Studio Z Architecture

We have used Studio Z twice now, once for a large renovation and more recently for a small one. Both times, Dawn was very responsive, keeping us informed on how long the plans would take, meeting the deadlines, and being very willing to work with us on changes we requested. She worked with the contractor for the large renovation in 2008 and my recollection was that all went smoothly. We have completed part of our latest project, turning a half bath into a full bath, and hope to get started soon on the other part, extending part of our house with the owners' bedroom and new full bathroom. The contractors we have talked to have not had any problems with her plans. Thanks for your great work, Dawn!

We had a house fire and decided to embark on a full remodel job. When we met Dawn's team we had only a head full of ideas. Dawn, Dayna, and Karin helped us resolve those ideas into a beautiful new home! I'm particularly happy with how hard they worked to make our ideas structurally sound, code-compliant, comfortable, practical, and beautiful. This home (which we had been planning to sell before the fire) is now our dream home where we will live for years! Things we did: We moved the staircase to the center of the home and put a turn/landing in it. It is now a featured element of the home with a fantastic handrail and overlook. We eliminated two bedrooms and left them "open to below" to create a balcony. We added a scissor truss to eliminate the attic and create a vaulted ceiling. We added tall 96" doors upstairs to take advantage of the new higher ceiling. We moved the laundry to the upper level. We greatly expanded the primary bedroom and bathroom into a spacious "suite." We opened the kitchen and added a large island. Fully finished the basement and added a bilco egress door. We changed the pitch and character of the roof to better accommodate solar panels. Thanks to everyone at Studio-Z! We couldn't be happier...

We've had such a wonderful experience working with Studio Z Architecture, and happily and highly recommend the Studio Z team! When we were looking to do a significant remodel of our 1956-era ranch home, they took time to learn what we wanted, but even more importantly, how we really wanted to live in the home and what was important to us. Dawn and the team took time to understand the problems we were trying to solve. They were patient with all our questions. In working through different ideas and possibilities, they brought new ideas to the table that made a huge difference in the overall design and livability of our home. Every step of the way, they kept us up to date and were great about communicating what was going on. In addition to great architectural design solutions for our home, they brought their great sense of humor and style to the whole process. It's an absolute pleasure to work with Studio Z!

Hello Everyone, Studio Z is a wonderful architecture permeated with professionalism and dedication to the client. I was planning to contract with them to do a complete gut remodel of a 1200 sf condo. Unfortunately, I met with the general contractor (who had worked with Studio Z in the past) and he talked me out of having the architect involved: "You aren't moving walls, you are just pulling out old cabinets, floors and fixtures and replacing with new...an architect will just be a waste of money, you just need a contractor to organize all the trades." I should have gone with my gut and stayed with Studio Z. I can now tell you all the value that an architectural firm would have added. First, I don't think my young general contractor understood his own role. He hired the trades, often people he hadn't worked with previously, and never came back to check on their work. When I complained about poor craftsmanship, the contractor's response was to gaslight me and state, "I told him what to do." So I would find a mishmash of different finishes of bathroom fixtures in my guest bath. The painter was horrible, mixing up paint colors (lids from one color dripping down into the can of another), some walls with matte finish, some with semi-gloss, in the same room. Touch up splotches on what should have been freshly mudded, sanded and painted walls. Cupboard doors with gouges. Big gaps with no trim to cover. And the worst aspects were to do with the honesty, integrity, and organizational ability of the general contract himself. He promised to start soon and finish quickly, after all it was just a small condo in which we weren't moving walls. But then he delayed the start by two weeks. He ordered the wrong cabinet and those had to be reordered, as he and his partner wife did not communicate on selections. He would send email at 6 pm one night shaking me down to have a check ready at 8 am the following morning when minimal to no work had been happening from the previous draw. I started having to buy all the fixtures, lights, doorknobs, etc., myself to ensure that I got what I actually wanted and that supplies were there so the work wasn't delayed. Part-way through the job, he asked me to move out again, "get an Air-BNB" because what was supposed to have been my 2-week job, became an over 6-month nightmare. His draw invoices started referring to "change orders" that I never made (things that weren't actual changes. Subcontractors informed me they weren't being paid. A giant red flag was that on the first day of work, in communicating about another job, one of the workers said under his breath, "just like XXX, start a job, can't finish." And that seems to be the story. Architects are professionals and have guidelines, ethics and standards that they must follow. I think this contractor talked me out of having architects not so much for the added expense for me, but for the oversight that an architectural team would have provided over his shady ways. Choose Studio Z.

