Claude C. Lapp Architects, LLC

As a custom home builder, I have been working with Lapp for years and could not recommend them more. Whether it has been for speculative new homes across a wide spectrum of price points or referring clients for completely custom designs of their dream homes, Lapp always delivers.

I worked with Claude C Lapp (Chris Lapp) to design a custom home in Bethesda, MD in late 2020. Chris and his team delivered a beautiful and functional design. He does almost all the houses in the Bethesda area, so if you want something that fits the look & feel of the neighborhood, there isn't anyone else I would consider. Chris is very professional, intelligent, and reasonable. The only minor thing to be being aware of, is that he, like every other successful architect, relies on a team of architects to perform a lot of the bulk/manual work, and this means sometimes you may need to go through a few iterations to get to the final product that you and Chris had envisioned. That said, I am a very detail-oriented person and had very specific design requirements for our house, so this won't even be on the radar for 95% of clients. If you don't have an opinion for the placement of every particular window, soffit, etc., down to the fractional inch, then you will have an even smoother experience getting to a good design. Even if you do feel strongly about each little detail, you'll still get to a good outcome, it just may take a few more iterations. I don't think you will get a better outcome or value without paying 3x (aka the price of a senior architect like Chris to be dedicated to your single project end-to-end - which I don't even think you can find anywhere, as it's not easy to get this much time from a good, in-demand, architect like Chris). I would highly recommend working with Chris Lapp and his team for any of your architectural needs. Thank you Chris & team for architecting our future home!

Truly a 5-star organization. We used CCL to design our custom home in Bethesda MD. The CCL team (led by Claude and Andrew) efficiently organized our thoughts and dreams into structure and plans. We had a wonderful experience and highly recommend this architectural firm.

Can't say enough about this amazing team. Big or small - they will get your project done with 100% satisfaction - it makes sense why they are the mid-Atlantic mainstay for custom design!

Chris and his team were amazing to work with! They listened to all of our needs and different wants (like a puppy bath!) and were able to incorporate them all into a beautiful home! Everybody who has come through the house has been impressed - even the inspectors! We could not be more happy with our Forever Home!

We chose CCL Architects to design our new home at the recommendation of our builder. They listened to our needs and came up with the perfect layout that exceeded our expectations and remained within our budget. Along the way, they were creative in finding ways to maximize our space, and were more than happy to make multiple plan revisions (especially elevation reiterations to show window, siding and roofline options) that we were considering. The end result: we absolutely love our new home! After we moved in, we wanted to build a shed in the backyard to match our home. CCL not only designed the plans, but submitted the documents to the county on our behalf as an added favor. In addition, since we're building the shed on our own, CCL has answered numerous questions that have come up as our DIY shed project takes shape. They've been great to work with...always accessible and genuinely interested in our needs!

Claude C. Lapp Architects are great to work with! Their knowledge, experience, and attention to detail create amazing home designs. They are easily accessible throughout the entire design, permitting, and construction process to ensure projects go smoothly. We look forward to working with them in the future!

Carter and I have built many custom homes over the past decade or more with Claude C. Lapp Architects, LLC. Chris and his Team consistently demonstrate an amazing ability to articulate the vision of our clients into a home design that is tailored to fit the needs of their family, remains price-conscious, and timeless.

Great company to work with! They always have fantastic home designs on display. We have been able to provide our custom garage doors on many of their beautiful houses.

Lapp Architects has designed 3 beautiful homes for me in the past two years. Their range in style, ability to listen to clients needs, and predictable turnaround time make them a gem. Their designs are practical not only for today's needs but for those of the future as the home gracefully stands the test of time. If you are looking for a clear and pleasurable experience, look no further.

We interviewed a few architects for our "spec" home project and Claude C. Lapp Architects was an easy choice to make. They were very professional and straight forward in their presentation. Their rates were both reasonable and competitive. Chris and his team were very responsive and insightful with their design. The floorplan was a winner and we sold and settled it in record time. We will be using them for our future "spec" homes and we will not bother interviewing other firms.

Talented, Supportive, and Professional would describe Claude Lapp Architects. It's evident that many hours of work and creativity went into designing the outside elevation and the flow of our interior floor plan. It's absolutely beautiful and we are so excited to be in our new dream home. Claude and his team really care and take pride in their work.

