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Main location579 W 177th St #51 New York New York 10033 US(503) 438-5411
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Amenities
Planning
Appointment required
Service options
Onsite servicesOnline appointments
We’ve been working with Amy for quite some time on our (nearly) gut renovation of our apartment, and couldn’t be happier. This was a fairly large project - redoing 3 bathrooms, the floors and moving a wall. The highest praise I can give is that we continue to recommend her to all of our friends doing renovations, and she’ll be the one we go to for our next project.
Nearing the end of our current project, we’ve seen her in many different parts of the process and have been impressed by each one. At a high level, Amy delivers high quality work and communicates quickly and effectively.
At the start was design and development - where we are painting our vision for our project and Amy is turning it into actual designs and hardwood/tile samples. We started with inspiration photos, and then from there went to actual material selection. When choosing materials Amy was great at presenting 3 options, while always being willing to go back to find more when we didn’t quite like them (which I think only happened a couple of times).
For this phase, I think the best thing we did was find clear inspiration photos that she turned into actual things. Main recommendation is to pay attention to the stuff that you might not normally - where will the fire alarms go? How high are the fans? Where are the outlets, and where are the switches? One great thing Amy did here was show a lot of cost awareness and advised us on where to splurge and where to save. One thing that did surprise us here was the cost of millwork - it was generally much more than we anticipated (expect about $1000 per linear foot), so definitely factor that into your budget.
When it came time to choosing a contractor, she streamlined that whole process as well, providing a few recommendations and arranging interviews. With the contractor we selected, she handled our contract negotiation expertly.
For this phase of the project, my big recommendation is to make sure that everyone is clear on the timeline, and that part of the contract includes shared responsibility of any fees your building might charge for going over a deadline. Likewise, include requirements around ordering materials before the kick-off of the project, if you have the space to store them. This will greatly help streamline things.
During construction, she primarily worked with the contractors directly to prepare orders and answer their questions about the schematics. The answers were always in the schematics, which showed an enormous attention to detail that I’m frankly envious of.
Our project got a little bit off of track due to ordering delays (hence - order before you start), and she was the one that got it back on track by getting us and the contractors in a room to make sure that all of the orders were there.
Finally, for adaptability there was the design side - one piece of millwork came in significantly more expensive than we expected ($15k for doors!) and very quickly she came up with a significantly more affordable option that I think is going to look just as good.
You should hire her!
I HIGHLY recommend! Amy was instrumental in creating the construction plans and interior designs for my apartment remodeling project, which was completed back in 2019. She is punctual, gets things done fast, communicates well — and does it all with a great (cheerful) attitude.
Starting out, she will walk you through the process of creating a shopping list of services, which are all tailored based on your needs and your budget. This was very helpful as it allowed me to easily associate each fixed cost to the various service offerings. If I wanted her to monitor the construction site, then I know it would cost X dollars per visit; if I wanted her to vet multiple contractors, then it would cost Y dollars; if I wanted to get interior design revisions for a given room, then it would cost Z dollars, etc. This approach was so much more predictable, and has saved me a lot when compared to a traditional fee structure where the service costs are based on a percentage of the construction costs. Based on my needs, she was able to devise a plan that included drafting the floor plans, vetting contractors, budgeting, selecting materials and vendors, construction onsite visits, board reviews, and meeting a design vision and mood that closely matches what I had originally set out to achieve. Furthermore, much of the process is documented, such as the construction plans, before/after photos, punch lists, etc., and can be referenced online via a shared Dropbox folder.
She is also quite masterful at devising ways to save you on costs without sacrificing the look and quality you strive for. Take for example my kitchen cabinets: I wanted to optimize for space and storage, so my plan was to go with floor-to-ceiling European-style cabinets. What could have easily cost in excess of $25k in just cabinet materials (without installation), somehow ended up costing less than $10k, all because Amy was able to find an ingenious alternative that saved on costs while also preserving the look, feel, and quality of material and workmanship that I wanted.
It has been a very satisfying experience working with Amy and I cannot express enough how much it will improve your quality of life, time, and effort working with a very capable and highly effective Architect and interior designer. Do not hesitate to consult with her, I have been through the process and can assure you that it will be worth every penny and you will have absolutely no regrets.