Our relocation to Ann Arbor entailed the purchase of a house with potential. But in order to make it our home, a remodel would be needed. We had updated previous houses but those efforts were not extensive. We knew what we wanted but how to make it a reality? After much due diligence, we retained Studio Z. It was a substantial remodel taking six months. During that time, our interactions with Studio Z were always professional, on schedule, and appropriate to our vision. Our ideas were professionally transformed from two dimensional architectural drawings to a beautiful elevated sunroom addition and a half bath, mud room, and laundry remodel. Would we do it again? Certainly and we will invite Studio Z back to design a master bathroom in our home.

We had a space in our house that we wanted to reconfigure but we just couldn't get a vision of what or how we could do it. Studio Z provided their consulting services and walked through all of the options and suggestions related to the space. They then provided resources to do the work. I highly recommend Studio Z.

The team at Studio Z were wonderful to work with. They were personable, professional, knowledgeable and respectful of our time, and therefore, our costs. The process was clearly explained, the design options reflected our styles. My husband and I can’t say enough good about Dawn and Dayna. From connections to trusted contractors, where to look for fixtures, cabinets, flooring, countertops and paint color suggestions, they helped us find our way in a sometimes overwhelming project. We have been thrilled with the outcome. Would definitely recommend this team a hundred times over.

Dawn and her team were great to work with on our full home renovation project. They were with us for the full length of project - even with all of the starts and stops as a result of the pandemic. Throughout the process, we felt like a priority. Our project had its complexities, and I felt Dawn and her team tackled each challenge in an appropriate and efficient manner. Nothing ever felt rushed or comprised. When issues came up (as they always do), Dawn was quick to discuss with the builder and his team to resolve. It was a joy to work with Dawn and her team. It feels good to have someone on your team that you can trust! We highly recommend.

Our project with Studio Z consisted of a 500 sq foot addition consisting of bedroom, bathroom and kitchenette connected to existing living room. We had a great experience with Dawn, Erin, and the Studio Z team. They designed the addition so that it appears it was part of the original design of the home. Our builder commented that they were so impressed with Studio z’s construction plans, attention to all details and the fact that permits were issued on first submisssion. Thank you Studio Z for designing the build we needed to merge our two families together. Studio Z is highly recommended by us

Absolutely pleasant and professional! We first encountered Dawn and her team when planning a retirement home in West Michigan. The initial consultation was so thorough we were overly impressed. Not to mention how comfortable we were working with her. Then things changed and we scrapped our plans to build out there. We decided to age in place here, near AnnArbor. So we again consulted with Studio Z about accessibility into our home. As tradespeople we didn’t need a lot of help but Dawn and Dayna provided us with plans that will prove very useful if we should need bids from contractors; and we will surely use these plans at the supply house for takeoffs on materials. The support team at Studio Z is quite thorough as well. Timely. Organized. Professional. And oh so pleasant to work with.

On a whim, we contacted Dawn at Studio Z, to discuss possibilities related to a new home build in northern Michigan. From our first “hello” we felt like we were talking with a familiar friend, she listened intently and provided valuable feedback, offering up ideas and options we hadn’t considered. Ultimately we will not be needing Studio Z’s services for this project but we are confident in Dawn’s expertise and would not hesitate to hire her in the future. Thank you Dawn and company for your time, generosity and understanding. It was a delight meeting you!

