east arbor architecture

Starting from our initial plea--to replace a single, wretched old bathroom with something that fit the needs of a growing family of four (splitting one bathroom into two)--Dan Bollman drew up various options for our upstairs remodel. It quickly became apparent that our 1930s Cape Cod couldn't give us the functionality we sought by simply knocking out a wall or two; Dan spelled out for us in the clearest possible way why it was necessary to expand our vision to raising the roof on the back half of the house. At this point, we decided to make lemonade from lemons, and integrated additional improvements, e.g. skylight and reading nook in neighboring rooms, as well. All along the way, Dan listened closely to our feedback, offered great solutions to the challenges we posed, and worked hard to accommodate our quirky requests. We were particularly impressed by his sensitivity to the unique features of our older home, and by his ability to turn seemingly odd, small corners into usable living spaces with clean, balanced lines. He helped us through the execution of the plan from start to finish, including setting us up with a great contractor. While the planning phase took longer than we'd anticipated, in the end the entire project went quite smoothly. We love the fact that we're making much better use of our entire upstairs now, and that it's also such an inviting, livable space.

We hired Dan Bollman to layout a new kitchen in our ~80 year old house which included doubling the space and removing a wall. Dan met with us several times in the months leading up to beginning the project; listening to our "wants", and each time presenting more refined drawings of the space. When we finally were set on a design and the (very) detailed drawings were complete, he helped obtain bids from three contractors. Dan was onsite when each of them visited the house to measure /talk, and again when they proposed their bids. Once work began, the wall to be removed was found to be load-bearing. Dan very quickly worked to design a solution. He devised a plan with three new LVL beams in the ceiling and a post an footer in the basement to carry the load. All of this was devised and checked by an engineer in less than a week. Throughout the project Dan was visiting to make sure that work was per the plans. We could not have been happier with his work and his friendly, professional demeanor.

When we purchased our home, nearly 5 years ago, we chose it based on its good ‘bones’, convenient location and its natural surroundings. We knew much work was ahead to transform the tattered, outdated home into the quiet retreat we sought in our retirement. After completing a major interior renovation, we sought an architect who would present solutions to the challenges we faced on the exterior of our home. We hired Daniel Bollman of East Arbor Architecture to create that remodeling plan. And, we’re glad we did. The major goals we set out were to create strategies to make our home more accessible, energy-efficient, critter-resistant, and durable. We were looking for changes that would reduce exterior maintenance while improving its appearance and value. That said, our initial needs statement to Daniel begged for refinement. He listened to us and was extremely patient throughout the planning process. He waded through many emails and meetings to help us clarify our vision. Then, he presented us with plans that incorporated the elements we wanted, and also included features to make the design more cohesive and beautiful than we’d imagined. When some of our pre-conceived ideas were not in our best interest, he respectfully helped steer us in a different direction. He led us through the bidding process and helped us choose an excellent contractor. Daniel’s expertise, combined with the builder’s ability to bring his drawings to life, transformed our house into a stunning, age-in-place home! Thank you Daniel! We grin every time we turn into the driveway! Pat and Jim

east arbor architecture helped us every step of the way to create a new kitchen and first floor layout. Our home was built in 1947 and an addition was added in 1980. The kitchen was original to when the home was built. Dan came up with many options to change our layout to be both more functional & beautiful. His plans were all in keeping with the historical age of the home. He created room layout plans from the least invasive and least expensive to build all the way to a complete rework and very different layout than what we could have ever imagined. Once we selected a plan, east arbor architecture bid out the project to three different contractors. We also had Dan continue to work for us through the entire build so that when surprises occurred, he was right there to help the builder problem-solve to come up with the best solutions. Having east arbor architecture work with us throughout the entire project - planning to finished construction - gave us the extra support to handle issues and confidence that the right solutions were being made. We truly appreciate the quality of work and definitely recommend east arbor architecture!