K.McKechnie Architectural Design

Kristi made our dream home a reality. Her attention to detail and great ideas made our house functional for our large family and accessible to accommodate everyone. We were very impressed with her and Megan's designing and thorough plans. Our home is more than we ever could have dreamed of. We are extremely pleased with our decision to use K, McKechnie Design, we also used Scott Inc Design and Build to construct our house. What a great transition and team set up. Super Impressed and would highly recommend! :)

We recently renovated a 65 year old family cottage. The simple option suggested by many contractors was to tear it down and build a new structure. We liked the existing floor plan, cherished some of the oldness and did not embrace the concept of a complete radical change. Kristi McKechnie was able to grasp the concepts we wanted to change and yet preserve the cottage in its original form. The result is that we have a "beautiful unique new-old cottage that can be used year round. The construction process was intense at times requiring much interaction between us. The contractors were able to creatively and expertly use much of the existing structure and incorporate some effective modern elements. It was exciting to be on the same page-to trust their advice-and they often told us what was reasonable to stay on budget. The bonus for us was that the workers enjoyed the project and took extra care to "get it right". We were very pleased with the entire process and thrilled with the final product.

We hired Kristi to design our new cottage. We interviewed at least 6 designers, but once we met Kristi and her team we knew we found our designer. The process we went thru with Kristi was fantastic. She listened to our likes and wants and she came up with a design that we think is amazing. She provided us with all necessary drawings and documents for us to get development approval and building permit approval. We those documents that process was very smooth. In fact the building department commented that the drawings were the best they have ever seen. We have just started the building process and will post pictures once the project is completed. We would certainly recomment Kristi for any design work.

Personable, professional, creative, thorough, collaborative, fiscally conscious. Just a few of the many words we could use to describe the excellent work of K. McKechnie Architectural Design. We chose them to lead our project after several recommendations from trusted sources. We knew we needed a firm that would be able to upgrade our recently purchased, 70 year-old building while keeping a contemporary look and feel to this prominent and iconic building in our community. From the initial designs through working with the City to obtain our building permit, to ensuring that every stage of the renovations progressed smoothly, K. McKechnie Architectural Design treated our project as if it was their only project (even though we knew it wasn't). We always felt it was their top priority. Clearly the design experts, they attended to every new idea we had (and there were a lot!) with respect and interest to ensure that our building was designed to meet our needs. They also worked closely with us and the City to ensure the building permit process went as smoothly as possible, paving the way for a great working relationship with the City during the build phases. After-hours site visits and check-ins with us to make sure the project was on track and that we were satisfied with the progress were typical and, no doubt, ensured the actual renovations went as smoothly as possible. Perhaps the greatest complement we can pass along is what we have received from neighbours who have stopped to chat about the history of the building. We have heard (repeatedly) how fantastic the building looks, and they have actually thanked us for improving the look of this landmark in their community!

We found Kristi McKechnie at the Cottage Life Show in Mississauga, two years in a row before we hired her for our design. Kristi and her assistant Meagan, were always able to answer our many questions and were professional, courteous and a pleasure to deal with. She knew our building area and had a tremendous amount of experience dealing with our Township. Kristi was very knowledgeable in all aspects of the building codes and processes and design.. We are currently building and are getting very excited as we see "our dream" becoming a reality. Thank you Kristi and Meagan, for helping us realize our dream. We will post a photo when we are completed, anything less just wouldn't be worth a thousand words! John & Belinda Robichaud

We cannot say enough good things about K. McKechnie Architectural Design. Kristi took us through an addition & renovation that we absolutely love ! We initially met with Kristi to discuss our "wish list" for our cottage. She listened to us and took this list and shortly after presented us with a drawing. Kristi had truly listened! It was almost perfect and with some tweaking we had a plan. During the planning stages & building Kristi was always quick to respond to our emails / phone calls. She was always available to meet with us and would calm If any concerns had set in. Someone asked us after the construction was completed if we would ever do it again. Our response was " absolutely, but we would want the same design architect & crew to work with ! "

I have the highest regard for this company. Kristi and her associates were cheerful, willing and always went the extra mile for me. Her design work is gorgeous, livable, and energy and space efficient. The site specific design meant gorgeous views, no heating up in the summer, and beautiful outdoor spaces for us to enjoy. We loved living in a house designed by K. McKechnie!

