Introduction: Below is a summary of my educational background:
* Master of Architecture, University of California, Berkeley, 1971
* Bachelor of Science in Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1967
* Intern and Guide, Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, Oak Park, 1964
* Oak Park and River Forest High School, Oak Park, Illinois, 1963
I offer full design services which include site planning, schematic design, design development, construction drawings and services related to construction.
My projects range in size from kitchens and baths to whole-house remodels including additions and new houses. Most are within the Bay Area, and most of these are within San Francisco itself, where I live. I usually do not accept work outside these areas.
I have had over thirty years of experience working on design solutions that, first and most importantly, please my clients but which are, secondly, well received by the close-by neighbors, which is a key to thirdly, easier and faster acceptance by San Francisco's planning department (including the zoning administrator, in case a variance is involved). Although I have had a very high percentage of variance applications for clients that are approved, I also try to design to avoid having a variance be necessary, avoiding variances when possible. I am happy to explain more, show previous projects, etc. at an initial meeting at no charge. My clients appreciate how my designs can be either traditional (more contextual) or modern, depending on the context.
My designs tend to mature into built projects that have manners and which are gracious good neighbors which co-exist easily with other older nearby houses. They have also been characterized as having curb appeal and are usually well received by neighbors for that very reason. A historic prototype is often helpful in grounding a design and instilling it with historic precedent as well as enhancing its wider appeal.
On the interiors, I strive for light-filled and volume spaces, the use of materials including wood, synthetic stones and veneer plaster, and reasonably sized kitchens and baths. Lately, I have been designing green solutions using photovoltaic panels on the roofs and, if south facing, rear elevations in steel and glass, not being as restricted there nearly so much at the front, usually the public or street side, of the design.
