Mark Brand Architecture

Mark Brand is awesome. You can't go wrong if you hire Mark for your next project. He's efficient, client-oriented, and great at details. -Matt (Sensitive Information Hidden) Compass

We hired Mark to design an addition to our home. He did an excellent job blending our stylistic preferences into a beautiful and practical design. Mark's team also did an excellent job navigating a complicated permitting process while preserving design intent, especially given the many constraints our project faced.

We hired Mark Brand Architecture to address several problems with our 1939 big-five home in San Francisco. We contemplated redesign of the lower floor, an update of the façade, and the entire re-envisioning of the terraced backyard, it’s connection to the house, and flow between the living spaces inside and out. Mark and his team were a joy to work with. His knowledge of and experience with San Francisco’s Building and Planning codes and the department made him a perfect partner for our project. He provided us with several novel solutions, and he walked us through each one -- carefully validating his designs with our desires and our budget. For the lower floor, he ‘found’ space we didn’t think we had. For the façade, he created a look that was fresh yet integrated beautifully with the neighborhood. The topography of the backyard was particularly challenging. It was a hassle to move from the main floor to the backyard, frustrating our joy of outdoor living. Mark’s solution resolved conflicting elevations between the building and the backyard elegantly, making egress to the backyard a pleasure. For this, he was instrumental in selecting and working with a structural engineer to figure out challenges of incorporating some very high retaining walls. We loved his solution. We would hire Mark again in a flash. He is a pleasure to know and a pleasure to work with.

I've been planning my kitchen remodel for several years and went through multiple iterations of the design in my head. Mark was referred to me by a fellow architect friend. After an in-house consultation, he was able to translate what was in my head to several different floor plans for my consideration. I was able to select/revise the perfect one for my dream kitchen vision. This was a complicated process since I wanted to remove a mid-load bearing wall and swap the location of the kitchen and dining room while dealing with all of the unexpected issues in a 50+ year old condo. All of the planning and discussion meant that my remodel went exceptionally smoothly. Even when we discovered that the original plan for the steel beam needed to be altered, he was there to talk directly with my contractor and work with the structural engineer to get me revised plans in record time. I really enjoyed working with Mark - he understands what you want but is also good at making gentle recommendations when needed. Thank you for leading me to the right cabinet decision! I highly recommend working with Mark and his team if you have any home remodel needs in the San Francisco Bay Area!

Mark Brand Architecture was a great partner on the design of a whole-house renovation in San Francisco. They were creative and responsive. Their architecture and detailing is top notch. I love collaborating with them and our clients loved them, too. High marks for communication and coordination efforts.

Mark Brand asked all of the right questions and worked tirelessly with the city permit department to make sure everything we wanted to do would be approved. Beyond being amazing on the phone with the city, his design fit with our mid-century home and anyone who has seen it is amazed at the transformation of our small back yard. We started this project with Mark in 2019, long before COVID-19, and completed the major construction in October of 2020. The actual construction began in May 2020 with demo, to completion in October 2020. Mark and his staff were with us through the entire process, communicating with our Contractor and Pool installer and keeping everyone in the loop and on track. I had never worked with an architect before, and feel grateful that my first experience was with Mark Brand and his team. Fees are explained up front, and although the fees were a healthy part of our budget, I know I got what I paid for! Communication with email and phone calls, as well as site visits were always timely, with any issues explained and problems worked through and resolved to avoid delays.

It's been a (long) journey. Very glad that we picked Mark and his team as our partner for this complete overhaul of our primary residence, which lasted 1.5 years. Our goal was to turn our unique but outdated 70's colonial home nested in the woods of Pleasanton ridge into an elegant and modern living space. Mark and Tyler helped us to make our dream a reality with their extensive experience in design and attention to every details. Though the project was over time and budget - not something that Mark's team would have control of - the result turns out to be amazing. We imagine our family living in this beautiful new house for years to come. Thanks Mark!

Mark provided helpful tips, feedback, guidance, and advice as we made our decisions as first-time home-owners and renovators. He is knowledgeable about building codes and had great ideas about design, lighting, and maximizing square footage. We discovered about 20 square feet of unused dead space hiding behind a wall thanks to his plans! We did run into some issues with responsiveness and occasional lapses in quality of work, but we would attribute this to some staff turn over that Mark experienced in the course of our job. He quickly revised our bill when we aired, and he agreed with, our complaints. We are happy with the plans he developed and are thrilled as we see them become a reality.

Mark transformed my Victorian era single family home in the Castro into a tastefully designed blend of modern mixed with some of the original detailing. Like most Victorians the house had a very choppy floor plan with a lower level that had been added on by the former owners without permits. Mark's designs fixed all the issues that I had with the layout and optimized the space to make it truly functional, including creating a really nice open kitchen/family room/dining room that expanded the usable kitchen space to twice the size of the original and reclaiming outdoor space that was previously unusable. The project was a complete renovation down to the studs and completely transformed the space. Mark was easy to work with and created options for me to consider that addressed all my needs. He would listen to my suggestions and provided creative solutions and alternatives above and beyond what I had initially considered. In the end, I was very pleased with how the project turned out...even better than I had imagined. I would highly recommend Mark for your next project.

