Gary Earl Parsons, Architect

We did a kitchen remodel and addition to our 1920's bungalow with Gary. Gary is everything that you would want in an architect (and more!): -Clear, well thought out construction documents. This translates into issuance of a building permit. It also allows a builder to clearly understand what they are building. His designs are interesting and elegant, but they are also easy to build. His project manual helps keep mystery out of the equation. When a builder bids your job, be rest assured that there isn't much room for interpretation, because Gary lays it all out ahead of time. He not only designs, but he has a comprehensive grasp of the construction process and employs structural engineers, geo technical engineers, surveyors etc. as needed. His projects run smoothly because he's spent the time getting everything just right. -Gary always exercises good judgement. During the design process and long into the actually building of the project, he is there for his clients. He is extremely thorough, so no detail is left behind. If something comes up along the way (this will happen many, many times during a project), Gary will collaborate with the client and builder; his advice always translates into progression of the project in the right direction, and to the satisfaction of the client. I'm a bit of a fanatic, and I'm sure I asked Gary over 300 questions via email that he responded to usually within the same day, and often within minutes. I'm sure I annoyed him, but he's unflappable (or seems to be). -He is a master of proportion. He loves to use lots of natural light, so his designs often feature lots of windows and skylights. The number of windows, size of window, type and location of a window are all studied. In our kitchen the proportion of our peaked ceiling pitch fits with the dimensions of the room perfectly; the placement of the skylight, its length, and position over the island fit perfectly. The size of the cabinets, island proportions, circulation areas are all studied. When you walk into a room that he designed you walk into a beautiful space, and it brings a sense of wonder, but you can't quite pin point why. That's his signature. -Gary gives you what you want. I'm not sure how he does this, but he listens to his client's desires, and then makes those desires a reality. It sounds like some sort of late 1970's B-movie, telepathic thing going on, but it's probably just a well oiled set of synapses firing in orchestra (he has a whole lot of gray matter, so this would make sense). His goal is for his end product to look and feel like the client actually designed it. That's part of the genius of Gary. -I spent a lot of money with Gary; more than I thought I would have had to before embarking on this project, but I've come to realize that I feel it was money well spent. I could have spent less and went with a different architect (or just as easily spent more with someone else), but I don't think anyone could have given me what he did. His designs are worth ten fold their weight in gold and his ability is extremely rare (very gifted). Gary is soft spoken, well spoken and interesting to talk to. He's also a good hearted person. I would never consider working with anyone but Gary; he's simply the best there is!!

Gary is so great to work with. Low key, he listens extremely well and then synthesizes your wishes with his own extensive design knowledge to suggests designs, options, concepts that achieve the functionality or look you are thinking of while raising the actual design to the highest level. He is patient and communicates very well to explain the process and the advantages and drawbacks of certain approaches (in design and in process). There is no magic 'right answer' when it comes to architecture, and Gary works with you to bridge the distance between what you start with and what you would like to accomplish.

This is a update of a review I wrote and posted on another site. It says it all, and nothing has changed in my opinion of Gary since I wrote it, other than to add details of a third excellent project he did for us. --------------------------------------------------------------- This is a hard review to write. This guy is so good that the truth may not sound believable. If you love your home, or want a design that is so close to perfection that people will love and admire it without even knowing why, Gary Parsons is the architect for you. He has a unique approach that seamlessly combines the architectural legacy of your building with modern requirements and your wishes. He's an extraordinary listener, which helps, but then there's his weird talent for taking your inputs and then somehow transforming them into something that is entirely beyond what you had thought would be perfect - and which is then indeed perfect. It's almost like he can also listen to the building (or its long-dead architect, or some other crazy cosmic Berkeley thing), and get its help to make the changes integrate so well. He's done three major projects for us, as well as countless little advisory things. We trust him so thoroughly that we even had him look at our current house before we bought it. Gary designed a great double deck and staircase arrangement for the back of the house, which ended up feeling more like we'd added another room - except that the new room happens to be outdoors. Next he designed a super new kitchen for us, which manages to fit our 1913 home like it has always been there, but while also sneakily incorporating all modern conveniences. And most lately he designed a reconfiguration of the entry and enclosure of the existing front porch of our house, through which the entire face of the house was changed to what it should have been originally. And it, too, looks like it has always been there - yet alters the mode in which one enters the home and thus creates an entirely different initial impression and mood. All of these projects don't garner just mild admiration from visitors; we regularly are told that they need to be written up in magazines. And as the years have passed, we still find little aspects that we'd not noticed before, little design things that Gary had pondered and included, but not necessarily pointed out - neat solutions to design problems we'd never known were even there in the first place. Those are the sorts of things that cumulatively create the overall intangible sense that a design is great, to even the most casual observer. Somebody else talks in their review about how Gary can guide you away from bad ideas gently and without pain. That's the bonus of working with him - he not only produces a brilliant design, but he follows up with soft skills that evolve the project as needed in a way that keeps everyone happy. He knows all the crazy ins-and-outs of the Berkeley permitting process. He knows an incredible array of top-notch contractors and cabinet makers and coppersmiths and craftspeople of all kinds. He always stays on top of things, keeps things pleasant, and always underpins everything with deep intelligence and sensitivity. Our last house has turned over three times since we sold it. Just before we decided to move, we'd had Gary draft a proposal with several alternative schemes for a second story addition. It was beautiful, and the only reason we didn't proceed was because a baby was imminent, so we bought a larger house instead. But that old proposal of Gary's has been used as a selling point each time the house has resold since then, because the quality and creativity resonates with all who see it. Nobody has built it yet, but maybe someday... People hire this guy to work on Maybecks and Julia Morgans, and there's a real serious reason for that. He's completely conversant with the past, but never loses sight of the modern context. He's just as respectful of the architectural legacy as he is of the client. He's endlessly creative, quick and sharp, and a real nice guy to boot. I have no idea whatsoever whether he's cheap or expensive, but I can guarantee that you will get your money's worth and beyond. He's always busy, because quality is always in demand. He likes to keep busy, and loves it when you ask him if he's been keeping busy...and always has a good entertaining answer for the question. Give it a try.

