Koch Architects - Berkeley, California

David W.

Joanne is nothing short of amazing. She is first and foremost a brilliant architect who designs beautiful homes and remodels. I truly believe her work will have lasting and historical significance. In addition, she is the rare architect who is a master of all aspects.

We did a very large whole-house remodel that took years to design and plan and then more years to execute. Joanne led us through the whole process from start to finish. First, she worked with us to define our style and uncover every aspect of what was important to both of us, and then blend that into a coherent design that was elegant and very contemporary and yet down to earth.

She helped us find a top contractor, who was also extraordinary, and we all worked amazingly well as a team throughout the construction. Between Joanne and the contractor, the execution could not have been better.

Modern design often requires complex and subtle engineering and Joanne is thoroughly competent with the engineering. She completely managed the interactions with the structural engineers who were critical to the construction. Joanne was there overseeing every aspect of the construction and the many, many issues that came up on the fly.

She managed the complex regulatory issues as well. Our house actually straddles the Berkeley-Oakland border, which made for some challenging permitting issues. Joanne handled it all for us.

Joanne also led the many efforts at “value engineering,” helping us to make cost trade-offs to keep the budget down. Between Joanne and the contractor, we often were able to find alternatives that saved significant costs with little loss to the concept. That said, we did, inevitably, go considerably over our original budget, but that was our choice. As you get into it, it is hard not to want everything to be perfect, even if it costs a bit more. We knew we weren’t going to be doing this again and wouldn’t have another chance to get it right. This meant lots of changes as the project evolved. Joanne took it all in stride and worked overtime to make significant changes even as deadlines loomed.

We loved Joanne’s aesthetic sense and completely trusted her total vision for the house. So much so that when it came time to do the interior design, we asked Joanne to do that as well! Again, she was brilliant and we loved working with her, choosing each piece, color, texture, etc. with care and love.

Besides all of her wonderful professional qualities, Joanne is a wonderfully thoughtful person. She is interesting and interested in everything. She is well-rounded and well-grounded. She never seemed flustered or anxious, and would always help us when WE were (which is also inevitable when you’ve taken your whole house down to the studs!).

In the end, we ended up with the house of our dreams. We love living in it every single day. It suits us perfectly, both aesthetically and functionally. We really couldn’t be happier with the results.

We really can’t say enough good things about Joanne and her work. It was a privilege and an honor to get to work with her. Our remodel was a monumental experience that has transformed our lives. We are deeply grateful.

Patrick B.