Schwartz and Architecture

We hired Schwartz and Architecture two separate times: in 2008 for our condo in a 1904 four-story Victorian building and then again in 2015 for our 1900 Edwardian single family home. We cannot say enough about how creative, thorough, and professional Neal Schwartz and his team were with both projects. The remodel of our condo entailed a complete gut and re-envisioning of our kitchen, dining room, and guest bedroom to create a spaceous kitchen + grandroom. We had a lot of discussion about which elements to keep in our classic Victorian and what should be rebuilt. We could not have imagined a more beautiful result. As young professionals at the time, we could only afford hiring the team to design the plans, however, they were available whenever we had any questions. We loved our remodel and were thrilled that we had partnered with such a talented and professional team, who worked well and respected our budget. We hired Schwartz and Architecture again in 2015 for our single family home to build out a new in-law apartment on the ground floor. This project was much more elaborate, so we hired them for design and execution of the entire project. We were thankful that we had done so, as we needed to have a few meetings with the City’s planning department, where Neal attended and supported us each time and was instrumental in navigating San Francisco’s complex permitting process. While the project was under construction, the team was in regular contact with the general contractor to ensure that no element of the design was overlooked or misinterpreted. The team also help us with the finer details, such as selecting wood finishes, cabinet and door hardware, etc. Once again, the result was spectacular. We cannot recommend Schwartz and Architecture enough. They were great partners to have with both of these projects large and small.

We thoroughly enjoyed working with Neal and his team. Neal is a superb designer who has deep insight and many interesting ideas. We value our experience of collaboration greatly.

Neal designed and executed two major remodels for us over a ten year period. His, and his team's, great strengths are a truly elevated sense of design, great materials aesthetics, problem solving, and lovely personalities that make it a pleasure to work together. He was able to help us work through the difficult tradeoffs of design, time and cost so that our projects met our budget expectations and still produced a great result. His designs are timeless and give us pleasure every day.

Worked with Neal and his team on the remodeling of our two units building in SF: they did an awesome job and was a pleasure working with them. The open space, the attention to the natural light, the simple and modern design ... cannot wait to have Neal designing the house of my dreams. Paolo

We can always count on Schwartz and Architecture for their great design, attention to detail, and follow through. They are easy to work with and we look forward to many more years collaborating with them on beautiful homes.

As a contractor I can strongly recommend Schwartz and Architecture based on their professionalism and refreshingly straightforward approach to the building process. Ron Bond President Moroso Construction Inc.

Neil Schwartz and his team delivered an exceptional design and level of service. They have a clear vision, excellent communication and are very responsive to clients. We gutted and redesigned the interior flow of our 1907 Sausalito bungalow to maintain the exterior with a modern, beautiful interior that suits our desire for clean lines, optimizing space, light, and functionality while maintaining privacy. Furthermore, they expertly guided our project efficiently through Sausalito's planning department which is no small feat in and of itself. They offered and explained multiple choices along each stage of the project which allowed us to make fully informed decisions that delivered an exceptional home. They were patient, creative, professional, and good humored with two clients who were intensely invested in participating in every detail of our renovation.

Neil Schwartz and his team have been a pleasure to work with. We are two very busy professionals, and needed an experienced team that could design and manage our project from its inception. Neil has a clear vision and a powerful sense of space and light. There is a wonderful consistency in his designs and we see elements of this aesthetic in several friends' homes in Potrero Hill that he has designed. His staff are also fantastic and stay on top of the project, including dealing with the city bureaucracy, which can be quite formidable. We highly recommend Schwartz and Architecture!

I used Schwartz and Architecture for a complete remodel on my mid-century modern home. Since we completely gutted the house, there were a lot of moving parts and it was a very complex process. They were very good about staying on budget and keeping me aware of the costs of any of my new good ideas. The project was completed within the projected time frame. They are wonderful to work with and I would heartily recommend them.

Neil and Team are a pleasure to work with! They understand creative design and work well with everyone involved. It is a pleasure to work with them! I look forward to the next project.

We have worked with Neil & his team on numerous projects and have always been struck by their attention to detail and ability to problem solve very complex Architectural developments. Their sense of aesthetics has always been inspirational to our own design process and therefore has enabled the landscape design to be a seamless compliment to the Architecture of the home. We look forward to future collaborations.

We've worked with Neal Schwartz twice—once to renovate our home in San Francisco (a complete gut remodel of a turn of the century Edwardian); the other in designing a country residence in Marin, envisioned and built from the ground up. On both projects, he was knowledgeable, creative and assertive, all in just the right doses and at the right time—balancing an array of differing opinions (even within my family!), and a diversity of contracting professionals. He was an indispensable asset well beyond his role as Architect—he was operationally strong, financially savvy, and knew how to manage a team to make things happen. On time, and on budget. But mostly, he and his outstanding team delivered end results that speak for themselves by the awards they've won. We cannot recommend him more highly!!