We hired Gary Parsons to design a major remodel of our home subsequent to a house fire. Gary and staff helped us feel relaxed and excited about the project during a very stressful time. We had never hired an architect before, and had no idea about the way forward. Gary was able to draw out from us what was most important in designing a new living space that perfectly suited our needs. Even aspects of the design which we weren't confident about at the time ended up being features we couldn't imagine living without, after 7 years in this new home. A lot of additional creativity was required given the particulars of the existing structure, the lot, setbacks, etc.. Over the course of a year of upheaval for the family, Gary remained friendly and upbeat, even when I was sure he must of been tired of my calls! I couldn't recommend him and his company any more highly.

In June of 2014 we completed our second major home remodel with Gary Parsons. Our first project, completed in 2003, was updating a 1923 Arts & Crafts Stucco home in the Berkeley Hills. Gary’s beautiful updates to the kitchen, baths and bedrooms introduced much needed modern elements while honoring the original feel of the home. In 2010 our family relocated to Oakland. Our current home was originally a 1950’s ranch style house, which the previous owners had expanded and updated to their tastes. While the location, lot and floor plan worked well for our family, we knew that we wanted to make major design changes to better reflect our tastes. Having been so satisfied with Gary’s earlier work, we looked forward to working with him again. As expected, Gary was incredibly skillful at helping us refine and realize our vision for our home. One of Gary’s greatest skills as an architect is his ability to collaborate with his clients. He listened to our ideas with respect and openness while communicating his own vision clearly and convincingly. In addition, Gary is detail oriented, conscientious and timely in his work. He’s a pleasure to work with and an exceptional architect. He helped us create a warm, modern, light-filled home which we love. We are delighted with the finished product and would strongly recommend him for your next home project.

Gary Parsons designed the remodel for our kitchen, dining room, laundry room, and half bath. Our New Georgian 1929 house had a rather small kitchen connected to the dining room by a narrow door and a food pass-through. To reach the garden one had to pass through the laundry room and by the small toilet closet which was not fit for company. We wanted more flowing connections between the kitchen and both the dining room and the garden, a laundry room with better storage, and a bathroom that guests could use. We interviewed four architects. All seemed competent and easy to talk with, but when we visited jobs that they had done, Gary’s kitchen remodels seemed significantly stronger because they fit seamlessly into the existing architecture while still having modern appliances and features. That convinced us to work with him, which resulted in the perfect remodel from our point of view. The dining room is now connected seamlessly with the kitchen, with continuous oak flooring and a six foot wide opening with glass pocket doors in case we want to keep cooking aromas in the kitchen. New built-in cabinets were added to either side of the doors. The kitchen was somewhat enlarged and french doors to the garden were added. Now the dining room, kitchen, and garden feel much more open and better connected, improving the traffic flow when family and friends come for dinner. A very attractive bathroom with Italian tile wainscoting and marble sink top allows guests an attractive option on the ground floor rather than having to go upstairs. The laundry room was especially designed to accommodate foster care of dogs, with commercial linoleum floor, a door to the garden, and a pocket door to close it off from the kitchen. Gary was very easy to work with, had great ideas, and seemed to have a sense for what we wanted to accomplish. We are thrilled with the remodel, would use Gary again if the opportunity arose, and would recommend him without reservation.

