Testimonials
Residential
Sean and Ondine Dwyer
Hamilton, Massachusetts
Conversion from single-story to two-story home, 2004
We wanted something unusual for our house—something cozy, with not a lot of unused space, while still feeling spacious. Deer Hill Architects did that for us. They made our small footprint of a house look very large. The results are spectacular.
Our architect also understood that in the future we might want to expand, so he left opportunities in the design to make further changes later. He paid close attention to the neighborhood style of architecture to make sure our house really fit in. Yet he still managed to give us exactly what we wanted. He may have had his own opinions, but he completely respected us. It was our house and he was there to fulfill our requirements. I know that making the foyer a cathedral was a challenge. I think he really had to get creative. And he came up with a structurally sound way to give us what we wanted.
We also chose Deer Hill Architects because of response time. We asked for four or five other bids, but Deer Hill Architects was definitely the one who got back to us in the most timely fashion with a draft. Deer Hill Architects was always true to the timeline.
We're so happy now to have what we consider a dream fulfilled.
Brace and Nancy Carpenter
Beverly, Massachusetts
Conversion of ranch into a cape house, 2003
We had a vision for our house, and in the months we worked with Deer Hill Architects to prepare the plans, we were able to translate our vision into what we wanted. The great part about our architect, John Crowell, is he didn't have an ego. It doesn't have to be his way. He are committed to trying to do what the client wants. We knew what we wanted, but didn't know how to get there. Deer Hill Architects got us there.
John is great to work with. He is very low key and very non-confrontational. That's a key element, when you're going through the stress of construction, to be working with people who are low key, who don’t get flustered, and who are able to calm you down when you need it. John's also very open to what the client has to say. He has plenty of ideas, but our ideas overrode his.
The results are remarkable—literally. People walk by the house and say, "I can't believe what you did." It was a total transformation.
Tony and Sheila Fusco
Beverly, Massachusetts
New home construction, 1994
John Crowell worked with us to build our 5-bedroom 4,200 square foot home in Beverly from the bottom up. We had an idea about what we wanted the inside to look like, and what we wanted the outside to look like, but couldn't find the right inside/outside combination. Well, John figured it out.
We met with him maybe a dozen times to craft the design, and he supervised the construction. He did plans down to every single interior detail and every elevation. He was at the construction site every day, inspecting what they were doing. There's quite a bit of millwork detail—it really is a custom home.
We're very picky. We wanted everything just right. John was always very calm and extremely patient. We would come to him with a catastrophe and he would say, "Don't worry about it." And then he'd come back within hours with several proposed solutions and advise us. John would also follow up with vendors, and he helped us choose all the materials. If he could work with us, he can work with anyone.
If you want to see a super house, this is it. We still love it, and always will.
Steve and Helena Avola
Beverly, Massachusetts
Addition to house, 2007
For the addition to our existing house we had some idea of what we wanted, but Deer Hill Architects brought us a lot of good ideas. Our architect would tell us in a structural way what was possible and what was not possible. He was very good at explaining or coming up with suggestions. He made the design process understandable.
Our architect was very creative and easy going. He was fun to work with, and it always felt like a combined effort. He was also very open to suggestions—he wasn't pushing his idea. Sometimes he had to because of construction issues, but he was very flexible. We felt like a part of the process.
We had a traditional cape, and there are so many additions out there that look like an addition. We were very specific that we didn't want it to look like everyone else's addition. We wanted it to look like it was made for this house, and not look like it was added on. The house turned out great—we're very happy with the results.
Commercial
Peggy Phelps, Lynn Housing Authority
Lynn, Massachusetts
28-unit rental housing and 8-condominium townhouse units
Deer Hill Architects are awesome to work with. They listened to what we were trying to achieve, and they understood what our mission was.
John Crowell was very excited about the projects he did for us. He actively looked for innovative ways to build affordable housing. Even though it was all affordable housing, he knew how people want to live, what amenities to include, bedroom sizes, etc. Those are the things we pay attention to, and it's nice to work with an architect who was in tune with that. Deer Hill Architects worked with us to get people a higher quality of life.
For the condominiums, we also had a neighborhood group involved. John worked with neighbors. He didn't put on any airs—he sat right down with the neighbors and listened to everything they wanted to do. He was very responsive. Also, because the government was involved, there were tons of forms. John never balked at filling out paperwork or providing additional drawings.
The people in the buildings now love them. Both projects are beautiful, and don't even look like affordable housing. Our 28-unit building won a national award from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
I can't say enough about Deer Hill Architects. I thought they did a great job.
Jonathan Bedard, Real Estate Developer
Boston, Massachusetts
Converting historical buildings to condominiums
When you're converting a building, the number one concern is meeting current code. John Crowell excelled at ensuring compliance. When there was any question, he quickly came up with answers and documentation. If we had to show a building inspector anything, we felt we could completely rely on his advice.
John was also excellent because he involved us in the process, so we could maximize the reuse of the historical features within the condo units. For example, he recommended that we use old vaults as accessory rooms. They couldn't be used as a bedroom or a kitchen, but they could be storage. Ideas like that were very helpful.
John was exceptional in every aspect imaginable from a developer's point of view. When someone's very responsive like that and you can really rely on the information they're getting you, it makes all the difference in the world.
Deer Hill Architects are the first architects I would go to in the Boston area.
Robert Marshall, general contractor with Robert Marshall and Sons, Inc.
Danvers, Massachusetts
Residential renovations and additions
Deer Hill Architects is on the preferred list of architects we recommend to those coming to us to build. The results are always excellent. They provide a concise and complete set of plans, along with the flexibility to change them as needed.
Sometimes during construction we'll find a hidden condition or the client will decide they'd like something different. Deer Hill Architects is excellent at troubleshooting and redesigning quickly and effectively, either with an addendum or a redesign of a particular area. They make changes easy for the contractor.
They're also truly affordable. Since they solve so many problems ahead of time, they provide a great value. Deer Hill Architects will get all the issues worked out on paper before construction. For me, the general contractor, that's enormously important. There are no surprises.
With Deer Hill Architects, communication is always clear and accurate. They are willing to design to the customer's needs, and not necessarily the way they would have done it.
I always know the client will wind up pleased with the results.