Mark Brand Architecture

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.

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 Our goal was to turn our unique but outdated 70's colonial home nested in the woods of Pleasanton ridge into an elegant and modern living space.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 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.