Gary has done four projects for us over the years. Two kitchens, one bath, and one lower level remodel. One project won a BAHA award for remodeling an historic property. (All 4 should have won!) He has a great eye. Gary is very easy to work with - listening and giving guidance in just the right balance. He also works very well with contractors, an important consideration for any construction project. We have no hesitation in recommending Gary for any job you have.

We used Gary to do a very extensive remodel of our Rockridge home. We tore down and redid our entire second story, as well as many changes in the downstairs. We absolutely loved working with Gary. We worked very closely with him and went through a number of productive creative rounds to get the very most out of our property. Gary is a standout because he is innovative/creative, focused/efficient, and practical. He really listened to us, came up with all sorts of amazing ideas, but stayed true to the aesthetic of our original house and street. He was also mindful that we were trying to work with the semblance of a budget. He recommended a number of excellent contractors, and we chose to work with Peter Bilbao who was outstanding and works very well with Gary. As a team they did a tremendous job for us. People have noticed our house and asked who our architect and contractor were, and it has been a pleasure to recommend them both. Our neighbors chose to work with Gary and also had a terrific experience (they recently reached out to thank us again for the recommendation). In summary: we loved the experience, people compliment our house outside and in, others have had great experiences....oh, and did I mention he's just a sweetheart and lovely man to be around? Really top notch.

Our first project with Gary was a bathroom remodel. Our current project is a plan to turn our attic space into a 2 bed, 1 bath addition. In both cases, he's done an incredible job. He listens carefully to what we have to say, while making thoughtful suggestions to enhance or modify our ideas. He has a strong signature style but it never dominates the conversation. His experience level, creativity, and passion for good design make him an excellent partner on any project. Five stars, hands down, from process to final product.

Our house is a 1916 craftsman like style that we wanted to expand to accommodate our growing family. Friends referred us to Gary, noting that he was renowned for remodeling homes like ours while maintaining the architectural integrity of the home. We added a 2 story, 2 bedroom, 2 bath addition and also remodeled the old kitchen/laundry/second bath area into a large eat in kitchen. The addition fits in seamlessly with the house, both inside and out. Gary is a master at designing spaces that feel comfortable, are immensely usable, maximize the available space while being visually interesting as well. The biggest challenge we faced was the kitchen design. We were stuck with the concepts of islands and peninsulas, attempting to keep the table next to the wall with a window, as it was in our old kitchen. Gary came up with the perfect solution, a large skylight well in the middle of the room, with the table underneath, and more than ample counters/cabinets/appliances along all of the walls. It has become the center focus of the house. We can seat 10 people for dinner while 2 cooks work at the same time. Gary's biggest asset is in how he works with his clients to achieve their dream during a very stressful process. He is architect, guide and therapist. He is able to listen to everyones opinions respectfully, but then guides them in a practical direction, incorporating their visions into a coherent whole. He also worked extremely well with our contractor, who he recommended, and with whom we were also extremely happy. The results speak for themselves, he enhanced the livability of our house multifold and everyone remarks what a wonderful gathering place the kitchen is. Our marriage also remained intact! The final outcome was so much more than we could ever conceive of on our own. It also met our primary desire, that the house remain intact as an integrated home. We give Gary our highest recommendation possible!

Gary Parsons helped us design and provided the detailed plans for the remodel of the kitchen in our 1908 Craftsman house. Our goal was to create a kitchen in the style of the house while including the most modern appliances. Gary entered into the project with enthusiasm and creativity. He was both personable and professional. He helped integrate our special requests and helped us maintain the external integrity of the house as well as the interior. The walnut counter in the hallway was his idea and was exactly right. He also made sure that the lighting was perfect. I would recommend him without hesitation.

My company, Mascheroni Construction, and I have worked with Gary for over 15 years. He is the type of architect that everyone should work with. He understands the issues involved with designing homes for families. And he has a way of communicating and explaining these issues to both home owners and contractors. With his intimate construction knowledge base, and his even demeanor, he represents the glue that keeps projects on time and on budget. Gary is someone I respect and unconditionally trust. He is definitely the architect I would hire to remodel my house. In fact, he was the one my wife and I hired when we did decide to remodel our house. And, my wife would confirm all that I have said. When guests come to our house and complement us on the special, fine details, we always give recognition to our architect, Gary Parsons.