David W. Terpening Architect

My husband and I recently completed a full remodel/new construction of a residential home in Menlo Park and had the opportunity to work with David Terpening as the architect for the project. Given the extent of the project, we hired David as a full service architect. He was responsible for design, construction documents, working with the city to secure permits, helped compare bids and select a contractor, and was responsible for construction management. We absolutely love our home, every inch of it, and we have received more compliments for the house than we can count: David’s work has added to our quality of life every moment we spend at home and produced a great return to us in real estate appreciation over the investment made. In his work with us, David showed: -Complete dedication to understanding the client and overall family needs. David made himself available to us, both working professionals, as much as was needed and took the time to understand family requirements for the house, both present and future. -Smart understanding of the city planning process. David’s extensive experience made it working with the city to secure permits very easy for us. Despite some challenging conditions having to do with setback violations from the prior property, David knew what had to be done, when, and how to design around city imposed requirements. -Relentless pursue of quality and craftsmanship. When something isn’t perfect, for whatever the reason, David is an advocate for the homeowner ensuring that things are done right. He knows when crews are doing their best work or cutting corners and recognizes the impact that changes in the smallest material or labor can have in the final result, and makes sure that the homeowner gets exactly what was specified and needed. -Last, but not least, David is a passionate professional who cares about your final home as much as if he was building it for himself; while the process of design, permits, budgeting construction can be exhausting for the home owner, with too many decisions big and small, David’s steady hand ensures that you don’t veer off course. David’s pursuit of quality and excellence in architecture shows in the final house, from the way it fits in its surroundings, to the way it meets our family’s functional needs and the final aesthetic impression, which makes living in it a real pleasure.

We chose David Terpening to be our architect after interviewing 4 others. This was back in 2005. My wife and I were starting a project to scrape our old home and build a new, custom house. The finished product was a two-story, 4300 sq foot house. Very traditional in nature, our house has wood siding on the outside, and wood floors with plenty of custom woodwork on the inside.

I HIGHLY recommend David Terpening. His aethetic design sense is fantastic. I can always recognize his projects in the neighborhood, because they look so great. From first-hand experience, I can say that his designs not only look great - they also function great. David listens to your needs and provides a solution that fits your lifestyle. When we have another project, we will definitely turn to David.

We have known David Terpening for 20+ years. First as a neighbor, then as an architect.... he was in charge of a remodel of our home in Portola Valley and did an excellent job. He is very creative, attentive to details, and always oversees the job until completion. Then a year ago we contacted David to remodel a condo we had purchased in Menlo Park... unfortunately we decided to sell the condo before work had begun.....but his plans were very well done. We would never undertake any project with any other architect.