Chris and Andrew were absolutely wonderful to work with. They really listened and drew us beautifully detailed plans, making it a breeze to build our dream home. Both have a calm and reassuring presence, always take the time to answer our questions, and walked us through the entire process. Our design was so thorough that we got our building permit in record time. We highly recommend Chris and his team and look forward to our next project together. -Ana and Hessam Mirzaei- Manzel Construction LLC

Chris and his team are the ultimate professionals, while providing excellent service and prompt replies! Chris's experience and knowledge made the design process seemless. The accessibility of the entire team allowed for continuous production of construction. Looking forward to our next project with Claude C. Lapp Architects!

DigiConSoo was able to fabricate this amazing full round belltower. The architects at Claude C. Lapp had the vision and creative acumen to design this amazing feature! Their professionalism made it extremely easy to communicate details and the finished project went off without a hitch! Really appreciate their incredible design! Looking forward to the next one!

Chris, Andrew and the whole team are outstanding! Thorough, thoughtful, no detail left out. And an absolute joy to work with. Responsive, solution-oriented professionals who love what they do! I've hired them for several large-scale new homes and additions, and they have always produced at a level that exceeds my expectations. It's a team-approach and a relationship that as a builder I value not only for myself, but for my clients.

At L5 Design/Build, we take pride in our work and our ongoing cooperation with Chris Lapp and his firm has been instrumental in our company's success. As a boutique local builder, we require an architectural firm that not only has its pulse on new design trends, but is completely familiar with our local building codes and regulations. Our company has built new construction homes, as well as large renovations projects, using design work provided by the Claude Lapp architects. Their designs, service and prices have always exceeded our expectations. Highly recommend using them for any of your building requirements. Keep up the awesome work Chris and thanks!

We hired Lapp Architects when problems arose on our residential addition in Silver Spring. Not only did they respond promptly, but they assessed and fixed the problems that unexpectedly popped up. Cannot thank and recommend them enough!

We have known Claude (Chris) Lapp for over 12 years, both personally and professionally, which is why we did not hesitate to contact him when we purchased a home in Kensington with the need for a major renovation. Chris met us at the house and as we walked through the it and he took the time to ask questions about our ideas and thoughts and what are priorities were. We ended up doing a renovation with the existing footprint and selling it, but had it not been for Chris's expertise, knowledge of costs, pointing out potential pitfalls, it could have been a financial disaster. Chris was very helpful in making the determination of what would be critical for the much smaller scale renovation and guiding us through the entire process; showing his professionalism and commitment to his clients. We can't wait to have Chris Lapp prepare architectural plans for our waterfront house - we're sure that they will be outstanding. Diane and Bob Mantoni

Our company has done business with Claude C. Lapp Architects for over 20 years and counting. Their knowledge, professionalism and incorporation of the latest trends are what make them a great company to work with. We have recommended many of our clients to this firm and they only have great things to say. We look forward to continue to do business with them for a long time to come.

Claude C. Lapp Architects designs to perfection and doesn't just leave it at that. They work with their clients throughout their projects and they ensure a smooth transition until the product is just right. Finecraft Contractors has experienced a wonderful working relationship with this firm, and Chris especially has been a breath of fresh air. From his keen eye for details to his communication skills, it's a joy to work together. We have seen firsthand just how far they go to make sure their clients are satisfied. It's been a great working relationship creating an addition for their clients. We look forward to many more creations in the future!

Chris Lapp is an excellent architech for number of reasons. We hired him for our very complecated 6000sq ft custom new house projects. He challenged with a lot of things, such as high slope,high water table,historical town regulations, tree protection etc... At the end he figured all this out and built a great house for us. I am very happy to work with him. Chris Lapp and his team provides excellent service. Resit Gecgil AR Custom Builders

We used Claude C. Lapp Architects, LLC in designing our new home. We started with a set of plans we liked and Chris offered many ideas and suggestions to make this "our home". Throughout the process Chris has been very responsive and a pleasure to work with. Our house plans flew through permitting without a single problem. We highly recommend them and can't wait to see the finished product! Thanks for everything! Brittany & Jonathan