While we are still under construction with the builder for an 800 sq ft addition to our house with a primary bedroom with ensuite downstairs, and glass-roofed 3-season room upstairs, , we have had a great experience with Dawn, Erin, and the Studio Z team. First of all, they really listened to what we wanted and the parameters that were important to us and their first design concepts were exactly what we were looking for; That being said they also provided some variants to think about. Erin, the architect for our project is incredibly detail-oriented and organized. Studio Z helped us engage with/select a builder, and have been the oversight for our project as construction has been ongoing. I can say every detail has been spot on with Erin's plans, and our builder has not had any noticeable issues or concerns with the construction plans. Studio Z also coordinated another business to build the glass wall/doorwalls and glass roof for the 3-season room and has made all of this come together. I hope to post some pictures soon! Studio Z is highly recommended by us

Dawn and her team are great. I had a lot of specific changes I wanted to make on our existing home and she took the time to "seek first to understand before being understood" which is something I value. Her communication, planning and persistence are notable and I may end up using Studio Z for a new home we recently bought as well. I don't write a lot of reviews but Dawn get's it and I felt compelled to share since it's a rare thing to find these days.

In 2013 I hired Dawn Zuber to design a woodworking shop. The project was completed in 2014 and at first all was well and the shop looked beautiful. A crawl space was incorporated into the design to allow for ducts for dust collection and electrical wires to be hidden under the floor. But by 2018 the floor cracked from one end of the building to the other. That was followed by progressive sagging of the floor. By the Autumn of 2019 it was clear that the floor was collapsing. Investigation of the crawl space showed that the floor was in a serious state of collapse due to prolific growth of mold in the floor joists causing them to rot (see attached photos). There was no water seepage into the crawl space to account for the incredible amount of moisture that caused this problem. It turns out that Dawn Zuber, in conjunction with her engineer, failed to design a ventilation system into the crawl space to avoid a high humidity. It was an enclosed with no way for moisture to be released. I had to have all of my heavy woodworking equipment moved to a storage facility and all tools and floor cabinets cleared out of the shop. The existing floor and all joists have been demolished and the required reconstruction will cost approximately $100,000. Dawn Zuber was informed of this problem by the contractor and never contacted us or came by to see 1st-hand what happened. Very disappointing.

Dawn and her Studio Z team are fabulous to work with from design to build support! Dawn's amazing design talent helped me to maximize the functionality of the space and I got the aesthetic I desired - my bathroom oasis! I love how collaborative Dawn is while being sensitive to budget constraints. Invariably something unexpectedly comes up and she helped my Builder resolve it immediately! It was a joy to work with Dawn and her team - from design, to picking fixtures and tile work, to supporting my Builder - she helped to make the experience fun! I never doubted she had my back and she was incredibly collaborative with my Builder - very helpful to have your Builder and Architect on one team - Me!! Thank you Dawn!!!

We hired Studio Z in 2018 for our master bathroom renovation, which ended up also including portions of our master closets and bedroom. Dawn and Dayna were fabulous to work with - they listened carefully to our wishes and creatively designed new spaces that met our criteria. They are great communicators, detail-oriented, and they have a host of knowledge and resources. They also worked very well with the builder we chose. We highly recommend Studio Z to anyone seeking a top-notch architecture and interior design firm.

Really enjoyed working with Dawn and Studio Z on our home remodel. Dawn quickly understood our style and incorporated it into our plans. She was very accomodating to our schedule and completed plans and documentation within the estimated timeline.

