Reviews2
My husband and I hired Lawlor Architects to completely renovate our Capitol Hill row house. We had a lovely home, but it was built in 1911, had an extremely small and unworkable kitchen, few bathrooms, and awkward spaces. Since we had 3 kids and wanted to stay in the home (we love the Hill and our neighborhood), something had to be done to make the space more livable. Steve Lawlor and his team were amazing and the renovation project exceeded our expectation. They took a lot of time to carefully evaluate how we lived, what our specific needs were, and how the new home design could meet those needs within our budget. The project was massive (completely reworking a 3 floor home) and took about 8 months to complete. The project was finished on time and within our budget (the only things that went over budget were last minute additions we asked Steve to make). That’s the other thing – as one goes through this process, one may realize there are changes they need that weren’t clear in the beginning. Steve’s team was very flexible to the many changes (some last minute) that we had them make to our home design. Steve, his design team, and our contractor Leigh Mailloux were flexible, patient, understanding, and good communicators. Also, renovation, especially on older homes, can seem daunting. Steve and his team helped us with everything and made the process easy and low stress. That’s an almost impossible task with a renovation like the one we did! I can’t say nice enough things about Steve, our wonderful designer Paula, Leigh, and their crew.
Our charming, but cramped and outdated, 1920s Chevy Chase, DC cottage presented multiple challenges. The configuration of the lot also imposed constraints.
We had consulted three previous architects, but each time, the preliminary plan proposed to us seemed pedestrian and predictable. Discouraged, we delayed undertaking a renovation.
Enter Steve Lawlor. The impressive aspect of Steve’s work is that he melds imagination and inventiveness with structural engineering expertise and ingenious problem solving.
Now we live in a soaring, light-filled, spacious and cleverly functional house. We love the house. Everyone who walks in the door is bowled over by its clean lines and immersive sense of beauty. All thanks to Steve.
He also somehow carved out the space for what is now a thriving, enchanting cottage garden in the back.
He is hands-on and supremely attentive, overseeing every detail with an admirable perfectionism and a profoundly imaginative approach.
And on time and on budget. Superior in every possible way.
And the firm’s interior designer, Paula Schumann, is also completely top-notch. With Steve and Paula at your side, the process of choosing the finishes to put the final touches on the house—an organically linked and integral part of Steve’s approach—made for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.ws, we hired Lawlor Architects to help us convert an unfinished basement in our 1899 townhouse into useable space. The project was complex, as it involved structural considerations, significant upgrades and re-configuration of utilities, radiant heat beneath the floor, and various other unique features. Steve and his team were excellent partners; they were thoughtful, took our input into account, communicated effectively, and managed our expectations. More than most architects, Lawlor took an active role in sourcing and helping us manage the GC we chose. The result has transformed the way we live in our house and there’s never anything we wish we thought of in hindsight. We appreciated our collaboration with Lawlor so much that we used them again in a project to transform our backyard which included building a garage/carriage house. If we ever decide to take on a third project, there’s no doubt that we will use Lawlor again.
The reasons we would work with Steve and his team again include:
– Strong design: We appreciated the thoughtfulness and creativity in design decisions from the big ones (overall layout, general aesthetic) to the small ones (how do you situate utilities to ensure access and maximize use of storage space in a small home; what is the precise design of a custom mantel to deal with the weird asymmetries of an old house). We liked that Steve had a point of view on materials selection and we always knew that if we didn’t make any choices we would have a beautiful design.
– Exceptional management of the process and attention to detail: We had a child on the way and needed to have a project run like a German train. It did. Without a doubt things come up in major renovations, but the quality of the planning, the investment in communication with us and the contractor, and the ability to creatively and aggressively manage issues when they arose was terrific. Also, his approach to getting bids from contractors ensures a *much* more accurate pricing than the traditional approach, allowing you to better selected among contractors and enhance your comfort at what you will receive for your budget. You also know that Steve will shoot straight with you; he is clear when he thinks something is a bad idea, for example, instead of moving ahead with the terrible thought one might have! 😉
– Responsiveness and client service: Steve and team are quick to respond, prepared for meetings, considerate of client communication preferences, and were are able to open up new perspectives for us while taking guidance even where it deviated from his initial proposal.
– Thorough understanding of the Capitol Hill and DC regulatory and community environment: When you do work on Capitol Hill or other historic areas, there are a lot of eyes on you. Steve’s reputation for quality and knowledge of DCRA and other regs/processes helped address any issues that came up, and navigate around foreseeable challenges.
Finally, Steve is a delightful person with an acerbic wit. We found it enjoyable to work with him which is important given how intense and long these projects can be.
Note, Steve is certainly not the cheapest architect in town (not the most expensive either). But if you are willing to pay for quality, peace of mind, customer service, assistance in making the (millions of) choices required, and insuring against costs that could come from poor management or communication, then we strongly recommend considering Lawlor Architects. It is worth matching the quality of the architect to the scope and budget of the job; if you are in a major penny pinching situation, this is probably not the right fit.
The costs are reasonable when you compare the considerably more extensive service you are getting from Steve and team versus many other architects.
Our experience with Lawlor Architects was exactly what we hoped it would be. Steve and the team were patient and attentive throughout a design process that was longer than they might have wished for, paying attention to our needs, really listening, and respecting our design aesthetic.
The most lasting impression of our work with Lawlor Architects is their joy in finding creative solutions to “problems,” whether about design choices or managing the inevitable construction surprises. Their approach to treating every challenge as an opportunity turned what is often a stressful process into an adventure.
Steve and the team were always respectful of our budget constraints, helped us identify a contractor that met our needs and parameters, and reveled in finding creative solutions for the unknown twists and turns of any renovation project.
We are absolutely thrilled with the end result, which delivered on the core of what we hoped to do, is true to who we are, and created surprises that bring us joy every day.