Historic Building Conservation Companies in Ojai

“The process of designing and building a home on the west coast while we lived on the east coast would have been a challenge. Tom made it easy and fun. He was available whenever we needed him throughout the design and build process. Best of all, Tom is now one of our good friends.”

“I grew up with a father who is a master contractor. In my adult life, I have been involved in countless home renovations, so I've always thought architects are a waste of time & money. They always seem to be writing checks with the customers' money, and have no basis in reality or practicality: they seem so frivolous. Hubby and I bought a mid-century modern home that had been turned into a tuscan style by the previous owners. (can you imagine?) We needed help getting approval from the local city planning board who are a NIGHTMARE to deal with (average of 8-10 plan checks, most cities do 2-3!?) We hired Glen with EZPlans to help us. Glen handled acrimonious city officials, seeming design impossibilities (and even a few vastly different design ideas between hubby and I) with tact, professionalism, and good humor. Dealing with EZ Plans was a breeze. I am so impressed with their vision, their professionalism, and the very talented, creative (and practical) architects they hire. They are exceptional communicators, and are as intuitive as they are talented. EZ Plans turned a simple contractor grade design we could have come up with ourselves, to a design that respected the mid-century bones of our home, and brought it to the practical standards we needed the home to suit. The design they came up with easily increased the value of our renovation tenfold. the only direction they had from me was "I want to respect the home's bones with materials in their natural element, nothing frivolous, but we need the house to be super specialized for our dogs." (maybe that's a bit frivolous....) They took this and ran with it. Incidentally, they are AVID dog lovers (almost as nutty as hubby and I are, ) so they came up with such cool suggestions that will make our old dogs' lives (and our lives) easier. As someone who has scoffed at the need for an architect, (come on, my dad is a contractor!) I can assure anyone: the design of a talented architect is worlds apart from what a contractor, or even designer, could come up with. They take things to another level. Glen increased the value of the renovation by making the design in line with architectural design elements, not current trends that would be outdated quickly after installation. More importantly, they made changes to the home to fit OUR lifestyle and needs, instead of us changing our needs and lifestyles to accommodate the home. This is the difference: architects build homes, contractors build houses. Hubby and I are so pleased with our experience at EZPlans. They make incredible planning, design and architecture...easy. :)”

“Dennis Thompson worked closely with us to design a new home on our land, after our house was destroyed by a wildfire. He was sensitive and cognizant of the emotional factors going into the design process, given our circumstances. Dennis took us through the entire process, from design concept through City approval, from choosing a contractor through managing on-site building issues. Ultimately, we ended up with a beautiful, energy efficient home.”

“Mike Faulconer was referred to us by a local Ventura County Engineering firm. He immediately responds to your inquires. He is knowledgeable and creative. I highly recommend him.”

“Skedio Studio’s team was very professional through out the whole process. They made sure we were satisfied with the plan and that the City approved everything.”

“We loved working with Bill and would highly recommend him to anyone! He was able to take our vision to the next level with his design expertise! We are truly happy with the beautiful addition to our home!”

“Our family had outgrown our home and we were contemplating a move to a larger house. We loved our current location but needed more room. Danny met with us and discussed options for adding on to our current home. After several discussions plans were developed and he continued to meet with our contractor throughout the process to ensure the project was done right. Having Danny involved in the project was the best decision we made. We are so thankful for our home addition and highly recommend Two Tree Architects.”

“Mr. Gradin helped us design two additions to our home. Both seamlessly integrate with the original design, but I was impressed with his creativity in seeing new ways to utilize space in an elegant and tasteful manner. He brought up important considerations and implications to our original self-designed plans that made it apparent that his expertise was saving us thousands of dollars and much wasted time (!). As well as being a creative designer sensitive to the project's location and specific needs, Mr. Gradin seems very knowledgeable about environmentally friendly materials, and I appreciate that he recommended products I didn't know about that were better for our world. In short, I'd highly recommend Mr. Gradin to anyone who wishes to have his considerable talent focused on developing abstract architectural ideas into an elegant and practical building.”

“I contacted Carawan Architecture to see if there was anyway to transform my tract house with a poor floorplan and a small kitchen into something more suitable for entertaining. Dee provided me with over 10 detailed options, from the simple, low budget not involving moving walls to the grander scheme of moving walls out in two directions. Her plan was so lovely, I had to go for the grander one, adding a foyer, dining room and enlarging my kitchen into a gourmet kitchen. I am so pleased I did. She integrated the existing structure into the new and people seeing my place for the first time don't believe it's an addition. She added details that transformed even the original rooms into something that felt customized - she curved entryways, making arches to give the place a cozy feel. She listened to what I liked and her design reflected my taste as well as her ideas. I still thrill at my wonderfully transformed house! Check out my before and after kitchen photos.”

“We started with a nice house in the Hollywood Hills then GLYNN made it shine; GLYNNdesign was stellar! Their taste, advice, and counsel are second-to-none. If you want a job done well, not some Home Depot-like spit and shine, consult then hire this talented team! There were several issues with my job, but they worked their way around the problems to magically create a masterpiece. Excellent work. I am thrilled with the house, the quality of the job, and the compliments I get. They morphed my average house into the best home in the block! Thanks!”