We have worked with Studio Z on two projects. The first was a major two-story addition/kitchen remodel for our approximately 100-year old craftsman-style house, adding a study, bathroom, and mudroom on the first floor and a master suite on the second floor. Studio Z did a fantastic job of understanding our needs and anticipated needs and wants we didn't even realize we had. Dawn was great to work with, and the finished product is terrific. The addition is seamlessly integrated with the old house (people can't tell where we added on) and at the same time the new spaces are airy, light, and comfortable. That project was completed about 12 years ago. We also worked with Dawn in the past year to reconfigure our kitchen/dining room space and we are delighted with the results. We would work with her again in a heartbeat; can't recommend Studio Z highly enough!

Dawn and her team did an excellent job for us, including a great design, super contractor recommendation and able job oversight. Studio Z Architecture was easy to work with and helped us with every aspect of the job.

Awesome service on a renovation job. Provided conceptual design drawings and construction specifications for a bedroom conversion to an older house.

I worked with Dawn on a full second-floor renovation. We took my small bungalow 2nd floor with two unusably small bedrooms and a woefully outdated bathroom (think plastic round shower and apartment-grade cabinets) and made a 2nd-floor master suite with a large (for an old house) bedroom, modern bathroom, walk-in shower, and laundry upstairs. Dawn was excellent to work with. This was the first time I had worked with an architect and undertaken such a large renovation. She was clear and transparent about her process and fees - as well as highlighting optional services available to me. Her initial sketches included multiple options including full-scale additions, smaller bump-outs, and working within the houses existing footprint. I decided to go with the existing footprint and she was clever in suggesting built-in cabinetry in different spaces in order to use awkward spaces to their fullest extent. In small spaces, storage is a premium! The entire process was collaborative and she was sensitive to me budget concerns. The design worked out great - its like I'm living in a whole new house!

Dawn helped us with getting our home up to code - architecturally - and helping with air-flow design problems from the previous homeowners. She listened to our concerns and then solved our problem. She also made sure to incorporate our sense of personal style and aesthetic into our newly renovated stairwell. Our contractors felt great working with her and everything went off without a hitch, due to the clear plans and drawings. We are very happy with her work and would reach out to her again if we have any other architectural expertise.

Dawn worked on our home before it was ours (for prior owners), and we jumped at the opportunity to have her back. She was excellent with solving the structural and design challenges posed by a major two-story addition, and she took great care in maintaining and extending the charm of our 1930s home. I'd also add that she was a pleasure to work with throughout the process. Highly recommended.

The only reason I couldn't give five stars is because we decided against a remodel but that had to do with our circumstances. I still give Studio Z four stars because we did have a consultation and Dawn helped us with a few things beyond that. She was professional, courteous, on time, and friendly. I thought she had a lot of experience that gave her the different perspective we were looking for. She was extremely easy to talk to. While a remodel isn't the right decision for us currently, I would definitely hire Dawn if we decide on one in the future. And her prices were realistic, which surprised me! Even though we didn't pursue the big project, it was great to work with her. I'd highly recommend!

We hired Studio Z (Dawn) to design a high end combination auto storage and entertainment addition to our home. Our children called it "Dad's Taj Garage"! Dawn was a consummate professional and a pleasure to work with. She is an excellent and proactive communicator and an innovative problem solver. She brought a lot of creativity to our project. Highly recommended!

My wife and I hired Studio Z Architecture to design an addition for our 3 bedroom Cape Cod. We intended to expand the kitchen area and replace the deck. Dawn had some original ideas (that never would've occurred to us), and the project turned into an addition and a first floor reconfiguration. We couldn't be happier with the results, and we have our dream kitchen. Dawn included us in every step of her process, and was always responsive to our questions. I would recommend her without reservation to anyone planning of project of this nature.

What a wonderful experience working with Dawn turned out to be. We hired Studio Z to majorly renovate our entire home. She far exceeded our expectations and her intuitions on what we wanted were amazing and downright scary at times. Renovating a home is very stressful; Dawn was able to put us at complete ease. The accuracy of her plans were spot on, the attention to detail-outstanding and promptness of deliverables was impeccable. Thank you for everything, Dawn!!! (Photos to follow when renovations are completed.)

