We hired Sonya Lee as architect to design and manage a complete gut renovation of a pre-war apartment in Forest Hills Gardens, NY. I can't even imagine another architect doing a better job than what she did for us. She has our absolutely highest recommendation possible.
Process & Knowledge -- Sonya managed the contractors, the architectural drawings, the electrical and plumbing drawings, the Dept of Buildings approval, and helped us deal with the building's board process. She coordinated the entire renovation with an incredible handle on every detail and turned a giant project into manageable pieces and kept it all transparent enough that we knew where we were on status and what the next steps were. She verified all the bills and invoices presented from the contractors and helped us negotiate costs with them. She picked out furniture pieces and fixtures for us. Her expertise was such that we could ask her any question at any time about materials and she could quote price ranges to us, explain the pros and cons of different choices, and she knew everything that the contractors were doing and when they were doing it. There was never a missed deadline from her and she rigorously talked through budget choices and kept us in our desired range. The peace of mind from having someone like her in charge was without question worth the cost of hiring her.
Design -- Sonya has an elegant modern sensibility about design, but she doesn't impose anything on you. She reviewed sample picture designs we liked, asked thoughtful questions about our intended use and worked to create a beautiful, airy design for our apartment that maximized a modern, timeless aesthetic with our needs for a durable and functional family life with small children. Put it this way, everything she created was beautiful, could withstand a beating from our kids and will not be dated years and years from now.
Experience -- I think I've said this already, but if it's not clear, Sonya Lee knows just about everything there is to know for modern renovations. Here's a sampling of some stuff we asked about: light bulb choices and lighting and environmental impact, the hardness of different counters, how to clean wood finishes, "what is that thing behind the wall?", how many internet data jacks should we have, will the Dept of Buildings ask questions about xyz, is there a cheaper option for cabinet handles, what do we do if we want to install a heated toilet later, how is the sound dampening quality of this rug, etc. She knew everything.
Attitude -- Sonya Lee is sweet and kind, but tough on slow contractors. Seriously, she is a very easy person to get along with and has an honestly positive attitude.
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