Joseph Metzler

People are amazed to learn that parts of our house were added onto an existing 1957 Usonian-style home. Joe did a fabulous job of listening to our hopes and concerns for the project, which included a desire for architectural integrity and a "seamless" addition that included more floor space. Our updated home is now brighter and bigger, but it is just as authentic to its roots as ever.

I would hire this company. Where can I find someone like this in Boise Idaho? Experience with Craftsman architecture? heidi.lynne.jones@gmail.com

We instantly loved our 1890 Harry Jones house and felt a responsibility to keep the restoration it sorely needed true to age and style. We interviewed several architects but Joe was the only one that clearly felt the same responsibility and had the sensitivity to historic buildings, the creativity to solve old house design problems and the expertise to seamlessly blend old with new. His design for the renovation was so successful that it won several awards (including one from the National Trust for Historic Preservation) and has been published in numerous books and periodicals. Visitors to our home are always surprised to learn that our new kitchen addition is not original to the house. Joe was able to solve design problems that we feared were unsolvable: opening up the kitchen to the rest of the house and eliminating “cook isolation”, relocating back-stairs so that a windowless wall could be opened to eastern sun light, improving traffic flow so that entertaining is a joy, introducing a half bath onto our first floor that of course looks original but never existed, designing a carriage house that complements the house and provides so much garden storage that it is the envy of the neighborhood. Not only was Joe accessible and easy to work with during construction, he has remained a trusted resource for design questions we continue to have; from the placement of exterior stone walls relative to the house to the right scale for interior lights. Our family has lived in this house for over 25 years now and it is hard to describe the impact the design has had on our lives, from the lifetime of holiday memories celebrated in generous rooms to the daily beauty of sunlight moving across old wood. We feel very fortunate to have had Joe’s guidance in caring for this treasure.

Our experience working with Joe Metzler on our South Minneapolis home kitchen project was as positive as could be. We purchased the house, a 1923 American Foursquare, back in 1992. The house showed some typical wear and tear and had gone through more than a few questionable "updates" - including, but not limited to, the stucco having been painted with white latex that was now blistering and a trim color we could only surmise to be "fried egg yellow." Aesthetics aside, "the bones" of the structure were in remarkable shape. We fell in love with it - faults and all. When house-hunting the things we had wanted in our home were: 1) a nice kitchen (Andre is really, really, good cook) 2) a fireplace 3) natural woodwork We soon discovered (as most young couples ultimately do) that getting all those things would have meant purchasing a home out of our price range. So, we agreed that as time went on, we would address what the home lacked; a fireplace, a decent kitchen, traditional storm windows, and an exterior that looked more faithful to its heritage. The woodwork was in pretty good shape. Only the upstairs trim had been painted and, by expending a little elbow grease and a lot of Summer evenings, we eventually brought all of it back to its original look. But, the fact remained that the kitchen, once poorly updated in the 70's, was failing rapidly. The fireplace we had so often longed for, was still not a reality. And, added to this was a new desire - we really wanted a first floor bathroom. We considered moving, but quickly came to the consensus that we really just loved the place. Enter, Joe Metzler… Joe shared our vision of maintaining an original look with modern updates, and created a space and look that was beyond our expectations. He worked with us meticulously, thoughtfully and patiently (we started and stopped the project a couple of different times due to life circumstances). And, despite the variables thrown his way, he maintained a sense of humor and perspective. We decided to turn our old kitchen into a 3/4-bath (that's how small it was), and we added a 12' x 21' space onto the back of the house - which became our new kitchen. We talked about trying to incorporate a fireplace into the design. Then dropped the idea. Then revived it again. And from those lengthy discussions, Joe designed a gorgeous Inglenook with a gas fireplace that we use from early fall to summer (which in Minnesota, accounts for a good portion of the year)! It's a cozy, comfortable space - that seats four, or, two - stretched out - reading, knitting, playing guitar and having a glass of wine… or two. It's also a favorite spot for the dog as he sprawls out in front of the fire across our feet or nuzzles into us on the bench. We all spend a lot of time in the 'nook. It's an integral part of the kitchen space without being "in the way" of the prep and cooking zones. Using beautiful natural materials like oak, soapstone, and handmade ceramic tiles, high-end appliances, and a subcontractor who's cabinetry work is second-to-none, Joe designed the space in our home that we use daily, spend most of our time in, and in which we simply love to hang out. The process Joe uses is informative, educational, friendly, straight-forward and very clearly laid out. No misunderstandings. Joe's approach is thoughtful, and if problems arise - he's about finding solutions. When we ran into a surprising issue with an inspector, Joe (and the contractor as well) focused on getting answers and went above-and-beyond to help us make an adjustment to the plan work. We love Joe's style - both in terms of building design, and his work approach. He is open, honest, friendly, and very patient with people who don't speak "architect." We would, without hesitation, recommend Joe Metzler, and would hire him again in a second to work on any other project that would require an architect's deft hand and keen eye.

Our experience with Joe was above our expectations. We started with a somewhat complicated and specific request for an addition to our ranch house including a partial second floor and a terrace along the entire back of the house leading to a lap pool. The existing home also needed an almost complete overhaul down to the studs. We also requested the home to be energy efficient. The house is in Michigan so that was another wrinkle. Joe came up with a wonderfully creative design which gives us enough space but is in keeping with “the not so big house” concept and retains the mid-century character. His expertise in energy conservation delivered as our house was amazingly cool all summer long without AC. Our home is beautiful and comfortable. Renovations can be stressful, but dealing with Joe is not. He was flexible in offering us as little or as much architectural service as we wanted. He was easily available for meetings, last minute phone calls as issues arose and was very helpful in giving us options for low vs higher budget options for windows, stone work, cabinets, appliances, and such.