and guidance and patience throughout the job in its entirety. They're knowledgeable and incredibly reasonable and did so much keeping everything in perspective. We are grateful for the opportunity to know them and work with them.

We have worked with Kaplan Architects in the past and hired them in 2018 to assist us with drawings, elevations and to get us through the permitting process of a complete redesign and remodel of an 1800 square foot flat in the Pacific Heights area of San Francisco. Kaplan Architects kept us on schedule and always came up with creative solutions. I would highly recommend them and use them again!

I highly recommend Ed Kaplan for architectural work. Back in 2004 we almost doubled the size of our 2/1 Berkeley bungalow by adding a large downstairs office, large upstairs master bedroom with bath, and above that (with exterior spiral staircase) a roof terrace (with elastomeric to walk on). This totally transformed our home. 14 years later we are still loving these spaces, every day. Ed helped us work out our plans with highly detailed feedback, helped us find a great contractor (not easy), and stayed with us until completion (only 6 months from construction start to finish). Having worked out all details in advance really helped keep down construction cost (we incurred only a couple of "change-orders", both cosmetic, not structural). Very satisfied with the whole process.

It has been a pleasure to work with Ed in remodeling our property in Los Altos Hills, which included the architecture design of our house to completion of the projects. Ed also assisted in managing and overlooking the overall construction details. We really enjoyed working with Ed. He is highly skilled professional with great attitude and pleasant personality. We are very pleased with Ed’s work and we would highly recommend him!

Ed Kaplan, and associate David Seltzer, designed and oversaw a beautiful 600 square foot addition to our 1920’s cape cod home. The 2 story addition included a bedroom with kitchenette, a guest bath, and grand master bath, large closet and bonus room. Their attention to detail and skill in execution is evident their work. They worked tirelessly in balancing our needs with the traditional aesthetic of our home and neighborhood. From guiding us through the permitting process, negotiating with the city building department, interviewing general contractors, and providing us advice and guidance throughout the entire process, Ed was instrumental in this project. Having performed a major remodel on his own home in our neighborhood, Ed is well versed on the requirements of our Hoa aswell as changing city codes. Ed and David went above and beyond regularly. Even addressing concerns of our neighbors directly, in in-person sit downs and performing extensive daylight studies at their request. Ed was continually overseeing the work of our gc, frequently contacting him and ensuring the slightest details were not being overlooked (details my wife and I certainly would not have noticed). Ed and David also worked very closely with my wife, who is a designer, to consider material/color/texture options carefully. I was the tie breaker when it came to price ;) All in all, I couldn’t imagine having to go through this project without the level of personalization, care and direction afforded us by Ed and David.

We chose Kaplan Architects to design the remodel of our 90 year old Richmond District single family home. The remodel included redoing the garage and adding rooms on the ground floor, a new and larger kitchen, adding a large deck and stairs to the back of the house, and significant seismic upgrades throughout. We have never done a project like this before and Kaplan Architects did a great job helping us with the design and the permit approval process. Their transparency and explanation of the remodel process, including cost, providing a template for the contractor bids, and of getting permit approvals in San Francisco was a major factor in our selection of them. Ed and his team were a pleasure to work with. They were very patient, respectful and very responsive to our questions and our inputs on the design, and changes we made to the project design. They gave us good guidance on working with the contractor and helped us in dealing with unanticipated problems. We highly recommend Kaplan Architects and would use them again.

Ed is a consumate professional, calm, confident, attentive, engaging. A pleasure to work with as is his team including Wendy and David. All very helpful. They were very good at listening to our concerns and desires. The process worked smoothly and they always gave us ample time to meet the contractor's needs and timeline.

Ed was a pleasure to work with. Not only was he incredibly nice (seriously), but also was extremely communicative and easy to work with. We had a pretty tight turn around for our work (which granted, was not major, but still), and had quite a few constraints to work around, but Ed and David pulled through amazingly with some creative workarounds! I don't write reviews often, but these guys were amazing.

I loved working with Ed and David in his firm. We threw them a big curve ball by trying to do our project without an architect, and brought him in only after things were already a bit messed up. They were great in jumping on board and helping us with a total remodel (maybe $400,000) of a 1926 cottage in the El Cerrito Hills. We think their design of the front porch and entry is a magnificent addition, and they created a total redesign of the interior. Responsive to our ideas, creative, and on-the-spot in dealing with problems that arose during construction . . . can't say enough good things about these guys. And finally, we thought their fees and charges were reasonable, and they were always pleasant to work with.

My fiancé and I are the type of people that over-research everything. We bought a house in San Francisco that required major remodeling and set out to find a phenomenal architect. In fact, between phone consultations and in-person meetings we interviewed over 20 architects. Ed Kaplan was literally the best of all of the high quality architects we spoke with. He did a great job of both listening to what my fiancé and I needed as well as providing new and refreshing ideas. He was incredibly articulate and was able to express how he works in an extremely organized fashion. Before he started explaining concepts he would even ask how much detail we wanted and would then tailor his response accordingly. He had great attainable ideas for our home, showed up on-time, and well prepared with examples of previous work. He showed us examples of the different types of drawings he would provide to us if we hired him. We both felt like Ed just "got it". He was willing to leave as much of the house intact as we could to help save us money. He understood we had priorities based on a tight budget and truly wanted to work to get as much accomplished within our budget as possible. He had great ideas about how to maximize our budget too! Other architects had grandiose ideas of remodel features we could never afford (some we didn't even want and would have never prioritized) and were awful at setting expectations for their timeline, budget, and work. Ed seemed genuinely excited to learn about our desires and styles. Ed really stood out to us as the best possible option and I can imagine we will either hire him for future projects or recommend him to friends and family. (We didn't end up hiring Ed because we had a friend who is an architect who agreed to pretty much do the architectural work for us for free. Absent that extreme gift from a friend, we would have hired Ed and may end up doing so if our friend drops the ball). Thanks Ed!

Thank you Kaplan Architects! My husband and I had the privilege to work with Ed and mostly David with the remodel of 2 bathrooms and the addition of a powder room. We had never done this kind of construction before and so we were a little anxious about it in the beginning. We found them to be highly professional, accessible, responsible, personable, efficient and easy to talk too in discussing our project. They really listened to our needs and provided excellent guidance and support. I think David and Ed are very talented at what they do. David seemed as excited as we were each step of the way. The contractors we hired told us that their elevations made it so much easier for them to do their job, I wish there were more stars to give them!

Ed was terrific! He offered excellent design ideas while also making me aware of San Francisco building codes. Although it was a small project, he gave me a lot of his time, listened carefully to my needs and made the entire experience truly an enjoyable one. I highly recommend him!