I've been in the residential kitchen and bath industry for over 40 years. I've had the privilege to work with many great professionals over the years and I certainly consider Mark one of them. What I most enjoy is the no nonsense approach in the client meetings, design process and in the finished creations. These space are strong, intelligent yet welcoming. That's no small trick, it's a rare talent. I will work with Mark at every opportunity. He makes us all look better as a team. Highest recommendations.

Mark was great to work with on my project. He took the time to understand what I was really looking for and delivered my plans as promised!

Mark Brand and his team did a fabulous job of my home remodel. Before I found Mark, I had solicited design ideas and bids from two other firms. These designs were not up to par. It was such a delight to meet Mark and work with him. He quickly was able to see my vision, and created a beautiful design that worked within the framework of the existing home. He helped me formulate a modern makeover of the home, that stayed within budget. The results did not disappoint, and I still receive compliments about my home! I really appreciated his pleasant personality, humor, creative insight, responsiveness, and flexibility throughout the project.

Mark is the best! We have recommended him to a few people who have commented on our new kitchen design.

I hired Mark for 2 projects. I had some architectural issues; Mark and his team came up with some attractive solutions. The process went smoothly thanks to Mark staying on top of all aspects of the projects. I also get many compliments on the finishes used throughout my place. One of the reasons I reached out to Mark was the amount of light in his projects and he delivered on this as well. I would definitely hire him again.

Mark Brand Architecture is a terrific company to work with. Mark and his team are highly professional taking into great consideration not only the needs of the client but also being sensitive to keeping good will with the neighbors so projects develop smoothly. Mark is amazingly adept in navigating the permitting process, he has impeccable taste, and an elegant design aesthetic. Mark's firm did a complete remodel of our house in 2006. In 2010 because we were temporarily living on the east coast, we worked virtually with his firm to design a fantastic top floor master bedroom suite with a huge walk in closet, soaring ceilings, vast pictures windows, and gorgeous terraces. Working virtually is not always an easy thing to do but we gladly gave Mark's firm the keys and free access to our home and were more than confidant that we would come home to a beautiful addition. And we did. Our master suite is gorgeous. Mark's firm also designed the remodel for my mother's home. Now, what better recommendation can beat that?

We worked with Mark to remodel our house. Mark and his team were very good at listening to our requests and provided various design options that could work for us. Mark was very quick in providing the feedback for design changes we requested and also solved some difficult structural issues. When we were at the end of our initial project, we decided to remodel an additional bathroom. Mark was very happy to help us and came up with some excellent ideas to best use the space. We are very happy that we hired him as our architect.

I love working with Mark Brand Architecture and couldn't be happier with the results to date. Mark and everyone on the team are great listeners and couldn't be more professional. They capture every detail and then turn your ideas into a beautiful, quality design. They are very responsive to changes and are great problem solvers. I also enjoy working in 2D and 3D, as it makes it so easy to envision the project and make better decisions.

I selected Mark for a total renovation and new design in the downstairs unit of my 1800's Victorian flat. This unit had been designed in the early 80's by an architect who must have been on LSD! There is no other logical explanation for the rat-maize of a unit I acquired when I bought my house. This project was a 1500 ft 3 bdrm / 2 bath total gutting and renovation, included structural and foundation/footing changes and additions, including installation of steel beams and seismic retrofitting of the house, Mark called after only a couple of weeks, and already had 5 different layout options available for my initial viewing. I was pleased with the first design, but each design he showed me was better than the one before it! I selected his last design, but took a couple of miner items from a couple of his other drawings and added them in. Mark was creative and timely in his work product, reasonable in his pricing, and extremely easy to work with! Other than having to pay him for his work, working with Mark felt like working with a friend! Attentive, creative, and I always felt like he was looking out for my best interest. I was acting as my own GC, and Mark and/or his assistant even help me later in the project, when I needed someone to guide me through some of the major structural changes I was making, where I did not have the expertise and knowledge to do them on my own. If I had it to do all over again, I would not hesitate to hire Mark again for this or any other project I might have. He and his staff are extremely professional and easy to work with, and I have already recommended him to others.

We hired Mark to design two bathrooms and a laundry room. He did a wonderful job helping us figure out what we wanted, and made the whole process very easy. He had great ideas for our small space and helped us pick out the perfect finishes. He is incredibly talented and responsive, and we would highly recommend him. It was an absolute pleasure to work with Mark and his firm.

Mark Brand is a creative architect who listens to what you want and then can elaborate your vision. His architectural ideas and drawings in combination with his technical knowledge lead you to a finished product with style and uniqueness.

