Studio G+S Architects

I worked with Sunny at Studio G+S on a project that would have sent almost any other architect running. I know, because I am an architect. He worked through a garage replacement that became a garage demolition and related work over an interminably long period of time with a client (me) who was on the other side of the country. He kept his humor and cool through endless ambiguity and conflicting decisions from the permitting agencies. Did I mention that the property straddles Berkeley and Oakland which presents a unique twist in managing the permitting process? Sunny and his team are knowledgeable, efficient, thoughtful, attentive, responsive, thorough and skillful. These characteristics are what was needed and the project was well executed and has improved my 4-unit building immeasurably. Highest recommendation!

I freelanced for this firm of architects and I found the team to be professional, fun, creative, organized, passionate about their work and eager to please their clients.

It has been a really fun journey working with Ed and team on this incredible project of remodeling our home. The house was built in 1900 and it had been through various phases of remodeling from past owners but it was apparent that some of those works were done in a piecemeal manner and were likely under budget. So there was a lot of limitations structurally for our project because we wanted to keep half of the house untouched, the part that was original. Before this project, we have never even bought any major appliances so it was a really huge undertaking for us. But luckily, we got great references from a friend and we seriously cannot imagine a better team to handle the project. Ed and team has taken on the challenge and did an amazing job working with the limitations and yet coming up with beautiful designs. We have really leaned on Ed for design decisions on big and small things. He has been so easy to work with and so patience in hearing what we want then giving us guidance on what makes sense and how to achieve what we want artistically and practically. We were glad to have trusted him on some of the difficult decisions because he really knows where is the biggest bang for the buck. We also love the attention to details that Ed gives. And often those details makes a world of a difference. After a long time coming, we finally moved in to a home much more beautiful than we could have expected within the budget that we can handle. We cannot thank them enough and want to tell everyone who is remodeling to contact G+St! =)

Sunny and Ed are phonemail team! I have had to pleasure to work with them twice and they continue to impress. Studio G+S created a thoughtful design that was also considerate of our goals. The end result was an amazing translation from our dreams to reality. During the course of the project, when something came up they were there with practical, yet elegant solutions to quickly allow us to keep moving. I would highly recommend working with Studio G+S.

I can not say enough positive things about G&S architects, and specifically Ed Soos. We recently completed a large scale remodel and addition. We added 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms to our 1920s home (all new construction) in addition to completely remodeling almost all the existing interior. The end result is stunning - elegant yet not overdone, and completely keeps in character with our home. Everyone who has seen the work has had the same comment 'I can't believe this was an addition!' Besides being extremely talented at what he does, Ed was a genuine joy to work with. Easy going, personable, fun - but also extremely organized, detail oriented and professional. We worked with a number of other architects before finding Ed and G&S - all either seemed to focus mostly on interior design, or function/structure. Ed is the perfect blend of both, and it was such a pleasure to work with someone who seemed to enjoy every part of the process. Our builder and his team were extremely impressed by the depth of Ed's knowledge and the detail of his building plans. Ed is also a phenomenal listener, and was able to take every desire or idea we had and translate into something that was beautiful, functional and exactly our style. We truly felt like we were collaborating every step of the way. I can't recommend Ed and the rest of the team at G&S enough.

My husband and I acquired a house needing lots of TLC almost by accident. We were first time "flippers" and needed guidance in developing this property so that it would be an enhancement to our neighborhood AND make us some profit. Ed and Sunny at Studio G & S were outstanding in helping us navigate this very complex remodeling project. They worked with us to determine a reasonable budget & let us know any time that there would be additional costs. When there were "surprises" along the way, we were informed, alternatives were proposed and we worked out a plan that we all agreed with. The project took a solid 18 months to complete and involved completely redoing the foundation of the house, adding a second level under the existing living space and completing transforming the previously dark and dingy rooms to a bright, spacious open concept great room. When the house went on the market, it was featured in the Sunday San Francisco Chronicle real estate magazine, we had hundreds of potential buyers through the open houses. It sold for over list price and we did make our profit. We were very pleased with the final result and would recommend Studio G & S to others.

