Schwartz and Architecture

Neal and team did an amazing job when we completely remodeled our home in Noe Valley completed in 2016. My wife and I truly enjoyed the design process that SaA took us through. We described certain features and how we intend to use the space as a family as opposed to exactly telling them what the layout was supposed to look like and they surprised us with a design that by far exceeded our expectations. Our house is modern & cozy at the same time and it provides privacy while still being flooded with tons of natural light. The experience of SaA became even more obvious when they navigated the city's planning process for us. We got through the entire planning process in record time incl. neighborhood notification, etc. as Neal & team ensured that every little detail was within the planning code and fully documented. They also helped us change a number of features in order to meet our budget requirements. The firm also supported us through the construction process by working very closely with our contractor. I have recommended Schwartz and Architecture to numerous friends and neighbors.

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.

I worked with Schwartz and Architecture on two residential remodels in San Francisco, and the firm did an excellent job on both. They were creative throughout and consistently attentive to my needs and desires. I was particularly impressed by how well they worked within my budget. Neal, Wyatt, Josh et al were realistic about what I could accomplish given limited funds and were able to guide me through both design and construction phases. Neither project went over budget, and both were finished on time -- amazing given all the permitting issues they had to navigate. I've recommended Schwartz and Architecture to friends and neighbors and continue to do so with enthusiasm. If you're looking for professional, efficient, budget minded, creative architects, check them out.

We worked with Schwartz and Architecture on a small residential remodel. Without adding square footage they provided creative designs that worked within our budget constraints. We couldn't be more thrilled with the final product. Neal and his team do amazing work, are easy to work with and understand how to work within your budget; we feel fortunate to have worked with them on our project.

I hired Schwartz and Architecture to design the remodel a newly purchased single-family home. We involved them when we were still in the process of buying the house to make sure the remodel we envisioned could happen in a price range we could afford. Everything started out great, and I wished we'd stopped with the $2,500 "masterplan" contract where they measure your house and provide preliminary, hand-drawn concept design sketches. Instead, we proceeded to the next phase ... where you quickly begin to feel like the most important part of the relationship is how much Schwartz and Architecture can make off you. They get paid a percentage of the overall construction cost so I felt like they were trying to keep those costs as high as possible. It was crazy because adding anything to the design exponentially increased price while removing things doesn't have the same effect. Still scratching my head over the accounting. Like most SF homes, ours is small so efficient utilization of space was important to us. My husband also - repeatedly - told them not to show us designs that would be outside our budget. We reached an impasse where we felt the designs we were being shown weren't worth the money it would cost to build. We terminated our contract with Schwartz and Architecture after spending $23K and only having unusable hand-drawn concept sketches shame on us for not calling a stop to it earlier. I wouldn't recommend using Schwartz and Architecture unless your construction budget is *at least* $2M. Seriously. They do have good ideas, so you're best off hiring them for the "masterplan," then taking those ideas to an architect who can execute on them in an efficient and affordable way.

We are currently working with the Schartz & Architecture team on a remodel of our Berkeley home; the process thus far we start construction in a few weeks has been terrific. Renovating is stressful, especially in the Bay Area where, like all things real-estate here, it is very expensive. And we have a very real limit to our budget. The skills of these talented architects which they have in spades go beyond beautiful design. They’ve been wonderful helping us prioritize important and anxiety producing decisions for a house we plan to live in for a long time. Neal, Wyatt, and Caterina have been creative, professional, and extremely patient presenting us with cost-saving alternatives ... every which way … as we’ve gotten our heads around what it takes to achieve our vision in this market. As we embark on construction, we are so reassured to have our SaA team in our court. We are very happy with our working relationship with SaA, and would hire them again in a heartbeat.

We did an extensive remodel with Neal and his crew on our 1906 Victorian. Their team was fantastic, with a clear vision and immaculate attention to detail. They were also incredibly responsive, always answering emails and calls within a day. We were on a tight budget and they helped us stay on budget through careful planning and good advice.