We loved working with Mark and his team when we remodeled our home in Mill Valley. They listened to our input, challenging appropriately when needed, and incorporating what we then jointly agreed upon in the design. Mark's team brought numerous good suggestions to the project. The end result was something that neither we nor his team would have come up with independently, but the finished project is one that we are all extremely proud of and most importantly represents the lifestyle we live (while the pre-remodel house felt like it was designed for the way someone else lived). Mark's design was especially strong in bringing light into a previously dark home, while still maintaining the natural coolness on hot, oppressive days (which fortunately we don't have too many of in Mill Valley).

Mark was very easy to work with. In just two visits to my home and a brief discussion of simple requests, Mark designed a very elegant and modern bathroom that fits my personality. His ability to maximize space but yet draw your attention to various aspects of a bathroom is amazing. He literally transformed my bathroom from a place where I didn't want to spend to much time to a place where I want to spend a lot of time.

I have worked with Mark Brand Architecture's on several projects from 2010 to present. I hired the company in 2010 in order to build a state of the art dental office from a raw space, the end result was incredible. The budget was accurate, the deadlines were spot on and his team conducted themselves with professional conduct and amazing attitudes. i have continued to work with Mark on several other projects including my personal residence. Markus watson

I would recommend Mark to anyone needing a first-rate architect without hesitation. I hired Mark as the architect for the remodel of my house. I had very particular objectives with respect to design and aesthetics, and aimed to achieve a traditional Japanese design with modern Western elements. My house is tiny, so making smart use of small space was crucial to success, as was managing contractors and navigating the permit process. Mark listened to my goals and produced designs and found materials that fit with what I hoped to achieve. He helped me find and evaluate contractors, ultimately choosing a contractor (Chas Voorhis at Abacus) who I could not be more happy with. He competently managed the building and permit process without any of the serious glitches that can affect a project like this. When challenging situations did arise, he confidently and quickly resolved them. He has an impeccable design sensibility and the quality of what we achieved from both a build and design perspective rivals anything I've seen elsewhere. In fact, the house was written up in the San Francisco Chronicle and the Sarah Susanka book "not so big remodeling." I was most impressed with Mark's ability to study and master the elements of traditional Japanese house design. He went so far as to study literature on the topic and speak with experienced experts in traditional Japanese house design. The Japanese elements of the project masterfully reflect the best of Japanese design traditions and feel consistent with (and sometimes better than) architectural elements I've experienced in Japan itself.

Mark Brand is an amazing designer. We had limitation on budget. Mark was welling to work with us and gave us professional advice. Love his simple, modern and warm style. Our home turned out functional and comfortable. 5 stars for Mark Brand!

San Francisco Contemporary Architect Mark Brand has been an amazing find. Mark Brand and his team of professional architects have provided creative and insightful architecture in a thorough and timely manner. If you are looking for a San Francisco Bay Area based contemporary architect, I would absolutely recommend you contact Mark Brand Architecture. I especially love the Warm Modern Architecture Mark Brand has introduced to our home and others in the Bay Area. We are thrilled with the innovative, contemporary design Mark Brand Architecture has brought to our San Francisco Bay Area home.

Our firm has collaborated with Mark Brand Architecture on numerous projects over the past 10 years. Based on our working experiences I enthusiastically recommend his firm to my clients. He is amazingly talented and has great work ethics. Besides he listens to the needs of his clients!

Mark did an outstanding job on my parents' home in Alamo. They purchased a home and had a vision for its potential - and many were skeptical. They hired an architect (not Mark) who drew some sketches and we were all feeling quite uninspired. They took the bold move to let go of her and hire Mark. Simply put, he wowed us. Mark is a seasoned professional with a cutting-edge aesthetic and a great personality. We loved working with Mark and his team. He is adaptable, creative, and lovely. Do not hesitate - hire him.

I hired Mark Brand Architecture to design the remodel for my house in San Francisco. His design brought much needed light into the interior of the house. The remodel was extensive and Mark and his staff gave me a lot of help during the remodel, especially when it came to working around or through problems that the old structure of the house posed which included working with the engineers he helped me find. I was doing most of the remodeling on my own as general contractor and Mark steered me to many contractors who were willing to work with a non-professional general contractor as I was. Everyone who came to the house after the remodel was quite surprised with the results. I was happy with the design and the results and was especially impressed with all the extra work Mark and his staff put into the remodel. Although the design was created seven years ago, it still looks as fresh and modern as the day the project was completed. I've recommended Mark Brand Architecture to people I know who are looking to update or remodel their house, both large and small jobs and everything in between. I do it with the confidence that those people will be as happy with the results from Mark Brand Architecture as I am.

we worked with Mark Brand Architecture for the remodel of our house. It was a complete remodel with using different colors of stucco instead of the original wood siding. This gave the house a complete modern look. Mark suggested to use of huge windows which was only possible with using some railings. This was a smart idea. It brings the woodsy scenery inside and feels like we are living in a tree house. The inside of the house was completely gutted, some walls pulled down. Again the feeling is very modern but the materials used make it very warm. There are also a lot of details which make the house more pleasant to live in. The result is not only stunning but we love living in it.