Light House Design

We work through a couple of ideas. Very helpful in getting a permit.

Our challenges included transforming a standard traditional house into contemporary style home. A few architects that we interviewed had no idea how to approach the project. David drew us a picture of our new house in the first meeting in 10 minutes. Then he took the house measurements, entered them into an architectural software and produced a computer design of our house renovation. At any stage of the design we were able to see the pictures of the new design or get into 3D viewer and "walk" around the house trying on the new spaces. David helped us to find the right GC. David guided us through the entire construction process, helped managing the billing schedule and controlling the budget. David introduced and designed many interesting details in the house: the new stairs, kitchen, fireplaces, front entrance, doors, windows, trim. He paid attention to every little detail and worked on it. He designed and implemented innovative lighting ideas in the house. David explained all his ideas to the contractors while he was overseeing the construction, frequently visiting the site. He detailed the tile layouts and the plumbing fixtures locations to agree with the layout. David found a kitchen maker who made our challenging kitchen exceptionally well. David always knew the best materials for the task and where to find them for the best price. He is a very professional, knowledgable designer. He is very efficient to resolve any problem or find a competent professional who can do that. We have now our dream house that has a lot of light and space. We are convinced that our house would never be that great without David's work.

David was extremely helpful in helping me come up with a plan for a project in my yard. He was courteous and took the time to explain some concepts to me which were an improvement to my original ideas for the area. I will definitely call him again for future projects and I would recommend him to others!

David was great at the following: (1) figuring out ways to use existing space in creative ways, e.g., where an unused tiny attic could become a play loft for children, (2) dealing with a lot of constraints, e.g., setbacks from septic system, lot line, street, (3) getting approval from the various committees in Lincoln (not easy!), and (4) finding interesting materials, e.g., an exterior cladding from Europe that never needs to be painted and, unlike Hardie Board, won't chip away to white, insulation for around an existing slab, nail-base solid foam insulation to go over a roof. <br />

We hired Light House Design based on another project they completed in our neighborhood that we liked.  From our initial meeting we were extremely impressed with David's range of knowledge.  Unlike other architects we interviewed, he knows a lot about construction and construction costs, which was critical for us to figure out how much work we could afford to do. <br /> David came up with a plan that was very different and much better than what we had been considering.  He suggested converting our detached garage into a gym/guest apt and adding a garage to the main house.  This has made life much easier!  The design more than doubled the size of the house, yet our guests are hard-pressed to figure out what was original and what was added.  He seamlessly blended the Mission style details of the existing house, while giving it a more contemporary and open plan. <br /> He spent a lot of time on site, working with the contractor and subcontractors, to make sure all the details came out exactly right.  In some cases the tradespeople did not want to do it his way, as some of  the details were "out of the box", but he worked with them until they were comfortable.  In the end, they all wanted to take photos to add to their portfolios! <br /> One other aspect I appreciated is the one-stop shopping - he did the site planning, architectural design, lighting, cabinetry, mechanical, and more.  The only other specialists that he brought in were a structural engineer and a landscape architect, both of whom he worked closely with. <br /> I don't know if he does smaller projects, but I highly recommend David if you are doing a new house or large renovation. <br />

David was a pleasure to work with. He brought a unique perspective to our project that blended <br /> tradition and non-traditional solutions. We particularly appreciated his <br /> attention to detail and his creative problem-solving when faced with <br /> the limitiations of an existing structure. David's respect for the <br /> history and architectural integrity of the exterior of our home meant <br /> that our renovations not only served our modern needs but remained <br /> within the context of the house's original design. <br />

We gave him our wish list and he did an initial design, which we liked. He helped us find a contractor and was very active visiting the project as it was built. <br />

I hired Light House after meeting with many architects who also had <br /> impressive portfolios. What I found appealing about David in the <br /> initial meeting was his enthusiasm and creativity- he was a fountain of <br /> ideas, none of which I ever would have thought of. We had a tricky site <br /> on a hill, and couldn't figure out how to position the garage where it <br /> wasn't a big ugly box facing the street. He had an idea that no one <br /> else had thought of to enter the garage from an adjacent street, making <br /> it essentially invisible from the road. That idea paved the way for a <br /> modern design that we love. The house was published in Boston Magazine which was fun for us.