Prior to designing the reno on my 30 year old cottage, I asked Kristie to design a two storey garage that had lots of light. Kristie came up with a design that maximized the floor space on the second floor while meeting code and incorporated 4 large dormers. The ground floor has excellent lighting as well. The garage looks great and there is nothing like it on the lake. The next step was to increase the size of my existing 900 sq ft cottage to approximately 3600 sq ft while still making it fit in with surrounding cottages and not having it look like a mansion. Again lots of light Driving in to the cottage you see a one story L shaped building with a low roof profile building with a large covered entrance way. The cottage is done in stone and engineered wood siding. The lake side of the cottage has a full walk out basement with big windows on both floors and a deck the length of the building. Kristie designed the floor plan for an open concept but also provided quiet areas. the cottage easily accomodates my four grown kids, three dogs and several inlaws. Two propane fireplaces also serve to provide back up heat in the event the hydro goes out and the whole house generator stops (thinking of all possibilities) Kristie had many obstacles to overcome including big rocks, unreasonable building dept requirements and so on, but she met every challenge with a smile and did what was necessary. We met with Kristie and her team on a regular basis and each meeting was extremenly productive and enjoyable. I have built a house and a cottage in the past but never enjoyed the experience as much as I did with Kristie and her team I strongly recommend Kristie McKechnie to anyone looking for a design expert

We hired K.McKechnie Architectural Design along with their Design-Build partners ScottInc to complete a major deck renovation at our cottage on Mariposa Beach - Lake Couchiching. The project included the demolition of the existing single level raised deck and replacement with a two tier covered upper level and open lower deck. Kristi and Don met with us on site and helped us through the design phase to ensure our vision was realized while adding their professional recommendations along the way. Kristi prepared architectural drawings, submitted for permit application on our behalf and provided us 3D renderings so we could visualize the final concept. Project refinements included structural changes to accommodate a full 16 ft wide glass sliding door and clear glass panel railing that enhanced our lakefront view. The project cost schedule was very detailed and the project completed on time and on budget. We can highly recommend working with this team.

After having 4 companies in, Kristie was the only one that got the design right! It is functional, has clean lines and incorporated must haves such as storage. She pays attention to detail and was the only one that measured our furniture to incorporate that into her design. She noted our style when looking around other rooms of the house and helped pick out the material. Fantastic and highly recommend her for design work!

Kristi McKechnie worked with us to rebuild our small cottage (900 sq ft). We wanted to maintain a "cottage feel" and were restricted to working within a limited footprint. We wanted our cottage to blend in and have a minimal impact on the environment. From the outset, Kristi made us feel welcomed and listened to our ideas. She was genuine and professional, providing us with a number of options and patiently responding to our questions. We met a number of times, always with her directly and often with other staff present. She understood what we were trying to accomplish and developed a plan that reflected our goals. Once we had determined the basic structure and orientation of the new cottage, Kristi met with the local town Building Department and arranged for the necessary permits, without requiring us to apply for variances. We were thrilled when the permit was issued. Our new cottage still maintains a cozy atmosphere, yet contains modern conveniences. The kitchen is open, very functional and extremely attractive. The bathroom, similarly is a showpiece!! The materials we selected for exterior cladding, window and doors, interior floors and walls etc. all blended together very nicely to create a clean, practical and pleasing effect. Our cottage is inviting and accessible, with a spacious hallway and wide doors. It is extremely efficient, using things like pocket doors where wall space was limited. We have windows generously placed throughout, providing us with spectacular views of our lake. There is a smooth traffic flow in the cottage, from one area to another. A nice feature for us was the mechanical room which also serves as a laundry room....a real plus. Two decks and a covered porch enhance extend the living space. We continue to receive many compliments on our cottage. A bonus for us when working with Kristi, is that we were also working with the builder. As such, our questions were answered quickly and from a contractor's perspective. Once we completed the design stage and the contractor started to build, Kristi maintained contact with us. She stayed with the project until completion, providing us with assistance and advice as needed. Our experience in working with Kristi has been very positive. She helped us turn our dream into reality and for that, we are extremely grateful. It is without reservation and with great enthusiasm that we recommend Kristi as an outstanding architect.