I really enjoyed working with Dawn for the addition to our house. She was always very professional and pleasant. Her design work was technically sound, thorough and sensitively crafted. I would put my full trust in Dawn's design abilities and would recommend her without hesitation!

Studio Z and Dawn are great to work with! Highly creative, dedicated to their craft. I have worked on one of their projects in Ann Arbor installing a formal back patio and was very impressed with the renovation and re-design of the space. If you are looking for a great person to work with for your Architecture and want high quality personal service Studio Z is the way to go!

Dawn was kind enough to come out to our house on three different occasions to begin the process of designing a mother-in-law suite for our home. She was very helpful and friendly, very thorough in explaining all the details we needed to know about the job and very professional. Unfortunately we were not able to follow through with our project and Dawn did not make us feel badly or that we made her waste her time in the least. She is someone I would recommend to anyone for any of your architecture needs. She not only explained everything so thoroughly regarding the architecture end of things but she is extremely knowledgeable regarding all phases of a remodeling project.

From vision to completion our experience with Dawn Zuber at Studio Z Architecture was fantastic! The changes to our home meet the current and future needs of our family while still blending beautifully into the older neighborhood we love. Dawn really listened to how we wanted our 'new' space to function. The design seamlessly combines the character of the old with the modern open function of the new. The final product was a wonderful collaboration with Studio Z Architecture, Beechwood Building and Design, and Lauren King Interior Design. We truly had a dream team and have an awesome 'new' modernized home on wonderful Maywood Ave.

What do you get when you hire Dawn Zuber as your architect? You get an architect with experience and vision. You get a project manager with an eye for detail who facilitates excellent communication. You get a person who listens to your hopes and dreams, works within your budget, and puts together a plan even better than you could have imagined. We hired Dawn after seeing her impressive work on homes across Ann Arbor. When we first approached her, we only knew that we wanted more space, better light, and more usable storage. Dawn took information she gleaned about how we live in our house, all the items from our wish list, and her great instincts about light, flow, and space, and came up with a plan for our addition and renovation that has surpassed our expectations. We recommend Dawn Zuber without reservation for any project, big or small.

Dawn listened carefully to our wants and needs to design the renovation of our 1892 Queen Ann Victorian home. Her careful work has resulted in a beautiful home that doesn't have the look of a renovation, but of an original 1890's home with all the amenities required for a modern family.

My husband and I worked with Dawn on a remodeling project that covered most of the first floor of our house. We had seen her past work on remodeling tours and were attracted to the aesthetics of her projects. She asked us many questions about our goals for the remodel and what we hoped to accomplish, and this made us really think about how we used (or didn't use) the space we had, and how it could be used more efficiently. The project included moving the kitchen, as well as a bathroom and laundry room, and Dawn briefed us thoroughly on some of the potential challenges. She worked very well with the contractor we selected for the project and the finished project ended up being on a local remodeling tour. Her design really improved the overall traffic flow of our house, and it still looks great today.

We really enjoyed working with Dawn on our kitchen remodel. Ten years later, we still stop, look around the kitchen and say how much we love it! And Dawn came up with several very cool ideas that make our kitchen (and mudroom) very special. Dawn listened to us and respected our ideas and wishes. She worked hard to incorporate green ideas, whenever possible.

Dawn is a very skilled architect and has a great flair for design. She's super knowledgeable about building products, and is especially astute when it comes to green building materials and practices. - Tim Bradburn Fingerle Lumber Co.

Studio Z was the architect on a large home remodel project in which I was the interior designer. It was great working with Dawn. She was very easy to communicate with, very personable, and very open to collaborating with me on design ideas. I know that the clients on this project spoke very highly of Dawn as well. They thought of her as both friendly and professional. The home turned out beautifully and I know that the clients love the end result. They could not have been more pleased with her work. I would highly recommend Studio Z Architecture to anyone.