We hired Chris Lapp to consult on our custom home construction project in Bethesda. We wanted to make sure we had someone who was our advocate in the process and who would be able to review and comment on the floor plans before the construction began, and then consult as the project advanced. Chris was all of that and more. He made crucial suggestions on the floor plans that significantly improved the overall flow of the plans. Chris has a great eye for detail and picked up on certain oversights that were included in the original plans and throughout the process made suggestions on how to improve on our home. Chris was always quick to respond to our queries and made himself available when needed to meet with us and/or the builder, and was well-regarded by our builder too. Chris has a wealth of experience having planned and designed many homes in the Bethesda area and is therefore an amazing resource in terms of the new trends in architecture, trim, and anything in between. On a personal level, Chris is very down-to-earth and pleasant to work with. Taking on a construction project is a huge undertaking and having Chris on our side made the process so much easier. We highly recommend Chris for any type of architectural project. In fact, we have a number of friends who have used Chris as their architect and they too have been extremely happy with the quality of his work. If you need an architect -- hire Chris Lapp and you will always be thankful you did.

I had a small job, a detached garage and a remodel of a front elevation to our home. I was having a tough time finding an architect that would even respond but Chris Lapp responded personally. He met with me at the job site and within a few weeks I had my plans in hand. I had heard horror stories about the review and approval process at the county permit office but when the reviewer saw the plans were done by Claud C. Lapp Architects he said, " I see you got a really good architect to do your plans". He skimmed over them, told me to have a seat, and he would have them approved in 30 minutes. Shortly there after I walked out with approved building plans. I know having Chris' firm's name on the plans made the difference. Professional, personable, and a sincere pleasure to work with.

My husband and I have had the distinct pleasure of working with Chris to design our Dream Home. When we told him what we wanted he helped us realize our vision on paper. As such, he provided us with a blueprint to build a very functional, inviting, and charming home. He is very talented, design oriented, efficient and knowledgeable in all areas of home construction. We highly recommend him for any project!

Chris Lapp and his company did a beautiful job designing a sunroom for us. He was a real asset in helping us figure out the best plan for our needs. Chris is a real professional and easy to work with. Can't wait to see the final results once the room is built!

Chris Lapp was referred to me by a firend in my neighborhood. I spoke with several archtects before meeting Chris. I decided to hire him on the spot. He listened to my ideas and thoughts on the project and came up with specific plans based on my goals and budget. He delivered the drawings in a timely manner and helped guide me through the permitting process. When the city required ammendments to the original plans, Chris came up an attractive solution immediately.

Chris Lapp did a great job designing our custom home. He thinks through every detail in his initial consultation and translates the customer requests into accurate drawings for the builder which saves time and money in the construction phase. He incorporates the latest trends and styles into his designs. Chris and his team are great to work with. Our house turned out great!

Chris Designed my 2 car attached garage to match the architecture of the original house. Elevations and Roof lines were critical based on location. It also had to be reviewed and accepted by my Homeowners Association's Architectural Committee (not an easy task). He and his team did a great job. He was always available to speak with and always listened and incorporated my wishes into the project. The end result was perfect!

Designed a screend porch, deck and pool grounds. Claude did a great job and I would highly recommend Claude Lapp, Architects.

We hired Mr. Lapp for three projects: a sun room, a separate garage, and a greenhouse. In each case the projects had to be integrated with existing structures. Chris did an excellent job of handling both design and mechanical issues for us. We were extremely pleased with the work and would have no reservations in using him again or recommending him to friends and family. Overall, a top notch experience.

We have been working with Claude C. Lapp Architects for years now in the DC, MD, VA area on numerous projects ranging from small remodels to large custom homes. We can always recommend our clients to them for their expertise in design, attention to detail, and timely responses to any questions that may arise on a job. We've had much success with Chris on some very complex projects but always seem to find away to come together on a great design to ultimately wow our clients every time. We gladly recommend Claude C. Lapp, Architects and look forward to many more successful projects with them in the future.

Chris and his team are fabulous! They did all the architectural drawings for the custom home we are now building in Rockville, Maryland. They are always so professional, able to quickly answer questions or give helpful suggestions. Simply put, they know exactly what they're doing. Chris doesn't miss a detail and was a real pleasure to work with. I'd recommend them again and again.

We have used Claude C. Lapp for architectural plans for updates and additions to our 1931 "Cotswold" cottage three times. He has also done work for other family members and friends. He is very intuitive and maintains the proper period or style of the house while making it functional and aesthetically pleasing. He is very gifted and we wouldn't hesitate to refer him to anyone interested in making their existing home more functional or enjoyable or for drawing plans for a new build.