I have been collaborating with Studio G+S on a myriad of projects over a span of 10 years. As a structural engineer it is truly a pleasure working together with them. Their keen sense of design, great attention to detail, while being extremely conscientious of cost makes them exceptional. They have a strong commitment to quality and customer satisfaction. I have worked with many architects over the years, but they truly stand out!

My wife and I hired G+S to do a complete remodel of an old home in San Francisco. The project ended up being quite involved, requiring physically moving the house on the lot to fit a garage, adding an attic/loft space with a custom fabricated stair, and requiring significant steel to create open spaces. We are incredibly pleased with the work that G+S did. Our house is beautiful, and the process was very smooth. We have recommended G+S to two close friends since then. You can see our project for yourself here: http://www.houzz.com/projects/1549384//cole-valley

After working with Sunny and Ed for over 10 years on 3 different projects (2 commercial, 1 residential), I highly recommend their team for all size projects. All 3 of our projects have required creative design work in order to handle space and budget issues, as well as planning department regulations. Their team has helped us deal with ADA issues, permit violations from previous building owners, and foundation/support remodels. The Studio G+S team consistently come up with solutions that not only meet city requirements, but also remain true to the functional and design needs of the projects. They are a pleasure to brain storm options with, as they truly enjoy the challenge of the work and treat each project as their own. On the design side, they have a contemporary perspective on aesthetic and creative use of space. At the same time, they are always open to working with our own personal design ideas and perspectives. I have found that they are happy to handhold clients through any of the design process, while also being open to the client handling certain aspects on their own. Most importantly, they are extremely professional, reliable, trustworthy and HAPPY guys. I have and will to continue to recommend their work to others for all types of projects.

We hired Sunny & Ed to design a whole house lift of our 100 year old home, and we are almost done. We dreamed about doing this project for years and had lots of ideas. We hit it off with Sunny & Ed right away and could see that they were experienced, bright, easy to talk to and flexible. We love their team approach. They listened to all of our ideas, shared theirs and delivered a beautiful design that honored our input while showcasing their talents. Through it all they have been patient, sensitive to our budget, responsive and available even on short notice to talk about the nitty gritty. All of this with a smile.

Most of our projects (we are contractors) come to us from architects, but when we have the chance to recommend an architect to clients Sunny at Studio G&S is number one on my list. I find Sunny and Ed are the perfect balance between contractor and client and that is a huge plus to us in our projects. They are realistic and accurate in helping to describe costs early-on, something many architects simply are terrible at. Their design sense is very strong and their problem solving approach is great. Several of the projects we have done together have resulted in awards for us; but I recognize that the team effort is the basis for our successful projects. I recommend Studio G&S Architects highly.

I hired Studio G+S Architects twice. Once to remodel a bathroom and then again to remodel a kitchen. The challenge in the design of these two rooms was to make the spaces look larger without changing the footprint, and to make them more functional. In regard to the bathroom, Ed’s design with a skylight, glass shower, and custom vanity, made the room look larger and brighter. The Galley kitchen offered other challenges in addition to space configuration. I have lived in my home 44 years. This length of time has brought physical changes for me and I can longer reach as high or climb on a step ladder as easily as I once did. I worked with Ed regarding my new needs for the kitchen. A under counter washer and dryer was installed to allow practicality for me and enhance the aesthetic beauty of the kitchen. Two cabinets were replaced by shelves on each side of my sink. The former cabinets were not useful since I could not reach anything in them. Deep drawers, with glides are currently used for my dishes, pots and pans, and other accessories The new kitchen design looks larger and yet remains very functional for me. A wall between the kitchen and dining room was taken down. An exposed stained beam was used between these rooms. This matched the character of the rest of the house since I have similar beams in other parts of my home. Ed helped me pick the tile for the kitchen backsplash, the cabinets, the color for the countertop, and the flooring. Everyone who sees the project can't believe the transformation. I am thrilled with my home and the new kitchen that sets the tone for it. I highly recommend Studio G+S for architectural and design needs.